Task 1
I think I've found out where the water is coming into the boot. The inside of the boot appeared to have been sealed, however on close inspection, there where areas where the sealant had gaps in it:
This is under the light on the nearside
and this is at the bottom of the boot
I stuck some bathroom sealant/mastick in as I had some lying around, so hopefully that will do the trick.
Task 2
Decided to give the engine bay a spruce up today also. Took lots of pics too so I can slap together a how to later on.
First I removed the spark plug and manifold covers. This not only exposed the rocker cover and manifold, but also exposed just how dirty it was:
I also removed my Spoon socks to avoid them getting mucky.
With the engine exposed and ready to clean, the first job was making the electrical plugs waterproofish. Cling film works well for this. There are several points around the engine bay that need a dose of cling film:
Plug on the induction hose from the airbox to manifold:
Two plugs at the end or the induction hose (usually hidden by manifold cover)
Two plugs between rocker cover and airbox/induction hose
Fuel rail plugs
Spark plug connectors (Ifound these easiest to wrap by unplugging the connector and then sliding the cling film underneath, reconnecting then wrapping around)
Next was the fun bit. Take one can of Gunk foam spray:
and go mental on the engine bay!
If your bay is really greasy like mine was, the Gunk will fizzle away and break down the grease almost instantly. I then rinsed away the Gunk/grease and gave it another going over with Gunk so I could concentrate on the really grimy/fiddly bits. I then went at these bits with a toothbrush, although hardly any agitation was needed. The Gunk foam really is quality stuff.
Area's where dirt/grease commonly build up are in the nooks and cranny's of the manifold and around the dipstick/oil cap and bolts that hold the rocker cover on. These are also areas where water pools later on.
All the other dirty but non greasey areas including bonnet (it's easy to forget) were cleaned with Megs hyperwash and a wash mit.
The instructions on the can of Gunk said to leave it to work for 5 minutes, so I took the opportunity for some fluid balancing:
After my cuppa, It was just a case of hosing down the engine bay and drying all the left over water (I used an old microfibre towel with some QD). Unfortunately I had missed a couple of areas on the Induction hose and only realised this after I had dried the engine bay. Not wanting to risk soaking the whole engine bay again after maticulously drying it, I cleaned the missed areas with a toothbrush and some Megs APC then removed with a wash mit and water.
As mentioned earlier, ther are some areas in the engine bay where water like to collect. These can just be soaked up with a bit of kitchen roll
The battery tray proved to be particularly pesty, but I prevailed in the end.
The results (with very little elbow grease applied)
Beofre
After
Before
After
Before
After
As the manifold and spark plug covers were off, I thought I would give them a buff up as well as the Gruppe M. Used some Jetseal 109 and Dodo juice purple haze and they came up a treat
The end result (allbeit slightly out of focus)
...and some more gratuitous clean shots
Task 3
I've got a chip on my bumper that has gradually gotten bigger as water has got in under the paint and lifted it away. I did a quick fix a cuple of months ago by putting a clear dressing that we use at work to make it waterproof. This was ok until it started turning yellow. I decided a slightly better quick fix would be to go around the area with touch up paint so hopefully it will at least seal it until I've got the spare cash to get the bumper resprayed.
Not pretty, but I achieved what I wanted to.
