[hans]

So I posted yesterday about removing the fuse box under the hood.

I have also posted before about the total wet carpet (under) and battery drain issues.

Anyhow, today I was out to clean the Bulk Head some more and then proceeded running a hose on the drivers side windshield and just below the windshield into the Bulk Head.

So I have isolated where a trickle of water runs down the firewall, see picture.

So I suppose the next step would be to start cutting away the rubber/foam sound barrier above the exposed area?

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Thanks

 

[nikoloz]

Hi, i posted this thread few month ago, http://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f43/another-a-c-condensation-drain-issue-210137.html
In my case It completely solved the problem kind regards, Nikoloz

 

[hans]

Thanks nikoloz for your reply and glad you got that sorted. A few moments in your videos made me chuckle.

But that is not where the water enters. I think I have isolated it to one area and that is the rubber gasket around the wire loom between the Fuse box and the firewall right below the windshield on the drivers side.
Some debris collected over time and got stuck in between that area and appears to have been rubbing away. (We got massive amounts of the damn Maple copter seeds flying around in the fall.)
The rubber edge of that gasket seem to show some wear. As I could not figure out how to remove the fuse box I managed to clean the area and got some clear sealant on top of the rough area with a spatula.
Going to let this dry and and test with water again tomorrow. Cross my fingers!

Water leaks SUCK! ](*,)

 

[nikoloz]

Well as long as you know where the water is coming from that's good hope it will work out for you kind regards

 

[canoewnc]

I was replacing the electric smog air pump, behind the fender liner on the passengers side of the car. I noticed at the rear of the wheel well, the drain passages from the firewall area, were packed with fine silt. You have to remove the front wheel, and then it is only a dozen small screws/bolts to take out the fender liner. If clogged, I can imaging water backing up and causing hard to find leaks. Good luck!

 

[hans]

FINALLY FIXED!!!!!

The bulk head and drain is as clean as it can get.

But here the good news, after a bit of struggling I managed to figure how to remove the fuse box and push the wire looms out of the way. I am able to get my hand in there as well as taking some pictures with my iPhone to show were the problem was.
In the attached picture you can see a rough area around the seal (circled) where it meets the firewall, when pushing the welded bracket below the circled area slightly it was obvious a slight gab appears confirming a bad seal. I have had this Touareg since new so this must have been a bad installation at the factory and since I have not read anywhere about a similar issue probably an isolated case. But since there is the possibility others might end up with the same leaking nightmare at least it is out there for others to troubleshoot and fix if required.
Anyhow, I have run water on the repaired rubberized area and no more leaks! :grin:
As you can see I applied plenty of (PF 207) not only around the troubled seal but other possible problem areas as well. Still tricky to get in there with fat hands but impossible to do without the fusebox coming out.

Back in the garage I go and put it all back together. :wave:

(btw - the clear silicone sealant I used initially, was easily removed, the PF 207 is highly recommended.)

Cheers,

 

[hans]

Update: After almost 1.5 year still bone dry and no more dash warning messages or battery drain related to this issue......

 

[Hampton52]

After struggling to remove the fuse box ... how did you do it?

And Yes ... I know this thread is over a year old ... but I have the same leak and my drain plug has been removed.

 

[hans]

After struggling to remove the fuse box ... how did you do it?

And Yes ... I know this thread is over a year old ... but I have the same leak and my drain plug has been removed.

Hi, I actually don't remember how I did it to remove the fuse box, it has been a while.
Did you have any luck in the meantime?

 

[Hampton52]

I stopped trying to remove the fuse box and then covered the firewall and most of my arm with the RTV is used to seal the gaps.

My daughter is still giggling about the yoga I was doing to reach some areas.

 

[ZeroR2]

After struggling to remove the fuse box ... how did you do it?

And Yes ... I know this thread is over a year old ... but I have the same leak and my drain plug has been removed.

If someone wants to know how to remove the fuse box, please let me know. I will post some picture with directions on how I moved it to the side.

 

[minim]

Kinda necro to bring this topic back to life but I have a leak in the exact same spot as OP. I know it's a lot of work but is it possible to remove this part of the firewall and seal it properly? If it's welded like the OP says that's no point.. in the parts catalogue this part doesn't have its own number so I suspect it's factory fit to the panel (15) and might not be possible to separate.

I could try with the sealant on the outside but wouldn't know what to use. The sealant the OP used isn't sold in Norway..

 

[Hampton52]

It looks like 15 & 16 are spot welded with a seam sealer on my '05. I used a commonly available black silicone when I sealed mine two years ago. RTV is Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone. It is still working. I would suggest any sealant that is designed for outdoor use, doesn't crack with age and has a longer working time than a 5 minute epoxy ... it takes time to work the sealant around all those other pieces in the area.Good luck.

 

[johnk]

My 04 leaked from that seal, but leak persisted after sealing only the visible seal section. Ended up having to remove the brake booster to get at the leak hidden behind. Sloppy manufacturing. Saw a great vanity plate the other day. LEAKY. Perfect for Touareg or any VW/Audi for that matter.

 

[minim]

How much did you have to remote to Get the booster out? I've taken away the wipers, ecus and the fuse box. I can see that I will have troubles getting to the part behind the brake booster but I fear that it's a lot of work to remove it :S I would rather do it once than twice tho so if it has to go it has to go..

Edit: just checked in elsa and it seems like it isn't much work to pull the booster so I'll do that. I had a wet carpet on the passenger side to but I hope that is due to cracks in the are at the top of the bulkhead. No chance to get down under that ABS box due to all the pipes..

 

[minim]

My 04 leaked from that seal, but leak persisted after sealing only the visible seal section. Ended up having to remove the brake booster to get at the leak hidden behind. Sloppy manufacturing. Saw a great vanity plate the other day. LEAKY. Perfect for Touareg or any VW/Audi for that matter.

so I pulled the booster today since I don't want to do this job twice. Such a PITA to take the booster out.. Well I found a spot where the aluminum tube has been rubbing into the seal. I can't figure out how to place the tube so it doesn't rub there but it can't be like this. Was that your leaking point that was hidden or was it somewhere else?

Also pulled the HVAC intake to get access to the bottom on the right side. Along the center is an area I won't reach so I really hope it isn't anything there.

Getting proper sealant tomorrow and will try to patch it up as good as I can. There are spots I don't get clean so I hope it bonds anyways. I've been cleaning with brake cleaner and spraying where I can't reach.

 

[johnk]

Mine was leaking from the seal fault directly under the center of the booster. My pipe was not rubbing the seal. Can't you bend the aluminum pipe a bit or force a spacer pad between the bulkhead and the pipe? For all the fancy high tech stuff in these trucks, way too many basic design and assembly issues.

 

[minim]

Mine was leaking from the seal fault directly under the center of the booster. My pipe was not rubbing the seal. Can't you bend the aluminum pipe a bit or force a spacer pad between the bulkhead and the pipe? For all the fancy high tech stuff in these trucks, way too many basic design and assembly issues.

ok. It looks like the seal goes outwards in that area on mine also.
The pipe doesn't bend enough or is in the wrong shape to get away from it. I'll see if I can figure out something because this is not a good design like you say.. on later models there was a clip according to the dealer but this clip is now out of production so I couldn't order it for mine.. I guess I'll find a way to hack it back together but its not ideal...

 

[minim]

A picture of the spot right under the booster just in case anyone else sees this thread later..

 

[johnk]

Yup, that's the area where my leak was. I believe that the seal was damaged by "standing water" in the plenum.