Replacing Defender Vent seals and tracing leaks Part 3 

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When BMW bought LR, they said they tested their cars for leaks by putting a cat inside and leaving it there the weekend.. On the Monday they opened the car and the cat was dead due to lack of oxygen. They tried the same with the Defender... on the Monday when they opened the car the cat had escaped... Take care Mike...

I DO like conveniences and gadgets but you can buy a LOT of rags for the cost of a heated windscreen. Now, heated MIRRORS, OTOH, are an absolute bloody marvel! It a complete game-changer to be able to defrost mirrors without accidentally moving them and then having to re-adjust them.

My inside gutter would fill up and then you got the classic ‘right leg/left leg dousing’ when braking (depending which seat you were in 😂). After much investigation involving wedges of paper towel in the gutter to try and work out the source, I totally cured it by re-sealing the join that runs across the roof with Sikaflex 521 UV (white). Who knew that the gutter could hold about a gallon of water (at least it seemed like it 😂)

I had water running inside and replaced vent seals. Problem wasn't solved, but i managed to fix and lube vent hinges. After watching one of your videos I made "extension" to the bulkhead gutter and problem was solved, no more water :)

I fitted those exact seals in preparation for the winter. Vent was spotlessly clean but they still moved after leaving the vents open for 24 hours. Had to use a contact adhesive. It worked and no more drafts, well not from there anyway.

Heated screens aren’t only aftermarket - late models had them as an option and I think all XS (top spec) station wagons have them as standard. They work pretty well as demisters, as you said, and can help get rid of frost by softening the bottom layer, but scraping is still needed, just easier. I fit heated screens to my 109 and they’re fantastic in UK winters. The heated pads for the wing mirrors are great too, both a big safety improvement. Then there is the heated seating - now, that really is nice in winter, especially in the 109! Finding roof leaks... well, good luck with that. I used PU adhesive in the gutters to seal them up, and Captain Tilly’s Creeping Crack Cure (from most boat chandlers) on the alpine light seals to make sure they’re good. I think I’m getting water in through the seams hidden under the roof’s external ribs, so they’re next. It’s only a small leak, but it drips from any of the bolts through the gutter holding the roof to the side panels or windscreen.

My roof also leaked from where the top skin was sandwiched against the gutter. I lined the whole gutter with a thin layer of marine silicone which sorted it.

There was a 45 page typed A4 paper book at the main dealers I worked at that discribed all the potential water leaks and the alleged fixes! The roof joint and the pressed corners at the front where a crack can form due to the stamping process are unusual ones I've been involved in. Using a smoke machine inside the vehicle may yield results, if you can maintain enough positive pressure!!

hello mike. nothing new then, my series 3 l/rovers used to leak like the titanic during the 70s.we just got on with it,did the best we could,

You love your neighbour. “I’ll throw it over the neighbour’s fence later”. 😱🙈😂

Love your videos, love your manner, very pragmatic approach which inspires me in restoring my 1986 90”; thank you.

I added a larger gutter guard over my doors that kept water from dripping over top of the existing roof gutters and leaking into the doors. I used anodized L shaped aluminium stock to make them.

As Sherlock says, the game is afoot, good luck on finding that leak Mike. 👍🏻

I just did mine today real pig of a nightmare job, the left one took me about 4 hours to take off clean and refit and it was mostly on the refit that took me ages, the right one took me about one hour to take of clean and refit.

1:40 to 2:00 there's loads of ancient, taped-up, end-of-life Focuses and Mondeos my way with the QuickClear front windscreens that have misty vertical stripes due to failed heating elements. Obviously great when they were new, but worse than crap now.

The simplest way to find out where the leak is coming from is --- shut all the doors and any other openings. Then open the sun roof---- Put an hose pipe throw the sunroof and fill the vehicle right up to the top with water ---- that way you will see the water coming out of where it is going in-----Simples ----- Let me know how you go on Mike. Best wishes from Gods county, Yorkshire ROB. Stay safe Mike.

Here in the great south land you can get a laminated flat screen cut for about $160 per square metre and they polish the edges for you too. Life's a matter of knowing where to shop! Stavros

What responds a super-intelligent computer to this: Land Rover + Theory + Rain = "ERROR"...

Never mind the bloody leaks. Gearwrench ratchet spanners? Las week it was a set on Tekton screwdrivers, now it's Gearwrench. You've been going mad Mike, carry on like this and you will have to return to Yorkshire for some re-training.

Could be leaking at the point where the roof skin is riveted to the steel channel through a loose rivet or the seal at the top of the windscreen framework,older roofs with vents at the back end were a terrible idea as the turbulence while driving in rain sucked water in and then dumped it down the back of your neck when braking!:)

It's all ok Mike, it only leaks when it's raining, that's what I say about my old Disco 1 anyway...

