Corsa C water leak challenge. Jennie commented on my
original blog post and had been very unlucky with two garages trying to get this fixed. One mechanics solution was to drill some holes in the floor to let the water out! One tried to seal the bulkhead plate, but only around the accessible area, which get's them "close but no cigar" points. The problem was distance and timescale as this job would need completing over 2 days. That's interior out, dry and everything fixed and tested, which was going to be a good challenge. Perfect opportunity to write a better blog post on this issue...
Wet drivers footwell for the Corsa C explained.
Water in the drivers footwell is one of three problems:
1) Bulkhead plate seal.
2) Heater matrix. (you should notice the car using coolant and the water should smell of antifreeze)
3) Windscreen leak. (Would only be a problem if you just had a new windscreen fitted)
The bulkhead plate seal for the brake servo runs very close to a water drainage channel. Over years this drainage becomes full of leaves and muck which mean the rubber seal becomes constantly damp and wet. Over more time this causes it to fail and then water finds it's way in through the joint re-appearing inside above your pedals. The footwell has a thick foam insulation coated with rubber material, then a thin layer of carpet which makes drying this water tricky. It also means the carpet behind the pedals might feel dry but the footwell is wet which confuses some people. The fix involves the re-sealing of the bulkhead plate and the drying of the interior. You can't access the all important bottom right corner of the bulkhead seal due to the brake cylinder blocking access. The jobs a bit time consuming because of this and requires some mechanical skill.
Wet Passenger footwell for the Corsa C explained.
Under the battery tray located towards the front of the car is the passenger drainage flap. Water is designed to flow down these channels and out of the flap. Water should flow down the windscreen by the side of the relay box cover and then underneath it out of the drainage channel. However leaves and dirt cause it to linger around the relay box cover and over the years damages the rubber seal in the relay box lid. Once the seal perishes water can flow down access holes designed for the wires into the cars interior and onto the passenger footwell or carpet. The fix is to simply replace the relay box cover and clean the drainage channels. So what's the catch?... access with the scuttle panel and battery removed it's nice and easy to work on.
Scuttle Panel removal
* First job is to remove the wiper arms, but use a puller if they are stuck on. The masking tape on the windscreen is a habit I have of marking the wiper blade position for re-fitting. Puller can be purchased off ebay (Battery terminal & wiper puller).
* Scuttle panel is secured by three Torx 20 screws highlighted in orange in the picture.
* Pull off the rubber seal that runs across the engine bay.
* Remove scuttle panel insert.
* Pull up windscreen edge trim in bottom corners.
* Remove washer bottle by pulling it straight up. Hoses disconnect by simply pulling but but make a note for re-installation which nozzle is for front and rear. In this case upper nozzle for front washers lower for rear.
* disconnect battery
* unclip battery wires from scuttle panel
* lift up scuttle slightly where the rubber seal went across the width of the engine bay. Slide it towards the engine to release it from the windscreen. Be careful with this and do NOT pull up near the windscreen as you might damage it.
* Result!... the scuttle panel is removed and you can see part of the bulkhead plate seal where a failed repair has been attempted with tiger seal.
Removing battery tray and Pollen filter housing
* Remove battery completely.
* Remove pollen filter housing which has 4 Torx 20 screws.
* Remove battery tray and admire the leaves and dirt.
Clean all this out and hover inside the blower motor where the pollen filter was located. You don't want leaves inside the blower motor as it causes annoying noise when the blower is on 3 or 4. At this point my wet vac made short work of the mess and using the blower function you can direct air under the relay box to clear out all the hidden muck.
Attacking the bulkhead seal
* Onto the drivers side remove the wiper linkage (8mm bolts) and disconnect the electrical plug.
* Unclip the green brake line pipes from the plastic holders. This will give the pipes enough flex so you can move the brake master cylinder and reservoir.
* To avoid the need to bleed the brakes we just need to drain the brake fluid level below the grey corrugated tube on the side of the brake fluid reservoir. Depending on your type of reservoir you should be able to extract the fluid from the top using a syringe or spray bottle device. This particular Corsa(04 plate) threw me as it had a different type of brake reservoir than I had previously seen. Where you pour the brake fluid is solid it then flows up and through a small passage into the reservoir below. Not 100% sure why this is technically better but it means I had to think of another way of extracting the fluid. I would be using new fluid, so with kitchen roll underneath I quickly pulled off the grey tube and emptied the fluid into an old plastic milk bottle.
Took the picture after I had put the reservoir top back on but you get the idea. Normal rules apply for Brake fluid it's nasty, so wear gloves and wash any drips off straight away with water. once drained cover this connection with kitchen towel and tape to keep it clean and drip free.
* Undo the master cylinder bolts (13mm) and move it out of the way. I find it best to hold the battery cables and move it underneath.
* Keep the end of the brake master cylinder clean by covering in kitchen towel and taping it up.
* Tape up the servo to stop any bits falling in it.
* Tape up the grey hose and make sure the rubber end piece stays attached.
* Remove vacuum line out of brake servo. It's quite tough so a plastic trim tool comes in handy for this.
* Brake servo cylinder has two bolts (13mm). You will need to remove interior lower panel and accelerator pedal(10mm) to make some room. Use a universal joint and extension for this one and practice your finest yoga moves getting that socket in position. This is the view looking upwards in the drivers footwell.
* This is a nice picture of the extension bar setup to get to those tricky bolts. It also captures someone else's handy work at fixing this issue. When I say fix I mean drilling holes in the floor and removing that cover. Luckily they left the cover under the carpet and the rust was mainly fillings from drilling. I sealed the cover back in place and did the same for the holes.
The brake servo needs separating from the brake pedal with the following steps:
* Clip on the brake servo lifts up slightly then slides off.
* Unhook brake pedal return spring
* Remove pin and washer
* Lift brake servo out from bulkhead at front of the car. This picture shows the seal that people forget to replace when re-fitting.
Result!...you now have full access to the bulkhead plate and you can see where the seal has cracked and opened up in places. The tiger seal was from the previous repair attempts but nicely demonstrates how it's impossible to re-seal that bottom corner without all this removal.
Crack out your favorite old screwdriver, abrasive pad, plasters and swear-box for this next bit and scrape out the old seal from the joint. You should bash your knuckles a few times hence the plasters but the result is one bulkhead seal ready for sealant. Clean the area with degreaser or non corrosive brake cleaner whatever you feel is suitable. I dried the seal area using the blower of the wet vac which was quick compared to using a hairdryer on my previous fix adventure.
* Seal clean up and removal work in progress picture.
* Old seal removed and cleaned, ready for sealant
Sealant time now where you have a choice of 'Tiger seal' or 'Plumbers Gold'. Tiger seal is the proper choice but requires the area to be dry. For this reason I used 'Plumbers Gold' again in case tiny bits of moisture were still present. 'Plumbers Gold' specification resists the temperature extremes of an engine bay and I planned to coat it in under-seal for added protection. I applied sealant to the bolt heads in this area and bonnet cable grommet. This is a bit overkill but worth it just for peace of mind that nothing can potentially leak after this.
Let the sealant fully cure and mask up the area where the brake servo seal sits against the bulkhead plate. Cover the surrounding area to prevent over-spray and your ready to shoot some under-seal.
