Peugeot Boxer water leak onto gearbox

[quote="chrisvesey"]

Enn wrote:Yes thanks for persevering with the photo's. I am slightly confused however, surely if water can get in the gearbox all the oil can get out, or am I being really stupid ??

Please go gently with any answers I'm a sensitive sort.

Enn[/quote
Hi,
The consensus of opinion is that any water falling on the gearbox can seep inside through the breather or the linkage points, it doesn't have to have a lot to cause a problem. The gearbox only has a relatively small quantity of oil which splashes around inside and it would take a great deal of water to displace it.
Great photo's thanks Mike do you think there is any chance Peugeot will admit a design fault and recall all vans for modification
Chris V

Hi both,

@enn. the reason the water gets in there is due to the design in the Gearbox, the webbing on the top of the box which strengthens it is a trap for water and does as quite a few on here know, get into the gearbox oil and contaminate it.

The water on the gearbox is caused by the pipe dripping water directly onto the top of the gearbox and laying there until it evaporates, this will then enter the box either via the gear selector or the speedo drive. The drain in the scuttle usually leaks if the pipe is moved whilst gearbox overhauls are carried out, in some cases it has removed altogether.

The modification allows for the water to be drained far away from the gearbox as long as the scuttle orifice and new pipe are sealed. The modification also stops the drain pipe being disturbed at any stage whilst work is carried out under the bonnet, as long as the fitter is careful.

Hope this helps.

Best regards Mike and Winnie

Enn wrote:Yes thanks for persevering with the photo's. I am slightly confused however, surely if water can get in the gearbox all the oil can get out, or am I being really stupid ??

Please go gently with any answers I'm a sensitive sort.

Enn

Water drips down Enn and oil cannot drip up. No your not stupid.


Best regards Mike

Mike, I've just been looking at the photos again. Could you explain what each one shows?

Marc

marc4242 wrote:Mike, I've just been looking at the photos again. Could you explain what each one shows?

Marc

Ok Mark, in the confusion of using Photobucket to show the pictures which I originally put titles to but they did not show on the images on this forum. The pipe that is fitted should have been photographed before it was fitted but in the confusion and no instructions it was not until the pipe was in place I realized that I had not shown it.

Picture One shows the pipe route running down and behind the air filter housing that if you read earlier has been removed.

Picture Two shows the black pipe under the air filter housing.

Picture Three shows the pipe loosely fitted in the scuttle panel and if left like that water would get past and drip onto the gearbox.

Picture Four shows the pipe bonded into place so that is cant move or allow water to pass.

I looked through the scuttle grill tonight after heavy rain last night and checked the gearbox and it was dry.

The route of the pipe is critical so that there are no bends of kinks to impede the flow of water which would back up the pipe. The pipe should end up at the front nearside of the van down by the radiator.

The design of the vehicle does NOT stop water from entering the engine bay which it will. The Pipe however restricts the water around the gearbox area which is the whole point of the exercise. Just a final comment, re bonding of the pipe at the top, I used a rainwater gutter sealant in a spray can to do this. (I will check the can and post the name tomorrow)

Finally remember that the roof of the van holds a terrific amount of water as you can tell if you brake hard in the rain, a proportion of this water ends up in the heater blower section of the open scuttle and needs to be drained away as soon as possible thus the reason for the pipe being fitted and the supplier Peugeot altering it's design. As the model is quite old I am positive they will not recall the vans.

Well that's it, the desision is yours you have the costs, the part no.s and the time it should take to fit.

I hope this will be of help to some of you, I know of two vans that need the work done locally.

Best of luck, Mike and Winnie is now out of nappies. and flying high'

Hi Flying High

Well done on persevering with the pics.
My 'van' is a 1999 model and must have been modified as there is no pipe at all.

However I did notice a patch of rust over the n/f wheelarch under the air filter. A job that needs looking at in the better weather.

If I hadn't been searching for this elusive pipe, I wouldn't have seen the rust.

So thank you for the post!

