1976 450 SE water in cabin
12-06-2022, 06:13 PM
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w116 450 SE
1976 450 SE water in cabin
Hi guys,
I just bought a W116 1976 450 SE from the original owner, Australian compliance. Always garaged and is visibly rust free (door seal area, boot lid area, rear windscreen frame, sunroof all appear good). However in heavy rain water collects in front passenger footwell and also under rear seat ( under actual seat which I removed) and also rear floor pan. The floor pans are free of rust ( I removed all the carpet and sound deadening), but there is a little bit just under the glovebox on the floor pan where the seam is.
The car has a factory sunroof.
Does anyone have any tips on where to start looking? It’s a beautiful car that’s a time warp and was treasured by it’s one owner and I’d love to keep as long as possible. It’s my first Mercedes, having Volvos in the past that also had water penetration issues.
Thank you!
John
Sydney, Australia.
I just bought a W116 1976 450 SE from the original owner, Australian compliance. Always garaged and is visibly rust free (door seal area, boot lid area, rear windscreen frame, sunroof all appear good). However in heavy rain water collects in front passenger footwell and also under rear seat ( under actual seat which I removed) and also rear floor pan. The floor pans are free of rust ( I removed all the carpet and sound deadening), but there is a little bit just under the glovebox on the floor pan where the seam is.
The car has a factory sunroof.
Does anyone have any tips on where to start looking? It’s a beautiful car that’s a time warp and was treasured by it’s one owner and I’d love to keep as long as possible. It’s my first Mercedes, having Volvos in the past that also had water penetration issues.
Thank you!
John
Sydney, Australia.
12-07-2022, 03:57 AM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
sunroof drains, seals etc. pretty sure it has drain tubes in each corner which go down and eventually drain under car.
Check door and window seals.
Sit inside while someone outside sprays it with house and look.
Check firewall area.
Check door and window seals.
Sit inside while someone outside sprays it with house and look.
Check firewall area.
01-15-2023, 04:05 PM
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
As mentioned above... Sunroof drains. Just like Volvo 240s. They plug up as the drain hose is tiny. Drains inside front fender via A pillar just forward of the front doors and rear sunroof drains go down the C pillar. Area in front fenders gets full of dirt and leaves... stays wet and makes rust.
Cowl drains get plugged up too.
Windshields and rear windows leak.
The 116 is a flexible flyer compared with modern cars... door seals need to be soft enough to fill in the space as the doors move around with every bump. Not joking.
Cowl drains get plugged up too.
Windshields and rear windows leak.
The 116 is a flexible flyer compared with modern cars... door seals need to be soft enough to fill in the space as the doors move around with every bump. Not joking.