In true Haynes manual style 'Reassembly is the reverse of the above steps'. Points to note are the nuts that hold the brake master cylinder in place are meant to be replaced on refitting. I tired to purchase these though Vauxhall and they didn't have any stock in the country (3495607). I commented that obviously people weren't replacing them as the official procedure suggests. The parts guy told me they just use thread-locker which is what I did the first time around and again for this car.
You need to replace the seal on the brake servo cylinder with a new part (90447516). Ask the dealer to check that the seal is the correct one for your car registration before purchasing.
Replace the relay box cover with a new part (13132363) if you also have the passenger water leak. The picture shows the old one where the right hand side has rotted away.
Remember to add some new brake fluid and then with nearly everything back together it starts to look something like this.
Top Tip... The Scuttle panel is in two half's but it's easier to refit it as one whole unit.
Water leaks Fixed!
Interior Drying.
I choose to remove the full interior and again cut out the drivers footwell foam to dry it all externally. The wet vac worked wonders at this stage and sucked up an incredible amount of water from the foam. In brief the procedure is:
* Remove carpet fixings (2 drivers and passenger side)
* Remove door seat pocket trim. One Torx 20 screw and clips that pull.
* Footwell trims (torx screws and 10mm deep socket for plastic nuts)
* Disconnect the seat belt pre-tensioner wiring making sure you have the car battery disconnected. Plastic cover slides off, red bit pulls out which allows the green plug to be removed. Cut the zip ties and replace with new when re-fitting
* Remove the fonts seats (Torx 40)
* Remove rear seat bench which just lift up then unhook.
* Undo the seat belt mounts which need to be at this angle to unhook (Torx 45).
*Center console unscrews and lifts up slightly allowing you to cut the carpet joints. These wont be seen when refitting and save having to remove the handbrake and gear stick assembly.
* Pull the carpet out around the center console and cut the foam insulation (see photo).
* The carpet from each footwell now folds back and the whole lot can be removed and dried.
The weather was gorgeous the weekend I did this fix. Great for drying out the interior fully.
I cut out the drivers footwell foam which was soaking and re-installed it with small amounts of 'Gripfill'. You can just see the cut's if you look carefully in this refitted picture. The carpet was re-gluded to the foam using 'Ever Build Stick2 Adhesive'.
When refitting the footwell trims ensure you get the door seals over the trim and the center console ones can be a bit tricky. They have a locating peg that fits in the metal bracket behind the center console. Leaving the console loose and lifting it up slightly is the secret to getting these in correctly.
Job Done!
Conclusion & Testing
After test driving the car and re-checking all the brake lines in the engine bay for any leaks I asked Jennie to check the brake lights while I pressed the pedal. Unfortunately they were permanently on! Luckily she was able to pick the car up the next morning, which bought me some time to study this brake switch.
Turns out this brake switch operates on a ratchet, so I must have pressed it in when disconnecting the brake pedal from the servo. I manged to find some information on the internet where someone had written how they reset it (I can't find this now but thank-you!).
This is the brake light switch you don't need to remove it to reset it. Lying on your back half in the car with a torch and flat blade screw driver worked for me.
1) The collar extends out
2) Press the brake pedal down increasing the gap between plunger and pedal.
3) Use flat blade screwdriver to pull out plunger. It will click in my case twice.
4) Push the collar back into place
5) Release brake pedal which will reset plunger to proper operating position.
6) Press brake pedal and test lights again.
Enjoyed the challenge of Fixing this under the time constraint but the best bit was the weather. You defiantly need two sunny days to pull this off :-)
WOW Speedy.:-O
ReplyDeleteI knew you had a major challenge with this but you have done an amazing job... and blog. Recommend anyone with a bit of nous [and nerve] to follow this guide.
Thanks again Speedy... . stunning. :-))
Thank you Speedy
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say thank you for such a detailed post. I have had the exact same problem with my wife's Corsa with leaks on both sides. The local Vauxhall garage wanted to charge £1000 labour plus parts for the work. Your post gave me the confidence to do the work myself.
Your post is so detailed that there is very little I can add to it. I replaced the bottom of the electrical box as well as the top just to be sure I got everything in one go.
Thank you very much :-)
Thanks for the feedback, always good to hear peoples experiences. Wow 1k+ is the best I have heard yet wonder how many estimated hours that was!
DeleteGood work on sorting it yourself and glad you found the guide was helpful.
Did the servo sealing yesterday using info I found on the Corsa C forum - and then found your article this morning Doh! Really excellent detailed post that shows how to do it spot on. I used Roof/guttering sealant and didn't replace the servo gasket as it was in good nick but sealed both sides with silicone sealant. Just going out now to check the brake lights as never gave that a thought. Thanks again for going to the trouble to put this together.
ReplyDeleteLol definatly a doh moment but extra points for doing the job without the guide. Glad someone has linked it from the Corsa forums. Thanks for letting me know.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic detailed account of this pig of a job. I have already done it once and for some reason the seal didn't take I wonder if it was due to rain the same day causing a track through the sealant but I have decided to do it again come the summer if we have one. I think I will try this 'Plumbers Gold', I have never seen it but sounds better than the stuff I used roof and guttering sealant as it seems to be brittle. Thanks again I will pass this on to others I know with the same problem.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right about the rain. The original Corsa I fixed was in winter so it also rained overnight. I cut a plastic rubble sack so it folds out wide enough to tape to the windscreen and over the bonnet. Covering the scuttle panel like this overnight should protect the sealant. Plumbers gold will set underwater and mine got damp but not soaked. It sealed great and the underseal over the top gives it that bit more protection. The 'Plumbers Gold' is made by 'Everbuild'.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.everbuild.co.uk/plumbers-gold
Can't recommend it enough it bonds to metals and resists temperature extremes. I got mine from Toolstation.
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Adhesives+Sealants/Sanitary+Sealants/Plumbers+Gold+290ml+Clear/d180/sd3202/p61679
Good luck with attempt two. You might end up fixing your friends cars too by the sound of it :-)
Fantastic step by step guide really helped me along on resealing the combo van, thanks for your help...
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with water coming through the bulkhead seal, no matter how I tried it still came in, for three days I worked at it , as you all know its very difficult working between the break and clutch peddles,(well it was for me I am 76) but in desperation because I was fed up by this time , I used some GORILLA 151 spray foam , I tell you boys it may not look pretty . not that you can see it any way, but thankfully the water no longer enters the car. I had the hose running for nearly an hour , as I said it worked, I used a humidifier to dry out the inside everything is great try it boys you might get lucky like me, Happy motering chaps, be carefull out there,
ReplyDeleteDid you just spray it into where the water passes through?
DeleteFor the right (driver's side) footwell leak - as identified by yourself, it's the seal round the bulkhead plate. From inside the car I identified where the water was dripping in, then outside I used a hose with just a trickle of water and went round the plate one bit at a time, leaving the hose on and balanced in place then nipping inside after a few minutes and seeing if there was a leak. By doing this I identified the exact spot where the water was coming in - bottom right hand side of bulkhead plate, right underneath a cable that was about quarter of an inch above it (right where leaves had got stuck). There was a tiny break - 1mm - in the seal. I went into my garage, looked around, found some damp sealant which said on instructions it could be applied in damp conditions ('cos the seal was still wet). Got a long screwdriver, dipped it in, dripped the sealant about two inches further up the bulkhead and watched it slowly trickle down following the seal until it went over the broken section. Don't know if this will work, but if not will wait for sunny day and drip some exterior gloss on that tiny section instead.