PB

My '99 Peugeot 2.5 has the same scuttle arrangement, & it too leaked bad, BUT, the rubber drain hose was such a god-awfull sloppy fit & it POURED
out all around, so I made a 2mm plastic plate that was a good fit at the base, then made a real tight oval-opening for the drain hose, this whole
assembly was then bonded in place, its so good now that I poured large volumes of water down quickly & there was NO leakage at all, it all gushed
out of the drain, as it should

I also made a hole at the lowest point on the battery side & bonded in a drain pipe, it goes right down past the back of the engine & away from the
battery, tray & relays.

I feel sure that Peugeot could easily have designed a scuttle with a much deeper skirt & bigger central sluce & pipe to cure this common problem.

modelman wrote:

My '99 Peugeot 2.5 has the same scuttle arrangement, & it too leaked bad, BUT, the rubber drain hose was such a god-awfull sloppy fit & it POURED
out all around, so I made a 2mm plastic plate that was a good fit at the base, then made a real tight oval-opening for the drain hose, this whole
assembly was then bonded in place, its so good now that I poured large volumes of water down quickly & there was NO leakage at all, it all gushed
out of the drain, as it should

I also made a hole at the lowest point on the battery side & bonded in a drain pipe, it goes right down past the back of the engine & away from the
battery, tray & relays.

I feel sure that Peugeot could easily have designed a scuttle with a much deeper skirt & bigger central sluce & pipe to cure this common problem.

Well done model man, you got there anyway and that,s the main thing.

Best regards Mike

[quote="peugeotboxer"]Hi Flying High


My 'van' is a 1999 model and must have been modified as there is no pipe at all.

Hi there, if there is no pipe where is the water going ?? Just interested

Best regards Mike

[quote="Flying High"]

peugeotboxer wrote:Hi Flying High


My 'van' is a 1999 model and must have been modified as there is no pipe at all.

Hi there, if there is no pipe where is the water going ?? Just interested

Best regards Mike

Good point..............off to find the garden hose!!

PB

All I seem to have is a crude groove either side of the scuttle with, what seem like, some heavy duty mastic acting as a channel into the grooves which are partially hidden by the rubber seal. So, the drained water just splashes over the engine !!

When I get a chance, I'll show you mine as we've already seen yours !!!

newterry wrote:All I seem to have is a crude groove either side of the scuttle with, what seem like, some heavy duty mastic acting as a channel into the grooves which are partially hidden by the rubber seal. So, the drained water just splashes over the engine !!

When I get a chance, I'll show you mine as we've already seen yours !!!

Are you looking in the correct place, the point of entry is via the grill which houses the blower fan. Look through the vent and you will see the hole at the bottom which the rubber water evacuation pipe is fitted. The water on the engine is of no concern as it will dissipate quickly with the heat of the engine.

Hope this clarifies things.

Best regards Mike

Ah, now I know where to look !! I thought I could see something through that grill, I'll have a closer look when Mrs H is otherwise occupied ! I might have to take the van back to the garage for the coolant issue which has not been fully resolved despite a new radiator. It will be a good opportunity to replace the water evacuation pipe (if required) at the same time.
I need to do something as the 1st gear selection has progressively become stiff when cold again despite a new clutch assembly last year, maybe the gearbox is still being dripped on ?
Thanks for your help

Flying High wrote:

newterry wrote:All I seem to have is a crude groove either side of the scuttle with, what seem like, some heavy duty mastic acting as a channel into the grooves which are partially hidden by the rubber seal. So, the drained water just splashes over the engine !!

When I get a chance, I'll show you mine as we've already seen yours !!!

Are you looking in the correct place, the point of entry is via the grill which houses the blower fan. Look through the vent and you will see the hole at the bottom which the rubber water evacuation pipe is fitted. The water on the engine is of no concern as it will dissipate quickly with the heat of the engine.

Hope this clarifies things.

Best regards Mike

Found it....thanks!!

The pipe is quite a large rubber hose which diverts across to the rear of the van over the top of the gearbox.

Poured water down the grill and sure enough it poured out behind the gearbox.
Did notice a few drips though that settled on top of the gearbox. They appeared to come from around where the hose fits into the 'scuttle'. (Oval in shape)

Will need to seal around that area, but will have to take the wipers/main grill off etc to reach it.

Thanks for the tip

PB

Thanks Mike, I'll try the jug of water trick, very, very useful.

