Fiat Ducato scuttle - too many holes!

UFO

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To replace the windcreen wiper motor I had to take the off-side scuttle (drain below the windscreen) off.

As well as the main drain hole, which dumps the water below the engine, there are other holes through which the water will drain into the engine bay.

The photo below shows the holes, on the off-side, around the wiper arm. Only one has a bung, as shown in the right hand photo.

Scuttle off side.JPG


Below is the near-side, two holes and no bung.
Scuttle near side.JPG


The question is why so many holes. I don't see why they can't be sealed.

Any thoughts?
 
Make sure you keep those drains clear or water will get into the wiper pivot point and it will seize up and snap the pivot bush leaving the arm and blade dangling. If you are lucky it will not damage the bodywork and not happen to you on the M1 in heavy rain like it did me
 
Make sure you keep those drains clear or water will get into the wiper pivot point and it will seize up and snap the pivot bush
Yes, this makes sense. But I would have thought the water would be drained away from the engine bay, not into it. Perhaps Fiat hopes that the main scuttle drain will take away most of the water. The hole under the wiper spindle, the one without the bung, is tiny so could easily become blocked. Overall a poor design.
 
£$%^ design that allows water into engine bay causing rusty injectors and throttle body actuator failure.......and more
 
Just found this - wiper spindle deflectors, 'designed to battle against water leaking onto your engine bay'

 
Many vehicle shells are built to be either RHD or LHD and very often have blanks in the unused holes.

This Renault Trafic we have now i swapped the double passenger seat for an as new LHD drivers seat which was very easy to do.

The pre-drilled and tapped holes are already there but have blanking bolts in them, take out the bolt and put it back in the vacant hole to close it once you`ve moved the seat.

Wifey now very happy because she has full lumber / seat height adjustment and armrest :) instead of the crappy basic double passenger seat :(

Plus we can access the rear now from the cab however it`s a bit tight for a big daft lump of my size o_O
 
Keeping the scuttle drain holes clear is a vital job that the majority of vehicle owners will never have even thought of and is not included in a service.

Our 2 latest vehicles when bought ( VW Golf SV 3 years old ) and ( Renault Trafic 5 years old ) both had the scuttle drain holes blocked solid.

In can be a lengthy job to clear them but is possible with care and now the water runs freely and away from the bottom of the wheel arch.
 
One thing I do miss aboutKeeping the scuttle drain holes clear is a vital job that the majority of vehicle owners will never have even thought of and is not included in a service.

Our 2 latest vehicles when bought ( VW Golf SV 3 years old ) and ( Renault Trafic 5 years old ) both had the scuttle drain holes blocked solid.

In can be a lengthy job to clear them but is possible with care and now the water runs freely and away from the bottom of the wheel arch.
I certainly learned my lesson on that one and always clear leafs before leaving a parkup.

The pivot after I had welded it back together. One thing I do miss with retirement is not having full workshop facilities available anymore. Now its throw it in the bin and buy another, it just seems so wasteful to me.

1773480737541.png
 
I certainly learned my lesson on that one and always clear leafs before leaving a parkup.

The pivot after I had welded it back together. One thing I do miss with retirement is not having full workshop facilities available anymore. Now its throw it in the bin and buy another, it just seems so wasteful to me.

View attachment 150483
Pack the spindal with water proof maine grease.
24c grease.jpg
 
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