ReplyDeleteMy 17 yr old son has just bought a nice, but rather damp smelling Corsa as his first car. The carpets are sodden and I am very grateful for this information, I'll get on it tomorrow! Dan really wanted a Corsa and it seems they all leak, so I braced myself to have to deal with the problem, I've owned (and cured) 2 wet LR Discoveries so I like a challenge! BUT it never fails to amaze me that in this day and age, manufacturers the size of GM can't stop their cars from leaking?!?
ReplyDeleteanyone can do mine? or help me to do it?
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Speedy - have completed it to my daughters corsa step by step but just discovered a trickle of water coming from behind clutch pedal. Luckily all carpets still not refitted but any help would be good
ReplyDeleteI seem to have missed a few comments but good to hear people fixing this issue. D Macker did you also cut out the rubber and foam to dry out or is that still in place? If you removed it or just pull it out from the very top so you can see inside the car where the plate seals and look for drips. In my experience the water collected and ran down behind the clutch but with that foam in will make it hard to detect. Also there is a seal where the steering linkage exits the car and also a rubber boot where the gear linkage exits. But these will be really remote chances that they are leaking and with the foam out it's possible to tell it's coming from higher up where the seal is you attempted to fix. i would verify that, then do some localised testing with a watering can, to see if you can narrow down the failed area. Particular attention to that bottom right corner of the seal around the clutch cylinder connection and grey return pipe come from. Did you replace the seal on the master brake cylinder or use sealant instead? What brand of sealant did you use? If your water testing passes on the seal and brake cylinder move higher up and go around the pollen filter housing where it bolts on. Random thought did you double check the cause of this leak was coming from the seal by testing initially? Reason I ask is the heater matrix is right above the drivers footwell a leak there can drip down but this would be wet ontop of the carpets if you know what I mean. The car would also be loosing coolant?
DeleteThanks for the promt reply Speedy - yes cut out rubber & foam but a little left sbve pedals. The water is likely coming from clutch side but will try and get more removed to get a better look. Used the plumers gold sealant and had to use it on the brake cylinder seal as had probs sourcing new seal. The original leak was definitely the servo plate as on stripping parts it was rotten in a few places. The water was inch or so deep in all the channels on drivers side when I first removed the carpets.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts welcome
All sounds good....thinking cap time :-). In the photo you can just make out I went overkill with the sealant. I went around the bolt heads and all in the gaps around the clutch master cylinder that bit in the bottom right corner of the seal (where the grey return pipe exits the car). Won't hurt to seal all that even though the water should not get that high. If the seal tests out as still leaking target that then coat it all in underseal once dried. I would recommend 'comma underbody sealant'. I'm thinking if you have a pinhole bit that's not adhered for some reason the underseal will go the same water would. Let us know how you get on.
ReplyDeleteSpeedy, thanks so much for this great guide. Just fixed (hopefully!) my leaky Corsa today. My car ('05 plate) has the same brake resevoir design as the one in your guide, but your bottle trick to catch the fluid worked fine. Only problem I had was getting those damned servo bolts undone from the footwell - what a pig! Guys, you may need a deep-drive 13mm socket for these, as my shallow socket wouldn't reach over the prodruding bolt heads. Had no choice but to keep the servo attached, but luckily I had just enough room to pry out the old sealant from below it and apply the new stuff blind. Long skinny hands help! Thanks again, Ben
ReplyDeleteFound this blog via Google. Many, many thanks. Might save my 02 Corsa !
ReplyDeleteI just have a couple of things that may be useful for people to know so you may wish to include in the blog;
ReplyDeleteDrying the carpet – I’m sure everyone has their own method but what I did (in the weather we have had) was drape the carpet outside over a garden bench for a few hours and just let it drip away. There was still quite a lot of water still in the carpet underlay but mostly concentrated in one area. So then I lay the carpet face down (on a tiled floor indoors) and with some old towels, doubled over the towels and placed them on the wet part. Then basically trod over the towel, the underlay compressed allowing the towel to soak up the water. And just repeated with dry parts of the towels until as much water as possible had been soaked up. This technique got rid of a lot of the residual water. Did the same with the foam pieces that were cut out.
The carpets were then draped over the car seats indoors in a room with the fire on. There was an awful damp smell as the carpets dried but after several hours they were 99% dry. A scented candle and an open window got rid of the smell.
In the base of the car there is some sort of covering on the bodyshell. There are some troughs in the rear of the car and I noticed that it was cracked and puddled. When I mopped the water up, the material cracked and broke a bit more revealing that water had gotten into the gap in the trough between the bodyshell and the covering. I broke this covering (it’s about 1mm thick and brittle) and mopped up the rest of the water.
After cutting away the foam in the footwells, there was still some moisture in the parts that were left in the car. I managed to lift these and prop the so I had a gap between the foam and the bodyshell. I then used the wife’s hairdryer to direct warm air underneath for 10-20 mins. From the smell given off I knew it was doing the job – same as the drying carpet smell.
I had 6 cracks in the existing seal. It’s not rubber is it, it’s more like a putty. I warmed this up with the hair drier which softened it and made it easier to scrape out. But as well as this, scraping the putty seal also smoothed over the cracks. Tiger Seal went in but it was a bit tricky around the bottom right section which is tight with the bulk head shield. There are also a couple of pipes that come through the plate and I wasn’t sure whether these needed to be sealed. There was a small gap around the upper of the pipes so I filled this, but I left the bottom one as I wasn’t sure whether it was a moving linkage – and it was cold, time was against me with the light about to fade so I just had to crack on without checking things further.
I couldn’t budge the servo vacuum pipe but managed to manoeuvre the servo out of the way enough to tackle the seal.
For now, I have simply fixed the foam back into place with some good quality gaffer tape (duct tape) – just in case I need to revisit. The seat belt pre-tensioner covers were a bit of a bugger to refit – until I realised that the open end fits flush to the where the carpet rises. Once I had butted the open end to the carpet they slid back into place with ease.
The best tip is, use zippable food bags to store and label all the screws/nut/fasteners that you remove, listing the nut/torx size as well.
Once again, thanks for an excellent informative blog.
And don't think you can get the servo nuts off without removing the accelerator pedal. It's an easy enough job and allows easier access to the brake spring and retaining pin and clip. Once done the servo nuts can be removed with just long extension bars.
Jeremy
Thanks for helping to fix the vehicle :) Now I'm just waiting for the first rain! Not long;)
ReplyDeleteHi Speedy
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to know if i would be ok disconnecting the brake servo vacuum line and connecting it again without doing anything else?
Qas
Hi, yes providing the brake vacuum line you're referring to is this one:
Deletehttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qXZApTpE7W8/UzL8JWBcdVI/AAAAAAAABLk/66Z_BInIiaI/s1600/IMG_20140308_150906.jpg
Intrigued what you would gain from doing this though?
