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C4GP rainwater leaks

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davidfud   
Tue Jan 27 2009, 08:19am
Can anyone please help with identifying the cause of a rainwater leak I keep experiencing on my C4GP? After any heavy rain I have a sizeable puddle of water in the driver's side footwell and saturated carpets. Water drips in near the top of the pedal arms. When using the car there is also a "sloshing" noise in the engine bay.

Seems like rainwater from the windscreen gutter is getting blocked somewhere on its way through he engine bay, and perhaps water builds up in a cavity to a point where it breaches some bulkhead and flows into the footwell? Sloshing noise sounds like there is other matter in the water - maybe leaves or something that is causing the blockage.

After going round a few bends the noise goes away - probably the blockage freeing itself? Garage is trying to be helpful but doesn't know what to do. Their attemps have not been successful. Any suggestions most welcome. Thanks.
Kevin Regan   
Tue Jan 27 2009, 10:50am
Hi, I think you are correct in assuming it is something to do with the windscreen gutter. It's not happened in my C4P but in my old Xsara Picasso leaves and other tree debris (sycamore seeds especially) used to get washed down the gutter and block a chamber behind the wheel arches.

Poking about with a bent coat hook located a drain and once cleared the water soon drained away. It may be the same, try and follow the screen water channel and that may lead you to where the water is collecting. The camber on the road can lead to one side collecting all the rain and fill up if the drainage is blocked.

Unfortunately for you that seems to be the drivers footwell where cabling etc allows overflow to seep into the cabin. Hope that helps! Oh and obviously, welcome from all of us - pictures will be required in your next posting!!

Have you had the C4GP, as this is a problem I would not expect if brand new. If new, I'd ask the dealer to check if above info isn't helpful, as you may need new mats etc
neilos   
Tue Jan 27 2009, 01:01pm
Member No: #209
Joined: Apr 05 2007
Location: West London
Hi and welcome.......

I seem to remember someone else on here had a leak in their GP. It turned out to be where roofrails were fixed to the roof; something hadnt been tightened properly or the seal was not in properly(sorry cant remeber exactly). Might be worth having a look around at the rails just to eliminate.

Ok....found the original post....click here - Click Here -
Could possibly be running down the inside somehow into the footwell??

Neil
Dave_Retired.   
Tue Jan 27 2009, 02:08pm

Member No: #1
Joined: Aug 07 2006
Location: Northumberland
Don't forget the dreaded air con dehumidifier drain pipe coming adrift behind the dash

It's a known issue in the C4 wetting the carpets and if it's happening when the atmosphere is wet (raining) well may be the not so obvious culprit here
atg   
Sat Feb 21 2009, 04:21pm
I had two leaks, one from the very first day in the trunk, and one at the driver side. First was hard to notice. I was always noticed something white on the cargo cover, and later found out that was lime scale from the dripping water. Second one was scary... One day I felt drop on my neck when I entered car. Water drops came from airbag sticker at the driver side pillar. For the last one they said that there was some kind of technical opening used by robots to hold car frame during welding process. It was not sealed correctly.

I have never had in my life any leaks... and I was driving all kind of cars, including 20 years old Yugo! Hopefully I wont experience third leak...
Kiwicake   
Sat Dec 17 2011, 07:00pm
Member No: #17370
Joined: Jan 16 2011
Location: Budapest
davidfud wrote ...

Can anyone please help with identifying the cause of a rainwater leak I keep experiencing on my C4GP? After any heavy rain I have a sizeable puddle of water in the driver's side footwell and saturated carpets. Water drips in near the top of the pedal arms. When using the car there is also a "sloshing" noise in the engine bay.

Seems like rainwater from the windscreen gutter is getting blocked somewhere on its way through he engine bay, and perhaps water builds up in a cavity to a point where it breaches some bulkhead and flows into the footwell? Sloshing noise sounds like there is other matter in the water - maybe leaves or something that is causing the blockage.

After going round a few bends the noise goes away - probably the blockage freeing itself? Garage is trying to be helpful but doesn't know what to do. Their attemps have not been successful. Any suggestions most welcome. Thanks.