Look forward to finding out where its leaking from as mine leaks in the same place but on the other side. But I thought they were designed to do that.

I have the same roof leak... I suspect the gutters themselves are leaking to their inside part and then run to the front where it's open..

The only way I got my foam seal to work was to put one on the flap and one on the bulkhead. Nice tight seal now. As you can imagine.

My front of gutter above top corner of door seems to be split from the roof body. And I get buckets of water dripping in through the headlining over the heat/vent (RH drive) control and down to floor. Need to put some Tek 7 or something on to deal the split.

You can use the garden hose to find leaks in the dry👍 steel gutters to the aluminum skin are prone to leaking especially on such an old model.

An annoying problem. Time to get the hose out and work from bottom to top.

You'd like the puma vents, none existent, just surface corrosion in their place. About the leaks at the window join block things, I had to just cave and fit them with sealant. Also the little gutter under the windscreen seems to extent a tiny bit further on a puma, under the attaching block, so gets clogged with leaves and things all the time. some terrible shapes for water flow on defenders. Best thing for water ingress, a garage. Inadvertedly own a puma with a heated windscreen from factory, I know fancy, anyway its on an 8 min timer, and in winter in Scotland, its a godsend to soften the ice while warming up.

Looks like the seal of the screen 👍👍

Has he got glass insurance? that would fix that issue!.. Got the heated screen on my classic - Drivers half works great and demists - passenger side not so much and stays foggy - real pita I know that half's getting power, but have not figured out were its failing. Not much call for it most of the year in Cali!

Check the seal of the sunroof to the roof itself matey

Mike to find leaks .. put your smoke machine on the front seat , fire it up & look for escaping smoke ( same as you do for engines )

Think I’m getting my series rebuilt with a puma bulkhead and dash

I've never seen those vents open there usually seized

My money is on the "rainroof" sorry sunroof being the cause and tracking across to the drivers side due to the slight incline. I noticed the interesting looking door mirrors Mike did you fit them?

Coming from the roof bar mount takes water right into the weather seal

WOW! 1000 for a heated screen. If only you were in the UK still, it is only 160 for a Britpart screen. It won't fit and will crack in the wind, but it is cheaper! Blue box for the win, apparently

...its coming out from there.. lol mike that was like an antenborough moment bhahha

Sounds like the owner would be better off with a standard windscreen and purchasing a $30 12v mini fan heater and put it on the dash, do the same thing! 😂

My land rover county has the same problem,you would think land rover would have fixed it in that model.

Have to admit these are a pain in the ass to change LOL

Apart from the normal culprits, like seams, alpine lights and sunroof. This one has the roof rack fitted and the owner complained about springs needing more beef as they're not taking the load.... so if the roof gets loaded to the hilt, could leaks be something to do with overloading cracking around the gutter seal?

I simply park in a garage and just don’t drive my 90 in the rain. 😵‍💫 I know- it’s a damn shame.

Hi Mike.. Good work keep it up... What was the name for the putty you use for your leak repairs

Have you watched TFL offroads Saga with the new Defender? Worth a watch. Thanks for vids Mike.

I previously replaced my bulkhead vent seal with the help of an earlier video you done. Easy when you know how. Cheers. Heated screen and mirrors are on my long list of todo but it would be for demisting, we don't get the same harsh winters that you do over here in Scotland. And finally I have a drip that comes in somewhere at a similar location. Passenger side UK right at the A pillar, so I'm keen to see how you get on. Trim wise, should there be anything below the alpine windows? I have the same bit above the door but if I look below the window it's just an exposed piece of gutter on my 110, the rear speaker wires run along it. Apologies for a war n peace reply. Take care T.

Just a thought do people actually use the vents as I would have thought most of the later defenders would have AC I think that I would just seal them up that way they cannot leak but what do I now I drive a Jeep.

If the vent was slightly bent out at one end due to the non central lever - would the foam act like a sponge and drag the water in drip by drip?

Any good ideas how to get the vent pins out mine are stuck in solid ive tried plusgas and wd40

Hello I don't know anything about much but could you use your smoke machine to find the leaks?

Do you not find the older style of molded seal that goes on the bulkhead to be a lot better?

sunroof ?

👍👍

It’s from the windscreen cracked or seal has gone...mine has the exact problem even got in to the fuse box....

Hey mike i though t you had a moustache! Come on how about it. Mo vember?

Why can’t you use your smoke generator to find the leaks when it’s dry and more comfortable!

Do you not use a bulkhead vent seal ?