Great guide! Having some trouble sourcing a replacement seal, can they not be bought online?
ReplyDeleteThanks, presume you’re are referring to the BCM or relay box seal. No as the seal is glued to the cover Vauxhall just sell the lid for about £25 part number 13132363. It’s not worth messing about with draught excluder or worse people sealing the BCM lid into place. The originals seem to last a fair few years so it’s £25 well spent in my opinion and you can then forget about wet passenger foot well issues.
DeleteI just finished this job following this excellent walk-through.
ReplyDeleteIf I may I would like to add a few notes/suggestions:
- If you are fortunate enough to have access to a compressed air gun then leave the pollen/cabin filter in place while you blow the dirt away.
- I used methylated spirits a toothbrush and lots of kitchen towel to clean everything down.
- The wire that is mounted over the bulkhead seal can be prised off its 2 x mountings with a flat blade screwdriver without any damage.
- A bradawl (basically just a spike on a handle) made an excellent tool to dig out the old sealant. Hardware shops have them for around £1.
- the catflap drains can be easily removed for cleaning by pushing in the tabs on the inside when everything is out of the way.
- You might be able to remove the 2 x 13mm servo mounting nuts inside the footwell with a regular socket but to retighten them with any confidence a deep 13mm socket is required. Also I didn't need a universal joint extension for those 13mm nuts, there was just enough room.
- I used Tiger Seal and then when cured I over-sprayed with underseal with waxoyl added (I bought it in an aerosol can ready mixed), a heatgun applied after spraying made the underseal flow nicely, especially into the inside bottom corner where the grey tube and metal pipe go through the bulkhead, I think this is where my car was leaking. The heat gun also gave it a nice gloss finish (it was a cold day when I did it and it came out of the can kind of blobby and matt).
- replace the servo seal as advised, also this is a convenient time to replace the pollen/cabin filter.
- If the black grommet has remained on the brake reservoir when you pulled the grey pipe off then remove it and push it into the grey pipe for refitting.
If you are in the Stockport Cheshire area of the UK then these people will do the whole job for you for £150 with a guarantee:
http://www.bettawindscreens.co.uk/vauxhall-corsa-leaks/4582207981
Email info@bettawindscreens.co.uk
I am not associated with them in any way but as I did the work it kept occurring to me what a good deal that is!
Excellent feedback, cheers for this Jonathan. Good points for anyone doing this job. When I get chance I will update this blog using info like this. Want to also recommend the interior carpet is removed as one piece. Also I need to cover water leaks behind rear lights, air vent behind rear bumper and roof Ariel. Thanks again for the feedback.
DeleteJust wanted to add that a Turkey Baster worked well to suck up the brake fluid, I got one for 99p, I have also seen them in Pound Shops; there is about a jam jar full of fluid in the reservoir to remove.
DeleteCracking blog �� My sons 06 Corsa has the passenger side leak, is it just the lid you have to replace on the fuse box or the whole box itself? Keep up the good work ��
ReplyDeleteCheers Daniel, yes just the lid part number 13132363. Around £25 from Vauxhall dealer or use http://www.genuinepartsearch.co.uk or http://www.autovaux.co.uk. Actually same company although GPS is cheaper but specialises in larger items. I'm nothing to do with them but that's who I use for my Vauxhall parts. All the best with the repair.
DeleteThanks so much for this detailed leak fix.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters Tigra B has had the dreaded 'wet drivers side carpet' for some time now, and was getting worse.
I followed your instructions to remove the servo and expose the mounting plate, and was surprised at how many places the seal had cracked. The worst bits were at the bottom, which cannot be seen until the servo is removed - so all my previous attempts to cure this were never going to have worked.
The car has been stood out in the rain for a couple of days now and is bone dry, so once again a big thank you for your post.
First of all great blog!! I've done the job yesterday but the water still is dripping in there was no brake servo seal(plastic one)when I took it off could this be the problem or is there any other hole or gap I missed. I also covered the three dots so I don't no were the water is leaking in.
ReplyDeleteLate reply seem to have missed some comments. Did you get this sorted out abz kay?
DeleteYou need a seal (90447516) between that brake servo and plate. Otherwise its just metal to metal contact that water can get through. I have just used the sealant in place of that seal on the first one I ever did. That's still dry but the seal is better as the parts probably flex a tiny bit under braking.
Fantastic guide, really appreciate effort putting this together. Note that it's quite tricky extending the brake light plunger. Needed quite a lot of force to push out. Need a screw driver and push against the plunger to push out, push hard and it should click as it moves. The switch can't be installed / removed unless the sleeve is all the way out as it pushes against the retaining clips. Also removing the dash trim and the little cubby store let's you see and access the switch much easier if struggling to get plunger out from underneath. We ended up installing new switch. Note the bulge on switch goes towards the accelerator pedal and the switch has a small key way on bottom passenger side. Don't push in plunger before installing as it will self adjust.
ReplyDeleteHi, I am going to attempt this next week but instead of putting more sealant on top of the seal, I am just going to replace the break servo plate. The plate already has a seal around it. On image 22 the top left of the plate shows where the bonnet release cable come out of plate, but I don't know what the other cables/pipes are coming out of the plate on the bottom right. Can you help please? I want to try and avoid bleeding anything. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi D7F1 yeah you don't want to go down that route. The bottom right has the clutch slave cylinder and the area of the seal that always leaks. Also I believe to replace the plate you have to install it from the inside and that requires removing the steering column and more of the dashboard. This guy went down that route:
Deletehttp://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=219554
Don't do that you can see where he has cut the dash plastic that runs over the pedals. Hat's of to him he makes that look easy but that's a lot more work. Just follow the guide and remember your scrapping out the old seal and putting a fresh one on top not just covering it over.
I keep saying I need to update this blog but never getting round to it. If you do the interior don't cut it like I show. Take out that center console and undo the gearstick and wires. They can be lifted up and slide out the carpet and underlay as one piece. That's how I do this repair now.
Oh and be really careful with removing the scuttle panels. It's possible to crack the windscreen if you rush as I found out recently to my cost.
Did mine today & yesterday (Combo Van) this blog was INVALUABLE. Particularly as I'd popped the brake light switch, would have had no clue if you hadn't included that golden nugget. Many thanks!
ReplyDeleteMine was done in the past and was still trickling water in. So followed this guy and a YouTube video to add more sealant. Trouble is now, the grey tube which was connected to the brake fluid resovoir came off and was pissing fluid everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWould I need to top it up and bleed the brakes? (Please say no).
Thanks a million for detailed instructions. I finished mine today. Waiting for rain now to see if I managed to fix it.
ReplyDeleteHi, did the job yesterday. The bottom part of the seal had clearly gone. The seal on back of my servo was in good condition, so I added a little sealant there when refitting. I still have a couple of issues, yet to be solved. I sucked out just enough brake fluid from master cylinder and when refitted added a fresh amount to maximum. Drove the car and found brake lights were on, and had to adjust the brake switch. I did remove two electric plugs next to the switch initially, one blue and one white. I drove the car, brake lights sorted, but brakes are really vicious and binding like crazy. With engine on and stood still, I'm lucky if I can depress brake pedal one cm. Also when I accelerate the car misfires once only as you depress accelerator pedal. When taking accelerator off or removing those electric plugs has something electrical gone wrong! Any clues?
