Fiat Ducato blocked windscreen drain again! (1 Viewer)

[Howard B]

Had the bonnet on my boxer up today noticed top of engine very wet,on close inspection rain is getting between the windscreen and the moulding tat forms the gutter,on pulling the moulding away from the glass a few mm "muck and moss" between the 2.having tried various rubber mouldings have come to the conclusion the only thing to do is bond the back of the gutter to the screen where it won't be seen...maybe worth other owners having a closer look

I use 3M electrical tape to seal mine.
Been into the dealers three times and last time they changed the whole scuttle. When I checked it with a hose it was still leaking so back to the 3M tape. Ill not bother giving the dealer another chance.

 

[jayne and peter king]

Over the last few years I have made a point of regularly checking the windscreen drain points on our 2018 Fiat Ducato after reading a post on this site.
My last check was about 6 months ago and everything was ok, last week i checked again and I noticed the telltale water marks on the engine cover.
This morning I opened the pipe only to find it totally blocked! After a few minutes pushing and prodding with my extending brush I managed to unblock it and now water flows easily.
I was considering sealing the pipe joints but I have decided against it so I can easily check it in future.
I clean the van regularly and always check the drain points for leaves and debris. I have even started to park the van front end up when in storage to avoid the deluge when it rains.
If you have the same van it might just be worth checking yours.View attachment 865948

We have had exactly the problem because of two majorly blocked drains due to pine needles from the last owners not cleaning the drains and refraining from parking underneath a tree like this the drivers side front light the DRL s and circuit board in the rear of the light became saturated in water and the DRLs failed as the circuit board and DRLs became soaked in water as the DRLs act as side lights they must work my husband has dried out the circuit board DRLs and headlight casing but they are still not working we have an auto electrician appointment booked for tommorrow but if he can’t help then we will be forced to buy a new light add or circuit board Costing upto £360 so please make sure you keep your drains clear it’s turned into an expensive lesson for us new motorhome owners my husband was thinking of getting a strainer and cutting out the stainless mesh from a kitchen strainer and put these into the holes and as they are stainless steel they will not rust and are relitively inexpensive

 

[the1andonly]

jayne and peter king Or a plastic one

 

[Rambleon]

Over the last few years I have made a point of regularly checking the windscreen drain points on our 2018 Fiat Ducato after reading a post on this site.
My last check was about 6 months ago and everything was ok, last week i checked again and I noticed the telltale water marks on the engine cover.
This morning I opened the pipe only to find it totally blocked! After a few minutes pushing and prodding with my extending brush I managed to unblock it and now water flows easily.
I was considering sealing the pipe joints but I have decided against it so I can easily check it in future.
I clean the van regularly and always check the drain points for leaves and debris. I have even started to park the van front end up when in storage to avoid the deluge when it rains.
If you have the same van it might just be worth checking yours.View attachment 865948

Thanks for the heads up, I've just replied to another thread called Fiat Ducatto 2007 scuttle issues, it seems to cover the same problem ,thought it would have been sorted by now but seems to be a problem still on the latest Fiats/Boxers ,anyway I am very grateful for the info as I did not think my 2021 boxer would have this problem but it did when I checked it. So grateful as I would not have known, what a great forum.

 

[Peregrinator]

Over the last few years I have made a point of regularly checking the windscreen drain points on our 2018 Fiat Ducato after reading a post on this site.
My last check was about 6 months ago and everything was ok, last week i checked again and I noticed the telltale water marks on the engine cover.
This morning I opened the pipe only to find it totally blocked! After a few minutes pushing and prodding with my extending brush I managed to unblock it and now water flows easily.
I was considering sealing the pipe joints but I have decided against it so I can easily check it in future.
I clean the van regularly and always check the drain points for leaves and debris. I have even started to park the van front end up when in storage to avoid the deluge when it rains.
If you have the same van it might just be worth checking yours.View attachment 865948

I was confused at first (don't take a lot) but then, of course, it don't effect me, not on a A-Class.

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[IRHP]

jayne and peter king Or a plastic one
View attachment 867956

I've found some water can get through that wiper spindle hole. I've put a bit if foam tape around it to try to stop it.

 

[Bella's Dad]

I cut the little rubber flap off the exit of the pipe on the drivers side right up in the wheel arch. I assume This is supposed to prevent mud going into the pipe. In my experience it does exactly the opposite & traps leaves & debris in the pipe from the scuttle & really blocks it tightly! Since I cut the flap off no problems. I check it regularly, because near that pipe is also where mud & salt gets trapped between the plastic wheel arch shroud & the metal wheel arch itself (both sides of the Ducato) . I regularly flush out that area with a hose. If you dont that could be a real hidden corrosion issue building up at the top of those arches!!

Hi mohobot - I have a very blocked central scuttle drain - the one that exits on the drivers side under the wheel arch. The pipe is blocked at the pipe exit where's there's a right hand bend. Your solution of cutting off the the rubber flap sounds just what I'm looking for.
Could you please provide a bit more detail as to how you did it? Did you have to remove the plastic wheel arch cover? Any help you can offer very gratefully received.
Many thanks

 

[whisky walker]

My "solution"
View attachment 867338clean out tubes with trombone brush
seal connection tube to top. this was the joint that leaks. Centre Top drain hole place a sieve to prevent blockage. all 3 positions get blocked by leaf detritus.
View attachment 867337View attachment 867339

I've just cleaned mine out but when i put the pipe all back together noticed it was leaking. Decided to wrap the point where you have used silicon with PTFE tape, seemed to stop the leak and can always take it apart again. Just another soloution to a poor design.