Hi David, I am experiencing the same thing on my C4GP - after heavy rain a sloshing noise when cornering, sound like a sandstorm in a plastic bin and now a serious puddle on the right side footwell... Have you found out anything in the meantime?
Thanks in advance,
Zsolt
blackpooltower   
Mon Dec 19 2011, 10:56am
Member No: #16927
Joined: Dec 20 2010
Location: London
on a more minor note - when you open the rear doors are the seals inside wet?
Kiwicake   
Tue Dec 20 2011, 10:23am
Member No: #17370
Joined: Jan 16 2011
Location: Budapest
No, there was no other leakage. My friendly Citroen garage unblocked a drain hole behind the front wheels. There is a cavity which was full of rainwater and all kind of debris. All is nice now
Merry Christmas to all fellow C4GP and other Citroen owners!
2 User said Thank You to Kiwicake for this Post :
 Leslie21 (05 Aug 2013 : 14:12) , Luminova11 (28 Nov 2017 : 09:38)
gnosallhills   
Tue Mar 27 2012, 04:21pm
My first post, but thought I would contribute as I found the other information on here very helpful.

I too had the same problem with water leaking into the drivers footwell, (57 C4 Picasso 1.6 diesel) sloshing noise on turning corners and for good measure occasionally making a noise in the fan.

My solution was to take drivers side front wheel off and take off the inside plastic wheelarch. As soon as mine came away water poured out of a roughly 6 inches long rubber tube which comes down from the scuttle. Cleared out the rubber tube with a wire coat hanger, blocked with leaves and general [%*^#@!], reassembled wheelarch, wheel back on and problem solved. Checked tube on passenger side for good measure but not blocked.

I think the problemn is that if the scuttle drainage is blocked then it overflows into a very strange panel which is behind the engine sound insulation - did not get a chance for further investigation as it was getting dark and freezing cold.

Anyway, try this option first before going hunting in the central console and checking the aircon overflow which involved taking off lots of panels and was tricky to find with little result. It is simple to do and worked for me.
9 User said Thank You to for this Post :
 Kiwicake (27 Mar 2012 : 17:06) , Dave_Retired. (28 Mar 2012 : 01:33) , CharlesC4Picasso (01 Jul 2012 : 10:18) , Ballistic (01 Jul 2012 : 13:41) , chrispatch (07 Jul 2012 : 12:50) , Leslie21 (05 Aug 2013 : 14:12) , rafiki (03 May 2014 : 05:26) , Bob_East_Yorks (01 Jun 2015 : 09:47) , Lyooba (13 Mar 2016 : 14:46)
CharlesC4Picasso   
Sun Jul 01 2012, 10:18am
Member No: #26297
Joined: Jun 25 2012
Location: London UK
gnosallhills wrote ...

My first post, but thought I would contribute as I found the other information on here very helpful.

I too had the same problem with water leaking into the drivers footwell, (57 C4 Picasso 1.6 diesel) sloshing noise on turning corners and for good measure occasionally making a noise in the fan.

My solution was to take drivers side front wheel off and take off the inside plastic wheelarch. As soon as mine came away water poured out of a roughly 6 inches long rubber tube which comes down from the scuttle. Cleared out the rubber tube with a wire coat hanger, blocked with leaves and general [%*^#@!], reassembled wheelarch, wheel back on and problem solved. Checked tube on passenger side for good measure but not blocked.

I think the problemn is that if the scuttle drainage is blocked then it overflows into a very strange panel which is behind the engine sound insulation - did not get a chance for further investigation as it was getting dark and freezing cold.

Anyway, try this option first before going hunting in the central console and checking the aircon overflow which involved taking off lots of panels and was tricky to find with little result. It is simple to do and worked for me.