ReplyDeleteHi Ade, I would be checking that brake servo in particular the vacuum line to it for damage,splits and ensure its fully inserted. Then I would test vacuum at the brake servo pipe, check one way valve and test again and pump comparing readings. Sounds like you have no assisted braking so they are really hard to press. I would also check the seal on the master cylinder itself that oring and making sure you didn't over tighten it so the flat mounting face bends and is no longer air tight. Check the brake lines did not get bent when moving the cylinder for access. As for the accelerator and anything else you unplugged I can only suggest re-seating them to help with engine running. Focus on the areas you worked on and parts removed as something is not right here. Goes without saying the brake system is critical for everyone's safety so make sure you find what went wrong here and fix the issues before returning to the road. Get a garage or mechanic involved if necessary (sorry don't know your skill level and bit of a disclaimer). Let us know what you fix in case anyone else does something similar.
DeleteThanks for prompt reply. I haven't had a chance to check yet, but as to brakes, You may be right with bend in brake pipes. i'll look next weekend.
DeleteHad another look today and it's got me scratching my head. Brake pipes are fine, no kinks. Definitely a vacuum on servo. What it looks like is that the rod from pedal through servo to master cylinder is too tight. If that makes sense. No movement. Brake pedal is right at top and won't move a millimetre. Is there something on the master cylinder to reset or move. I.e. when it was removed has it pushed out!! It's rained heavily in past few days. I was planning on having a go this morningb it raining again. At least the inside is dry!! Maybe I'll bleed brakes at wheel to see if pedal depresses! Anyone ideas!!
DeleteThanks in anticipation. 😁
Also, The grey pipe with rubber insert that connects to master cylinder is clutch feed, I believe!!!! If fluid is lost from here but connected back and topped up, will bleeding of clutch be required???
ReplyDeleteYes it will.
DeleteThanks for prompt reply.
DeleteYou won't need to bleed the clutch. Don't try and bleed the brakes. Are you sure you got that master cylinder lined up when reffiting onto the servo. Take it off again and check. Check brake pedal is connected back on right not sure if you can connect it to wrong side or something so the rod is not pushing straight. You took the master cylinder and servo off so fault must be there. Seal between servo and bulkhead won't be a problem with light smear of sealant.
DeleteThanks so much for the quick response. It's stopped raining, so I'm off out there now. Will look at how master cylinder lines up with rod. I'll start with cylinder off and see if pedal can be pressed. Thanks again. Hopefully I'll have a reply in a few hours.
DeleteWell...I have removed master cylinder again fearing something wasn't together right. I've put it all back together to test again, where at first all seemed fine, but the binding brakes started again. I then realised that whilst driving, that if I use my left foot I can lift brake pedal slightly and the car rolls freely. It appears the spring around the pedal isn't doing it's job properly. Maybe a new spring needed!!!
DeleteAnother slight difference to what I did, so I can get the answer to my issue, was the part no.90447516, which is seal between bulkhead and servo, was not replaced as it was in good condition, however a smear of sealant was put either side of seal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for creating this excellent idiots guide to fixing the leaks. It is so kind of you taking the time to do this and help us DIY guys.
ReplyDeleteFollowed step by step and anyone with a bit of nouse should be able to do this.
Great !! Many thanks
My daughters just got an 03 corsa, soaked drivers side carpet, wasn't going to attempt this, but following your guide, makes it quite straightforward, thanks a million for posting it, when I've got the servo off, the rod inside that slides into the master cylinder has come out, is that it knackered? Or does it just sit in place? Thanks again, Steve
ReplyDeleteHi Steve this doesn't sound right. So looking inside the black servo there is a small rod and this just fell out? I've had those off before held at all angles and never has that fallen out. I've not inspected how it's held in either though. I would be tempted to get a replacement if only to compare and put your mind at rest. Let us know how you get on incase anyone else finds this. Thanks
DeleteThanks for your reply, yeah it's the rod that sits inside the servo, it's come out with a round plate on the end, not sure if I've dislodged it when pulling the master cylinder off, I'll get a second hand replacement and check it out, thanks again,
ReplyDeleteGot to say congratulations and thanks on producing such a precise instructions to solving the wet corsa footwell problem. Could I pick your brain for a solution in refitting the vacuum pipe, it was quite difficult to get it out but I'm finding it even worse to bet back in again. Best regards and thanks.
ReplyDeletethat should read "get" back in.
ReplyDeleteCheers Rick, make sure the hole and vac pipe are really clean. Try one person wigging vac pipe while you press either side. Helps if you have a plastic trim tool with cutout so you can apply pressure. You could always use some scrap wood, drill hole then cut it so it fits around vac tube and allows you to apply pressure. Best tip is just walk away if tired or hungry and go back to it later. Give that last tip a go and bet you sort it first try tomorrow 😀
Delete:), Cheers Speedy, I ordered a trim removal set yesterday, its due tomorrow so hopefully it will include a such a tool, if not I'll make one. Once again many thanks for those instructions. Have a good day Speedy.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is that the scuttle to windscreen "join" remains leak proof from the factory UNTIL you need to unscrew the 3 torx screws securing the scuttle to the body. Typically this is when you need a new battery.
ReplyDeleteAfter that the scuttle never properly seals water running down from the windscreen. To seal that you need to mastic (of some sort) the metal channel that clips under the bottom edge of the screen to "stick it" to the screen at the same time as sealing the gap between the scuttle and the glass. The metal channel tends to fall off and you don't know it's done that as it is hidden when you screw the 3 torx screws back in.
Eventually I put sealant between the screen and the scuttle. As you can never be sure whether the sealant will degrade the plastic of the scuttle or stick so much to the plastic it would be difficult to disassemble in the future, I used No Nonsense Black Gutter Sealant from Screwfix. It's dirt cheap, never sets and after a few days it is difficult to see that it's there.
Rob
Hi Rob, doing that you have potentially reduced water entering the upper scuttle area but not fixed the source of any leak. The water is designed to flow though the holes in the scuttle panel or some may enter through the join to windscreen you mention. It all ends up in the same place and designed to run down the channels and out of the drainage flaps. If your bulkhead seal is watertight then it can't enter the cabin. Maybe your bulkhead seal upper section is where the leak is. Now water isn't flowing on that section you think it's fixed. If it leaks again you know where to look but let's not recommended sealing that windscreen joint. It doesn't need it and will cause pain for anyone removing it in future. Probably worth saying that metal strip, channel and windscreen should be really clean. If the metal strip falls off you pinch it so it grips tighter on windscreen edge for refitting. Thanks for the comment don't take my response the wrong way, just don't want people sealing that windscreen joint. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJust followed your tutorial and fixed the leak in my son's 55 plate Corsa. So detailed and well explained saved me hundreds. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteP.s does anybody know why it was designed this was, why not just bolt the servo directly into the bulkhead?
Rally bad design.
Thanks again buddy.