Cheers

 

[the1andonly]

I've just cleaned mine out but when i put the pipe all back together noticed it was leaking. Decided to wrap the point where you have used silicon with PTFE tape, seemed to stop the leak and can always take it apart again. Just another soloution to a poor design.

Cheers

Whatever works for you is a good solution. i only used sealant in the top half still able to split the joint. if it leaks from the bottom half i will know the pipe is blocked, as oposed to filling up to the top before overflowing (which would be worse?). How many years has this been an issue?

 

[whisky walker]

Whatever works for you is a good solution. i only used sealant in the top half still able to split the joint. if it leaks from the bottom half i will know the pipe is blocked, as oposed to filling up to the top before overflowing (which would be worse?). How many years has this been an issue?

It's shocking, I've only had mine just over a year so all new to me but when I read the thread last week when right out and checked, 2 out of 3 were blocked but fortunately was an easy fix only thing now is the seal against the window doesn't seem that good so need to check that next

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[Jim Schush]

It's shocking, I've only had mine just over a year so all new to me but when I read the thread last week when right out and checked, 2 out of 3 were blocked but fortunately was an easy fix only thing now is the seal against the window doesn't seem that good so need to check that next

I found the easiest fix to the seal against the windscreen was to clean the area thoroughly and then seal with a good tape. I found the tip on this forum and it seems to work fine.

 

[whisky walker]

I found the easiest fix to the seal against the windscreen was to clean the area thoroughly and then seal with a good tape. I found the tip on this forum and it seems to work fine.



View attachment 932110

Great idea I'll have a wee try when I get over to the van later cheers

 

[Hedgewitch]

Is the scuttle problem ongoing with new vans?

Mucking around on Google seems to imply that after 2014 Fiat corrected the design flaws.

With a 2024 Ducato on order (yay! excited happy dance ) I would prefer to get ahead of any future problems.

 

[berni109]

The x250 windscreen scuttle used to leak like a size.
The x290 front facelifted model has a new scuttle design with more drain points (which can get blocked see above).
There is no physical seal against the glass of the windscreen it's just a push fit.
This has reminded me to get it cleaned and sealed.

 

[Howard B]

Is the scuttle problem ongoing with new vans?

Mucking around on Google seems to imply that after 2014 Fiat corrected the design flaws.

With a 2024 Ducato on order (yay! excited happy dance ) I would prefer to get ahead of any future problems.

In my experience there is still a problem. On my 21 van, the scuttle panel, central drain hole spigot and hose all leaked and were replaced by CamperUK. They still leaked when i got back from them , so i sealed it myself with windscreen sealant and 3M tape.

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[mohobot]

Hi mohobot - I have a very blocked central scuttle drain - the one that exits on the drivers side under the wheel arch. The pipe is blocked at the pipe exit where's there's a right hand bend. Your solution of cutting off the the rubber flap sounds just what I'm looking for.
Could you please provide a bit more detail as to how you did it? Did you have to remove the plastic wheel arch cover? Any help you can offer very gratefully received.
Many thanks

Sorry for the late reply. I managed to get a stanley knife on the flap, very carefully cutting most of it off, did not need to remove anything, but I have long arms!! No blockages since that surgery

 

[seasideBill]

Whatever improvements Fiat claim to have made, it’ll still happen on a new van. Pine needles are the killer, just overnight parked in the wrong place/weather is enough for those needles and resin to form a very effective plug. I use one of those long bendy things for clearing household drains but even that sometimes needs the assistance of repeatedly squeezing the middle drain pipe deep in the engine compartment. Not sure what improving the push fit seal on the pipe achieves?

 

[Hedgewitch]

Pine needles are the killer, just overnight parked in the wrong place/weather is enough for those needles and resin to form a very effective plug.

seasideBill One of the reasons I will never, ever, ever return to the C&CC site just outside Nairn

 

[gus-lopez]

Similar on Peugeots & Citroens.
My mates Peugeot Autocruise 2008 only has a drain hole on the drivers side. Nothing on passenger side.This is probably as a consequence of being built usually for lhd countries. Whereas in the Uk park in any road or park sloping towards passenger side & there is now where for the water to go when raining or you wash the screen, excpet to pool in the plastic windscreen cover then overflow straight on to the ECu & other electrics. I suggested fitting another drain when I found it after washing his van roof but as he was selling he wasn't worried.Worth a look for anyone who only has a drain point one side

 

[Hedgewitch]

I'm tempted with something like these strainers which should be fairly easy to cut down/repurpose, but will wait until the van is delivered and I can see exactly what size I need.

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

Stainless steel pan scourer. Clean all the outlets first, then break the scourer in three parts, roll into a cone shape, then push them into the drain holes. You will need clean these filters out periodically to keep them effective, but that's easy compared to cleaning all drainage hole network out again.
P.S. Not my original idea, but I have found it effective and worth repeating.
Mike.

 

[Jewellbags]

You could create an open plug with a small roll of plant netting to keep out the big bits (bit like a gutter hedgehog ) infact I might do that

 

[Ian_H]

Stainless steel pan scourer. Clean all the outlets first, then break the scourer in three parts, roll into a cone shape, then push them into the drain holes. You will need clean these filters out periodically to keep them effective, but that's easy compared to cleaning all drainage hole network out again.
P.S. Not my original idea, but I have found it effective and worth repeating.
Mike.

Having been reminded by the last post on here I checked my July 2023 van and the centre drain was blocked. A quick puff cleared it and Ive gone for the pan scourer. I shoved a whole one in and have more on order for the 2 side drains