Hatch Vents leaking water?

[woodzcar]

I have a 1970 240Z with the hatch vents on the deck lid. When ever it rains and I get caught it seems that water collects and then leaks back over the rubber seal into the rear deck area. Has anybody found that their rear hatch vents leaked water back into the hatch area like this?

I've re-sealed the glass so it appears that its not coming for there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

[2ManyZs]

Pull the interior panel off the hatch and see if the plastic drains are loose under the grilles on the hatch. It's possible the water is getting in through the grilles and if the drains are loose, they may be letting the water escape before it gets to the edge of the hatch where it is supposed to drain.

Not sure how to fix them, I know the ones in mine are loose but I haven't taken the hatch off yet to paint it, and don't plan on messing with it until I remove the hatch itself and get it to where I can see what's going on. Sorry I can't offer a quick fix....

[woodzcar]

2ManyZs You Rock! You were right! I pulled off the panel and the plastic darin was loose. Now the question is what do I use to seal it so it doesn't come off again? Thanks a lot!

[2ManyZs]

I know there are tabs on the drain "pockets" that the pins from the outside vent grill goes through, but I don't see how that could hold the drain in place. There has to be something somewhere in there to locate them and hold them in place.Of course, until I pull mine apart I can't answer your question...:stupid:

[240znz]

I've tried to get mine off but stopped as it got a wee bit hard.

One grill is broken off my Zed (still have it), so I don't know how to take off the other grill.....any ideas?

I too have taken off the inner cover (those plastic rivets are a PITA aren't they) and looked at taking the pockets out. Mine are held in but a still soft black sealant. I'm guessing that that is all they are held in by...just lined up. If anyone knows if this is wrong then please post it as I don't want to break an already UV brittle pocket.

Is there any new ones available???

[abas]

240znz

This is a subject close to my heart. I've had the need to ask many of these questions on various forums and ususally get no replies. Here's what I know.

1) The drain tubes are not available new. If you find some, buy them!!!!:classic:

2) The grilles being made of plastic are very difficult to remove without breaking the mounting pins. As far as I know these were the only badges on the early 240z that were ALWAYS made of plastic.

3) The drain tubes on my 1970 240z are held in by 1) some sort of glue on the inside of the hatch and 2) by a metal clip that attaches them to the underside of the hatch hole that doubles ( on the outside of the hatch) as the hole into which the grille pins clip into. On my car the holes IN THE HATCH ITSELF are too big and this clip has a smaller hole for the grille pins to go into. The reason why I have a problem is that I am missing 2 of the clips ( there are 2 for each vent) and as such can't attach one of the grilles on the hatch. And of course I can't get any replacements.

I am assuming that what is on my z is the same as all early z's. Of this I can't be sure.

To get back to your problem:classic: Don't try to remove the drain tubes without checking whether you have clips underneath the grilles first, and remove them if they are there.

( you mentioned you had already removed one of the grilles if the clips are there they should be on either end of the hatch hole) If you try to remove the drain tubes without removing the clips you will probably break the clips and the drain tubes. As you have mentioned most drain tubes are now getting very brittle from UV and age.

phew!!!!

Hope it helps. Let me know how you progress.

[240znz]

Thanks Abas...I'll add this to the ever growing list of "Oh my God...give myself plenty of time to sort that out" jobs that are ever mounting up.

When I got my Zed the rhs rear hatch grill was in the glove box with no possible way of mounting it (broken). My guess is that it must have some sort of pin to attach it to the hatch.

The 2 screws that unscrew from the hatch have a hole in the middle of them. My guess it that the grill has 2 plastic pins that fit into these screw holes and that's it.

I'll RTV the grill back infor now and wait until I have reason to fix it for good....probably when it gets new paint.

[abas]

240znz

Do you have a picture of the hatch around the hatch grille hole on your car? I'd like to compare with mine, to see if there is anything different between the 2 cars. Thanks if you can help.

Yep all z owners seem to have such a list of 'difficult' jobs. My whole car is on the list at present.:classic:

[240znz]

I have battles with my PC and digital camera at the moment...I'll post some pics as soon as I can.

Where in Hants are you? I used to live in Crookham Village near Fleet. Aren't Portmouth doing well!

[Daniel]

I haven't had to fight the vent battle but perhaps this will help.There is a product called plasti-dip.It is a can that you can dip tools into to get that plastic/rubber type grip.Its great stuff. The can show how to thin it so you can paint it.I have used it on various old sunbaked plastics.It's like encasing it rubber.I'msure you could also attach your hose with it.One tip .it comes with a snap lid.Put a piece of aluminum foil on the can then the lid.It will then keep for a couple of years.Most all car places and hardware carry it.

[Zs-ondabrain]

been there, done that. mine had uv rott and was missing clips and the original glue had failed. before you try to remove the clips, have a new pair of vents ready (p/n 31-1100 in the motorsorts catalog) (they are the back bone of the whole system) because of the pins that will (99% chance) break. if your pins are good and you're looking for new clips, not rusty or worn ones like yours probably are, id suggest the speed clips that they use on the back side of a speaker, you can pick em up for free at any car stereo shop. and i would use a pvc plastic pipe glue to hold the two inside pieces together or a black silicone like ultra black gasket sealer, and dont be afraid to use your finger to spread some on the inside of the gutter peice for U.V. protection in the future.

hope some of my babbling has helped, good luck and be careful