Good to hear Richard. See loads of these in the scrap yard I use now and fewer on the road. Faced with a big bill people get rid so glad you've sorted that for your son. Good question actually was thinking it must be a safety thing in a crash. It's probably done so they could use different servos without altering the bulkhead design. They seem to have learnt from it and you see later designs like astra h covering the full scuttle area to prevent leaves and muck accumulating in the drainage channels. Bet the designer thought 5mm of clearance was enough but didn't plan for 10+ years of muck. Still good cheap car for all their faults. Nice work on saving that one. Your son owes you some beers!
DeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteI'm on the South coast near Chichester and not very mechanically minded to take this on in full. Carpet removal, etc, yes but not the Servo removal and resealing.
If anyone knows of someone near me, I would be most grateful (or my son will be).
Thanks
Thanks for this excellent write up. Having just done this myself on a 5 door Auto I can add a couple of things. Firstly you will need to remove the rear seat backs on a 5 door (3 bolts near the 60/40 split - 2 under the boot carpet, 1 that also holds the seat belt anchor) plus remove two extra screws to the rear of the rear doors before you can remove the sill trim. Also don't know if this is because of the different pedal arrangement on an auto but I managed to remove the two servo bolts without removing any pedals. Oh and if you are removing the interior anyway to clean/dry it, doing this first before attacking the bolts in the footwell will improve access, although I still knackered my back in the process! I used a hose, biological washing liquid and a soft scrubbing brush on the carpets and they came up like new. Drying them at this time of year is a challenge though. Thanks again and hope these extra notes help someone else in the future.
ReplyDeleteJust did this fix on my daughters 02 corsa. 4 hours start to finish on the removal,cleaning and resealing the servo plate. Used sikaflex marine sealant. Did the lid of the bcm box as well. Thankfully not major wet inside so now to strip that and dry her out.
ReplyDeleteExcellent guide and easy to follow. Luckily I've done a lot of mechanical work so was a breeze. For anyone thinking it's a hard job etc. Give it a go. Go slowly and take your time. It really is an easy job. I'm lucky in that I have an enclosed car port to do it out of the weather . Cheers
Just fixed my son's corsa using this guide thanks it was easy to follow and saved my a few quid to boot.
ReplyDeleteOnly problem now is the car won't start. Put a new battery on and the car turns over but won't start. The stereo works but none of the other electrics do just got the airbag light on and the eml light. Any ideas?
Very good write up Speedy, I've done three leaky Corsa Cs (two driver side and one passenger side). One point I cannot stress enough is this, if anyone is going to the trouble of getting as far as removing the brake servo, then for goodness sake spend some THOROUGHLY cleaning out old seal from around the plate, get right in there and hook out every last morsel possible!, Then I cleaned around thoroughly with thinners. Next step was to use some wet and dry grit paper, and cleaned around the channel, again getting in as far as possible, followed by another wipe with thinners. Tiger seal is well recommended in my book for the sealing job, I got the nozzle deep into the now prepared channel and completely filled with sealant, then smoothed around with wet soapy finger and left for 24 hours. The final touch was to neatly give 3 coats of underbody sealant(with added waxoyl). My best advice is.... do not rush this job, or you will end up doing it twice!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the passenger side leak, I was darned if Vauxhall were gonna have £25 out of me for a new relay box cover fitted with yet another inferior seal. The old seal can easily be cleaned out thoroughly, I then spent the price of a pint of beer on some 8mm neoprene cord, which is far superior to the original material used (I purchased one metre, but got slightly over, you'll need it!) This cord pushes into the channel in the lid nice and firm, with the join located in what I felt the least vulnerable...and most easily accessable....the short straight at the front, cutting cord with a sharp blade, cut approx 2mm longer than required, add a blob of super glue to the end, join the ends and press cord into position, leave to set. Lid will be a nice firm fit, and believe me....it ain't gonna leak! So not only will you save yourself £20 to contribute towards your time and trouble spent, you will also have peace of mind! And when replacing the screws in the cover..yes....I have dropped them out of sight too! ...I found a long strip of stiff card, bent the end at a rightangle, poked a small hole to take the screw firmly, this enabled me to safely guide the screw to its hole without fear of dropping it into the deep dark depth of beyond, and once the screw has been wound in half way or so, just rip the card strip out, and wind the screw fully home. You may as well replace the pollen/cabin filter while you have easy access too.
Don't despair... just be thorough!
Good luck.
Wow ive just read your post sounds just the Job That 8mm neoprene cord, just been on eBay to order me some thank you for all the tips in your post
DeleteI just had my servo out and resealed the bulkhead plate and servo. This has cured the leak by about 90% but I still have a leak. I put a hose on the car and had a look where it was leaking and its leaking from where the pipes go through the bulkhead for the clutch master cylinder. There is a foam seal inside. This seal is causing the leak. I plan on pulling the foam out and using tiger seal on the inside and outside.
ReplyDeleteMy leak is in the rear passenger seat foot well of 2012 Corsa. My daughter just purchased car and it wasn't wet before we had the terrible rain this week. Can anyone help please
ReplyDeleteDo you know anywhere where I can purchase that bulkhead seal that ppl forget.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf only the passenger side needs doing, don't be tempted to only take off half the scuttle. Re-fitting it requires a lot of twisting. You might crack the windscreen. Don't ask me how I know!
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know how much this would approximately cost to be fixed at a garage as I am completely useless when it comes to cars! My car is a Vauxhall Tigra and both footwells are soaking wet?
ReplyDeleteHi all, I'll be tackling this tomorrow. I'm really concerned about the brake fluid and master cylinder though... is anyone able to explain why the brake fluid reservoir needs to be drained? Surely this increases the chance of getting air in the system? What would happen if i left it full and pulled it back away from the servo? Cheers Dan
ReplyDeleteHello , just to say I did this job over the last week and yes it's a total pita , I used Sikaflex221 Black sealant very good stuff but only has a 12 month shelf life so check the manufacturers date on it or ask the seller .
ReplyDeleteYes you have to drain the reservoir or brake fluid leaks out of the overflow pipe . I just topped it up with Dot4 Brake fluid afterwards no issues . I was worried about the brake switch but it's easy as stated just pull the little collar back ease the brake pedal back to give room to click the switch back out then push the collar back in place yes laid on your back it's not mega easy but took me sub 5 mins .
I am 49 years old and last worked on a mini 30 years ago but had basic mechanical knowledge I had replace a brake master cylinder on a metro 25 years ago approx. and I managed to do this over a few days .
1 day to strip down
1 day to clean out old sealer and put new sealant in
1 day to rebuild
You have to strip it down as stated it's always the bottom right hand corner that is inaccessible unless you remove the servo unit . The servo gasket was £4.97 from Vauxhall
Just print these instructions out take your time I did use a small allen key to be able to get more of the old sealant out as well as couple of old screwdrivers took me 3 hours plus of toil then I just used a bit of coarse wire wool then I ripped the scrubby material off some cheap washing up scrubby pads for a finer clean vacuumed it all off and then sealed it with the Sikaflex 221 Black it's really nice stuff pumped it in with a Silicone Gun then smoothed it off with an old flexible butter knife making sure I have a good extra layer in that bottom right corner an it was smooth and flowing so the water would pass over .