ASOF does it again, brilliant !!

Hi,
Just been down to order my new pipe......Parts man says that that part number is for the left hand drive so he has ordered one for the right hand drive.......what possible difference could left or right hand drive make in this respect I have a horrible feeling that the wrong one will arrive tomorrow, still they can send it back if its not the one I asked for, no rush its perishing outside,
Chris

chrisvesey wrote:Hi,
Just been down to order my new pipe......Parts man says that that part number is for the left hand drive so he has ordered one for the right hand drive.......what possible difference could left or right hand drive make in this respect I have a horrible feeling that the wrong one will arrive tomorrow, still they can send it back if its not the one I asked for, no rush its perishing outside,
Chris

Hi Chris, just been on to my Peugeot dealer in Kent and the L6 (last two digits) is for my vehicle BUT the L4 is for right hand drive??

I am confused now. If the pipe is on one section as mine was originally then you need the L6 two section which takes the water well away from the gearbox and cannot be knocked once fitted. The parts man my end thinks the L6 is the right one as I have fitted it ok. The L6 could be for left hand models BUT it may be made that way due to the steering shaft getting in the way. Anyway let me know when you get it.Hope the above makes sense..

Best regards Mike

Hi,
my thoughts exactly, tomorrow wil show, I'll let you know,
Regards,
Chris

Hi,

While cheif technical engineer at Peugeot and it is many years ago now I ordered Peugeot to make available a plastic cover for the battery to prevent water entry also the fitting of a lefthand drive drain tube which was much longer to prevent water entry into the gearbox. At the same time I ordered a new seal for the gearchange shaft to prevent water entry and the use of a special oil for the gearbox, this was back in the 1990's. I cannot remember the part numbers now but a Peugeot dealer should be able to help, My son is parts director at Peugeot I will ask him if he can remember these actions.

John Dean

johndean wrote:Hi,

While cheif technical engineer at Peugeot and it is many years ago now I ordered Peugeot to make available a plastic cover for the battery to prevent water entry also the fitting of a lefthand drive drain tube which was much longer to prevent water entry into the gearbox. At the same time I ordered a new seal for the gearchange shaft to prevent water entry and the use of a special oil for the gearbox, this was back in the 1990's. I cannot remember the part numbers now but a Peugeot dealer should be able to help, My son is parts director at Peugeot I will ask him if he can remember these actions.

John Dean

It would be good to hear the outcome of Johns inquiries also perhaps we could have some form of fact sheet, Mike has done all the work on this and deserves the credit but it appears that using the pipe from a left hand drive van, properly sealed could solve what is arguably the biggest problem with the Boxer. I have obtained the pipe and sikaflex, now all I need is the weather,
Chris

Hi Chris, Did you get the long L6 pipe I wonder?

Best regards Mike.

yup

chrisvesey wrote:yup

Good man, don't forget to remove the air filter and undo the 3 nuts in the bottom and
all will come to light.

Good luck.
Best regards Mike

Hi,
When my windscreen washer bottle was blocked (new life form ) I had to take the air filter off to remove the bottle and clean it and the pump out, I also had to take the washer pipework and jets out to clean them out also the non return on the tee under the first jet was solid. Wish I'd had this pipe then still, at least I know how it all comes off,
Regards,
Chris

Hi All

I have managed to speak to my son who is director of part division Peugeot and asked him to look at these items for me
Part number of battery cover ( only needed where non sealed battery fitted ) part no 6547 FA 90/100 amp

part number of drain tubes still available 6448 L6 seems only one available ( only checked Boxer 1 )

Seal on gearbox No Longer Supplied ( only checked Boxer 1 )

He did say that if he had the full Vin number he could do further checks

He did not have the technical modifications I introduced some 12 years ago but did say the Dealerships who were around at the time might still have them.

Further the Peugeot 406 cars also suffered from water in the gearbox so dealers from sometime back might have information still available. it looks like all my info as been thrown out now.

Not much help sorry but will continue asking my past colleages if they have anything but they seem to change personnel quickly and the young new comers dont seem to know much about older vehicles.

Regards

John Dean

Thanks John
Chris