Hello,
I took my C4 Picasso to a dealer with the same problem and they didn't fix it but said it was very easy to do and didn't charge me. So I'm trying to find a bung that they described at the lower rear area inside the wheel arch cover.
Can anyone help with a picture of what to unblock or where I might find this pipe. I'm trying not to take off the whole wheel and plastic cover if I don't have to. The dealer indicated I would only have to get behind the lower section which I've managed to do by just popping off there plastic retainers with the wheel turned hard over.
Appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance ... Charles
Karen   
Fri Jul 06 2012, 08:27am
CharlesC4Picasso "Can anyone help with a picture of what to unblock or where I might find this pipe. I'm trying not to take off the whole wheel and plastic cover if I don't have to. The dealer indicated I would only have to get behind the lower section which I've managed to do by just popping off there plastic retainers with the wheel turned hard over."


Hi
I managed to clear both sides last night without removing anything. This problem had got me dreading to go the car after it rained. I was fed up with finding an inch or so of water in the driver's footwell and ending up with a pile of wet towels. I could hear the water sloshing around and affecting the fan and awaited wet feet whenever I swung round a sharp bend!

Charles, I have no vehicle maintenance knowledge so please excuse my description - if you turn the wheel hard over it makes it a bit easier. I didn't remove the wheel or wheel arch (thought I'd end up in a right mess if I tried that) or even jack up the car. Look straight past the wheel and you'll see a gap in the arch cover just behind what I presume would be a shock absorber??

I managed to get my hand through the gap and felt with my right hand (for the offside) to the left and located the rubber tube (run your hand just above the wheel arch cover and you should find it - it's a soft flexible concertina'd rectangular tube with a flap on the end).

This approx 5" section came away on the offside (**##!) but it did allow me to see it properly - it was completely filled with rotted leaves etc. I cleaned this out and used a length of heavy duty electric flex from an old extension cable to hopefully clear anything else beyond.

I then went to the nearside, more difficult for me to access being right handed but located the pipe and used the flex to unblock and was rewarded with a sudden gush of water. I threw several buckets of water on the bottom of the windscreen and it flowed out freely behind the wheel arches on both sides.

I then went back to the offside and managed to refit the rubber outlet hose. Success!

It's very fiddly purely because there is limited access this way and you're working blind. I found you could bend/pull this edge of the wheel arch cover down a bit alongside the shocks which helped a bit. (along with slim wrists - now rather bruised).

Anyway after about an hour and some choice words I felt very pleased with myself! It's throwing it down outside right now

Car is unfortunately parked under some trees but I found a foot wide strip of close meshed nylon/plastic (I think it's used for greenhouse shading or similar) and placed that under and over the windscreen wiper and under the top edge of the bonnet when I finished last night as a temporary preventive measure.

Good Luck
8 User said Thank You to for this Post :
 Leslie21 (05 Aug 2013 : 14:12) , Bob_East_Yorks (01 Jun 2015 : 09:47) , bubblehead (01 Jun 2015 : 16:51) , andyging3 (17 Dec 2015 : 03:27) , Thegun (12 Jun 2016 : 10:54) , Smeden (15 Jul 2016 : 13:14) , newtipprunner (11 Nov 2020 : 11:28) , hbmc (04 Jan 2021 : 06:29)
Karen   
Fri Jul 06 2012, 08:28am
Car is a C4GP 08 by the way.
chrispatch   
Sat Jul 07 2012, 01:18pm
Member No: #7033
Joined: Jan 11 2009
Location: Nr Cambridge
gnosallhills wrote ...

My first post, but thought I would contribute as I found the other information on here very helpful.

I too had the same problem with water leaking into the drivers footwell, (57 C4 Picasso 1.6 diesel) sloshing noise on turning corners and for good measure occasionally making a noise in the fan.

My solution was to take drivers side front wheel off and take off the inside plastic wheelarch. As soon as mine came away water poured out of a roughly 6 inches long rubber tube which comes down from the scuttle. Cleared out the rubber tube with a wire coat hanger, blocked with leaves and general [%*^#@!], reassembled wheelarch, wheel back on and problem solved. Checked tube on passenger side for good measure but not blocked.

I think the problemn is that if the scuttle drainage is blocked then it overflows into a very strange panel which is behind the engine sound insulation - did not get a chance for further investigation as it was getting dark and freezing cold.