I have had this car from 484 miles old no leaves or nothing in mine and the old sealant was like bluetack , dry and cracked in places rotten in the bottom right corner , yet the sealant at the top looked like new I never would have know this was the fault except for this posting .
Just take your time the parts total is cheap £3.60 dot4 brake fluid , £4.97 servo seal , £11 Sikaflex221 Black off ebay Seller Camperworks as they put the manufacturers date on the advert .
Anyway good luck I now have a dry Corsa once again I did the passenger fix years ago
Just to let you know you don't need a garage I did mine over a week outside I just used a piece of polythene masking tape it across the window then down over the bonnet to cover overnight ( and one day when it was cold windy and raining I just left it alone ) I had a bit of masking tape gunge to remove with window cleaner and I t cutted and polished the bonnet .
ReplyDeleteNote the black servo pipe to provide the engine vacuum is an absolute pig to get out you have to bloody yank and pull away till it eventually comes free I did have a door panel popping tool but all this did was break part of the round cover so I just pulled an pulled twisting and yanking on the darn thing till it came free it just slowly works out probably took me 15mins as I was trying to be gentle at the same time . My advice just go bonkers nuts till it comes free . I just used a 17mm open spanner over what was left of the round plastic cover and tapped it back in with a hammer to refit it just popped back in with a few gentle taps surprising to say it needs Jeff Capes or Eddie Hall Worlds Strongest Man to remove the bloody thing .
Oh and check around the drivers seat maybe even remove it only really noticed this leak before Christmas but weather was bad and no garage so I had a couple of small mushrooms growing near the seat rails so been scrubbed with 101 carpet shampoo dry clean and fresh and vegetable free now Yuck !
The dashboard panel underneath the steering column area is a pig it has 2 smaller star drive at the front one left and right then a third larger one on the right corner for the main dashboard I removed this as well as I struggled to get it out and in otherwise . Once you take the main dashboard star screw out of the corner you can pull the dashboard up by about 5mm so you can wriggle and wrench pull the bottom panel out .
The 2 nuts to remove the servo unit are hard to get at and yes you will need a universal flexible joint for one of them as it's behind an electrical unit at an angle plenty of room for a big 3/4 ratchet drive though as I only had a big 3/4 inch universal joiner I broke my half inch" universal joiner decades ago .
Please wear long sleaves on this job otherwise you'll end up with cuts and scrapes on your arms I did the last day in my t-shirt ( no sweatshirt ) as it was sunny and warm and my arms look like I've been ravaged by a bear cuts sores and bruises everywhere .
Finally a big shout out to Speedy uk who posted this and probably saved yet another Corsa going to the scrap yard thanks you for your time and effort in publishing this fix .
I live near the Manchester area in a place called Bury Lancashire and since this blog helped me I will offer my assistance and knowledge to anyone in the local area who may need it . Not sure how you can contact people via this media but I am going to try and email Speedy uk directly and thanks him personally for saving my car I've had it 15 years now and to me it's as good as a new car .
Cheers and goodluck everyone
Andy
Unrelated to leak but still a Vauxhall Corsa 2004
ReplyDeleteI did the headlights this Easter they were discoloured and gone slightly opaque and were not letting the light from the headlights through very well .
Cost in time 4 hours , cost in money nothing as I had in my garage
Tools bucket of warm water with a little washing up liquid in , wet and dry sandpaper fine , very fine , super fine .
T-Cut , cutting polish , polymer sealant polish .
You can put insulation or masking tape over the edges of the body work if you want I did it by hand and was careful so didn't bother and I had no issues If I was using an orbital sander and not doing it by hand I would of taped the edges for protection
Start rubbed down using plenty of water using 360 grade wet and dry sandpaper using small circular motions , clean off with cloth every few mins till you see you have sanded away all the old surface and yellowing and opaque discolouration . ( don't worry will look bloody awful all opaque and light scratches everywhere )
repeat using finer grades 600 then 1000 then 1500
I then used t-cut and spent 10mins each side rubbing the t-cut cutting compound in using very small circles and a lot of pressure let it dry polished off and repeated . ( by now headlights were see through with only a few small micro scratches and a few little hairline cracks in the surface also noticed a yellow patch in one corner . I then took the time to rub the problem areas back down with 1500 my finest old piece of sandpaper then re t-cut those areas all now just very light micro scratches )
I now rubbed down both sides twice with a lighter less abrasive finishing cut polish ( headlamps were now hardly any micro scratching hardly noticible )
Finally I did each side down with a polish called 'Mer' made in Germany stated Polymer Sealant Finishing Polish with very small amount of cutting agent suitable for polishing all types of car paintwork .
Anyway I really took my time using plenty of polish rubbing it it in very small circles with as much pressure as I could manage as to be honest my hands were getting a bit sore by now . Did a coat each side let it dry polished it off . By this time it was dark so did another coat let it dry polished it off .
Looked at it via torchlight and seemed ok but though I would check in full daylight the next day .
Next day and I couldn't tell if they were brand new units or not absolutely clear and sparkling clean no scratches marks or chips anywhere even when I looked right up close within a few inches and now I've tested the headlight beam coverage at night is like a new car now to be honest I don't know how I was managing .
You can buy kits to do this job from internet or local car accessory shop , but you probably have most of the things needed and at the end of the day a few sheets of sandpaper / tcut / polish is not going to set you back more than £10 and don't forget the kits only have a small amount of this stuff enough for 1 car and cost £15+
If you do have an orbital sander you could speed the process up but since it's a plastic surface I would do the first sanding by hand to get a feel for it a powered sander might be a bit too harsh I cannot help you here the old fashioned way worked for me and saved me buying 2 new head lamp units which was what I had planned if it went wrong .
note my sandpaper is graded probably from 30 years ago no idea what grading system they use now just do a bit of research . If you want to be cheeky go to Halfords check the contents of their kits or look contents up online and then just do the job yourself like I did just takes a bit of time and effort .
Goodluck
just sorted my foot well leak , all pedals out and removed servo plate , takes longer but only do it once
ReplyDeleteHi, great right up. I managed to do all successfully apart from one thing. I put it all back together and found I had a vaccum leak between the booster and the cylinder, is the seal you reference this seal? Is it an o-ring or a seal?
ReplyDeleteHey, just to let you know you're a lifesaver! Did the seal a while back, (didn't see this post at the time), but I just had the same issue with the brake switch, and I needed the car back on the road asap. Such an easy fix! Thank-you so much for sharing this with everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi did you also sealed the relay box at the chassis...so in other words did you unscrew the lower box, resealed it and put the bolts again in it? And then resealed the upper box again?..........Cause the removeal of the upper box is a piece of cak but I just cannot remove the lower box as the electronics are so tight in the box I cannot loose it.....so Im unable to reach the bolt at the lower right corner
ReplyDeleteHi, I left the lower box in place only ever replaced the lids. Can't remember how the wires pass into the bulkhead on those, presume a big rubber grommet. While I suppose it's possible for that to leak it was always the lids that leaked on the ones I did. All I did to the base was blast air under and around the side cleaning out all built up crud. Hope that helps.
DeleteHi I managed to get it lose but your right about the majority of the leakage is due the the upper box: ths rubber seal of the lower box attached to the chassis still looks fine
DeleteHi HHHKK, I agree the housing/backplate/base (or whatever you want to call it) of the BCM box can give rise to leaks. I have just done my second, and 2 of the bolts securing it to the bulkhead were finger tight. On removing the screwed cover I could see dampness inside too high up to be the fault of the cover. I could not find any instructions anywhere about removing the housing and those banana-bunches of wires look super delicate and sensitive to pulling and tugging. There definitely feels like there is a fourth nut under the relays etc, but I did not fancy going further. The 2 bunches of wires going into the bulkhead are easy to unclip though, and by pushing those aside I eased up as much of the housing as possible and squirted tiger seal underneath, so that when it bolted down it was sealed pretty much around the top and sides. I think a squirt with some rustproofing wax in an extension nozzle might improve things as well.
DeleteApologies to the people who commented on this and I didn't reply. It's an old guide and I'm so busy it's sometimes not possible to answer. If you get stuck there's some great people over on vauxhall owners network that also give helpful advice.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/
Hi about the servo seal: cant you just remove it and put sikaflex for it instead? Must do the job too right?
ReplyDeleteYes it's your choice on that one. Genuine seal is preferable because it makes removal of that part easy in future. However sealant will do the job and let's face it unlikely to need servo off again.
DeleteYeah exactly my thoughts... I will go with the sealant..btw should the genuine seal removed entirely or keep it and put some sealant between (I’ve seen 2 YouTube vids where they just keep the genuine seal and put sealant underneath it)
ReplyDeleteYour call depending on condition of seal. It's that outer edge that would need a thin bead all around if going down that route imo.
DeleteBtw about the carpet removal: the carpet at the drivers side is the only place which is wet. Is it possible to unloose or lift only this piece of the carpet i.o. remove it all. And than lift it up and have it dried with a blower or heater or any. Or just cut out the lower foam at the bottom, replace it and vaccum the upper part of the carpet
ReplyDeleteIf you've got time on your side then people have commented they managed to dry it doing exactly that. Just lifting the driver's side carpet and sound deadening and propping it up so air can circulate. Think someone above even had nappys under there lol. No right or wrong way but if you need to dry it fast it's best taking out. Yours doesn't sound bad so yeah give the lifting a try first.
DeleteThank you Speedy UK,
ReplyDeleteI bought my daughter her first car, a 2004 Corsa C, very clean inside and out.
After heavy rain last week i found the drivers carpet very wet, passengers side a little wet too.
What can i say, i followed your detailed step by step guide and took my time, i have a little mechanical knowledge so wasn't too worried.
It took me 1/2 day to strip and prep then 2 dry day's to properly dry carpets out which i took out, i ended up buying a new servo as mine was very rusty at the bottom, possibly where the water was sitting, i tapped it after removing it and a small hole appeared, i decide better be safe than sorry and brought a new one from Euro car parts, got the new servo seal from the stealers and re fitted all this afternoon.
Very happy indeed with the info you have given, i am sure i won't be the only one thanking you.
Tip for the relay cover, you can strip out all the old seal and clean thoroughly, i got 4mtrs 9mm black rubber door seal and it fitted a treat, see e.bay link below,
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-D-Shaped-Car-Door-Window-Seal-Strip-Rubber-4-8M-Edge-Insulation-Trim/283754616002?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=585173569150&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I am based in Surrey and will be helping a friend of mine who is an NHS worker, her Cosa C has soaking carpets both sides, i have 3/4 tube of Tiger Seal left so better use it for a good cause.
Anyone in or around who might need a helping hand in doing theirs feel free to tap me up.
Excellent thanks for commenting. The post is over 6 years old but I still like hearing a good success story. Think you did the right thing with the new servo. Good of you to help out your friend too 👍.
DeleteThanks for the link to that sealing rubber for the BCM cover. Like you and the commenter above, who recommended a neoprene alternative, I am reluctant to give GM £45 (that's what they are on Ebay in 2022!) for another bit of their crappy design. I like your choice of section with the flattened "D" to fit in the slot and will be ordering one soon.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletei had tha same problem of the binding brakes after servo removal, all it was was the brake pedel sping was in the wrong position, it had got the other side of the stop light switch insted of on the outside.so if you get the brake binding prob recheck the pedal spring, hope that helps somebody
ReplyDeletewatch youtuber the savage garage, he has a very detailed video of how to seal up the corsa, i watched his vid a couple of times and then sealed up my leaky corsa !
ReplyDeleteHello Speedy, thank you, this is turning out to be "the" guide on the net to rectify this genius bit of production design, which appears to be of no benefit, other than to save GM a few minutes on the production line (because that worth way more than several days out of the life of every unfortunate owner subsequently isn't it?).
ReplyDeleteI did my daughters Corsa passenger side a few years back, and now the driver’s side is leaking with a vengeance. Even better, in the meantime we also bought a mint little C as a runaround, and it’s like a bathtub too - I wonder why the previous owner sold it in the summer when it wasn't smelly? Bit of a mystery that.
Both are autos so slightly easier with no clutch pedal, but still being 54 and not slim this has been a bit of a task. I have not started the carpet lifting/drying process yet as the weather is abysmal, but I just thought I would offer some small bits of advice based on my experience so far.
1. If you have a Corsa C and intend to keep it for more than a year, or if there is a chance you will ever sell the car on again outside of high summer, just do this job. Just do it, and preferably in high summer so you have longer days and better drying weather. Because when the wet carpets and smell annoy you the most it will be miserable weather outside, and your windows will never be clear in those long dark days when you need visibility the most.
2. Allow a few days for this especially if working alone. Because I did this in November when its too dark to work in the footwell by 3pm it took a day to disassemble and clean the bulkhead, and a day to dry, seal and reinstall it. And I haven’t even done the carpets yet because my back aches, I’m fat and old, and weekend days only come in twos.
3. I would recommend removing the driver's seat and carpet first before tackling the bulkhead jobs. I wish I had to avoid squeezing my fat carcass through the door. You will be taking it out anyway to dry, and with the seat removed you will have better access to the pedal area. You may need the car again though like me, so its not always possible.
4. Bag your bits in zippy freezer bags and write on what they are from. Write down each step so you can work backwards later, its amazing what you forget from one day to the next.
5. I would advise sealing the heater intake aperture and the aperture where the BCM wiring goes through the bulkhead. I found loose fixings and moisture behind both of these, and I don’t think the BCM lid is solely responsible for water ingress on the passenger side. I bottled out of removing the full BCM housing as I couldn’t find instructions anywhere, but if you take off the back three nuts and ease it forward a centimetre or two, you can get a bead of sealant around the top and sides which is then clamped down upon tightening. You could also spray around with anti-corrosion wax with an extension wand.
6. I wouldn’t waste money on the BCM lid for the sake of the crappy GM seal which you will jet get another version of – replace the seal with a sturdier alternative like the suggestions in the comments above.
7. Check your brake light when finished! Mine were on and the switch plunger didn’t meet the brake pedal, which was a real head scratcher until I came back to this excellent guide about resetting it!
Respect and I have a neat proposal: How Much Should House Renovations Cost affordable home renovations
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