Anyway, try this option first before going hunting in the central console and checking the aircon overflow which involved taking off lots of panels and was tricky to find with little result. It is simple to do and worked for me.

I've just had exactly the same problem described by yourself and the garage said to take the plastic off under the wheel arch and clean the tube.

They did say they would do it for about £20. Being quite a competent mechanic, although I am really getting too old to crawl around cars, I thought I'd give it a go.

I tried it with the wheel on but it made it awkward so I took it off and after working out how the plugs pulled out managed to release the the wheel arch. I got hold of the rubber tube and it came off, and sure enough it was full of rubbish.

I thought I was doing too well as I then tried to fix the tube back but I just can not see how it attaches. It looks as if it fits like a grommet but the hole and the rubber don't seem to match up. So I now have a spare part. Although I'd like to fix it I can't really see a problem without it, at least it won't block so easy. Now, knowing the layout I tackled the other side and it was so simple without taking the wheel off.

I just pulled out 3 plugs and got enough movement to get to the drain tube, pushed a piece of plastic petrol pipe in it and water gushed out without removing it. I flushed it through with a watering can and all seems clear now.

It looks to me as if with a little bit of thought in the design it would have been so much easier if there was a small removable panel over the tube. If it got to be a regular problem I think I would adapt it myself.
1 User said Thank You to chrispatch for this Post :
 bubblehead (01 Jun 2015 : 16:52)
Dutchpat   
Sun Jul 22 2012, 04:00pm
Thank you to the posters above. You saved me a trip down to the garage. Definitly nothing to do with a blocked airco drain; both rainwater drain valves behind the wheel arches were completely blocked by leaves, pine needles and general dirt.

After reading the postings above I decided to remove the wheels and loosen up the plastic inner arch lining by removing the 5 or 6 plastic plugs. Remove the plugs by first lifting up the inner part of the plug (stick a small screwdriver underneath the center en lift it out 5 mm), then turn and pull the plug out.

Loosen the lining on the driver/passenger side of the arch (no need to remove it completely) and look up. On top of the arch you'll find a rubber check valve, which is easily detached if you pull it downward. I found mine completely blocked with leaves, pine needles and general dirt. The valve assembly consists of 2 parts; a rubber valve and a plastic placeholder. Clean both out. Stick a finger inside the hole to remove debris. Flush the channels by pouring a quarter bucket of water onto the windscreen.

Reassemble the check valve and place it back to cover the channel. You can only do this one way; look for the markings on the plastic placeholder. Place in arch inner liner back and attach the plugs. Repeat procedure on the other wheel arch.

I'm afraid I'll have repeat this procedure in the future. The windscreen drain has 2 fairly large holes on either side which allows small leaves and pine needles to drain down into the channels with the water. Not the best design.

C4 Grand Picasso '10 LHD (yes, a Left Hand Drive in the UK. Purchased here to return to mainland Europe.

Took some pictures that I'll try to post from my PC.
4 User said Thank You to for this Post :
 bubblehead (03 Jun 2015 : 05:39) , dwet (28 Jan 2016 : 15:36) , Lyooba (13 Mar 2016 : 14:47) , Shajju (21 May 2018 : 05:49)
chrispatch   
Mon Jul 23 2012, 12:34pm
Member No: #7033
Joined: Jan 11 2009
Location: Nr Cambridge
Glad you got it sorted, it is pretty simple when you find out where it fits. I first assumed it was a long tube that ran down to within a foot off the ground, not just below the bulkhead. As you say it can be done without removing the wheel. In my previous post I said I couldn't get see how the rubber tube attached to the body, but afterwards found the little plastic ring that fits to it where it had fallen on to my drive, then it all became clear. Wouldn't it have been a simple job if when designing the wheel arch cover a bit of thought was put into making it so we could get to it without removing anything. I'm sure I would be able to adapt it if I needed to do it often. But then things are made so you have to pay a garage to do it. They don't want you to do these jobs yourself.
2 User said Thank You to chrispatch for this Post :
 bubblehead (01 Jun 2015 : 17:16) , bushmills (04 Aug 2015 : 09:08)
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