Scuttle drains maintenance GT
 

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Set wipers to service and mark on the screen with tape .Helps realignment later



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14 mm ratchet remove them .If they have not been off for a while this may need a bit of penetrating oil and twiddling.Use something like copperslip when you put them back



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Turn the clips and prise the cover off the engine bulkhead .There May be a couple of screws to remove at the ends near the glass as well.



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This is a piece of fireproof sheeting tie wrapped over the main fuse / relay box to protect from water .A personal mod I did



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It flips up for access - see the exposed multi pin plugs sat on the box lid .




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Other side .



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My HVAC unit - note the “ splice “ and multi pin sockets I think moved up from under the unit . A previous repair / mod from the previous owner .




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Vac adapter.




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Attached to the end of a vacuum cleaner and inserted to the side of the HVAC and crucially rotated 90 degrees to get right under towards the drain opening .




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Other side of the HVAC “ bulkhead “ Also not shown the opposite side and carefully vac up everything.




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When down showing how you twist it 90 degrees .




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Try in there as well




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Cup full of water added .You can hear it instantly trickle on the floor .




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Results.Free flowing .

Your time interval will depend on the environment you park it in .Think tree seeds , pine needles , leaves , even blown sand etc .

There’s the reason why you need to maintain this drain .

https://bentleyconversions.co.uk/ben...motor-problem/


Just to add with the Key Less Entry Exit And start , if that footwell box gets wet ( primarily caused by a knock on effect of scuttle drain being blocked ) then sometimes the starter motor can burn out , if so that’s an engine out job .

i,am not sure when Bentley changed / modified the scuttle design to traditionally the corners under the hood hinges like 99 % of cars I think happy to be corrected around 2009 ? .

Hi John:

This is an EXCELLENT writeup and Thanks for doing it! Everyone talks about these scuttle drains, but it's not so clear where they are or what to do.

I've worked mine twice. The first time I tried vacuum and got things fairly cleaned up, but I wasn't as creative as you with the attachment you built. On my second try I went the opposite way and used forced air with about 6 Bar air pressure. My drains do flow as I've done the same test, flooded the compartment and observed the water level and subsequent flow underneath.

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Finally, I solved my problem permanently! Notice, I don't have any windshield wipers on my car:
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I simply don't need them because I now refuse to drive in the rain!....problem permanently solved....and since it only rains about 20cm per year in Arizona, I still get lots of dry driving time....

Hi John great write up this is a job I’m definitely going to do, one question how do you set the wipers to service, I cleaned the fuel cap drain recently and flushed it out with a mixture of truck wash and water

Its in the handbook .From memory on the centre console press “ vehicle “ then “ settings “ then “ other “ and it’s the LHS 2nd down switch says “ wiper service “ or words to that effect ?

Having said that it’s possible to wiggle the wipers off in the closed position too but there’s is not as much clearance from the back edge of the bonnet when it’s up .

You can lub the wiper linkage as well once the scuttle cover is removed.

Another VAG product, this time Audi Q3 , contrast this design and thought fullness with the Bentley.

just to illustrate how it should be done .





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Standing water


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Rain and beech tree leafs unfurling and spreading with wind sticking to the glass .



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Battery box and crucially the engine fuse box - see the red +ve wires at its base .


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look carefully at the fuse box lid , it’s dusty never gets wet and is properly and easy to re fix the lid .Its mounted about an inch above the wheel arch so even if the scuttle was to flood and water spill over into the engine compartment both bat and fuse box would stay dry .

Had to have another clean out of the scuttle area today, had water coming into the passenger foot well at the top, it took me hours to get the drivers side wiper off in the end it proved impossible so I had to drill and cut it off, extreme I know but I’d wished I’d done it hours earlier.
Made an attachment from a hose pipe which I connected to a vacuum cleaner, had a load of debris out including 2 screws and unfortunately the rubber surround of the drain I’m hoping that this isn’t going to be a bigger problem, it’s a crazy idea to put the drain where it is no wonder it blocks, it’s really disappointing for me as I’d checked the drain last year, filling the scuttle with a mixture of Truck Wash and water and it clearly flowed out underneath the car.

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Just cleaned out my scuttle drains today, all was good, but getting the wipers off was a mission. I had to use a little puller to get them off, and it was a tight fit. I got this thing specifically for the job and it worked. I'll put them back on with a bit of anti-seize after they have re-gassed my aircon. https://sydneytools.com.au/product/d...per-arm-puller

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Little torx screws holding the scuttle cover to the windscreen trim
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Tape to protect the bonnet from accidents
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Sorry to pull up an older thread - but I understand that a UK 2010 reg (2009 model I think) is slightly better designed around protecting some of the electronics?

Is the maintenance of a later GT the same or slightly different for clearing these drainage routes (and the spoiler ones)?

Thanks

A

Spoiler will be identical those two plastic pipes prone to blockages and popping off = boot / trunk fills with water .The air suspension compressor and valves are sat waiting to go Zap !

Also regularly lub the hinge mechanism as if it ceases up , inside out of sight the track pops off due to the strain of the stiff hinges .

Your drains I think have been moved to the std design VAG corners , but they still block particularly on Cayennes.So it’s still worth removing the scuttle cowl and cleaning / hoovering it all out and passing a full watering can through to test the scuttle can cope .
Your KESSY box is in the same place under the passenger foot well sat like a sitting duck ( no pun intended) waiting to get damp from water seeping in through the bulkhead because it can’t drain away .

95 % of Bentley gt issues imho are entirely preventable.

Trickle charge it as well if it’s not in almost continuous use.Otherwise your dash will end up with more lights on than a Christmas tree .:)

Thanks John....

I'm familiar with the Cayenne wet footwell problem!


A

Does anyone know what year this design was modified? Is it only an issue for 2009
s and older?

It’s an issue for all to 2018 .It’s just the early have one large central hidden drain under the HVAC unit , while the later * have two drains one in each corner .Theses block equally with debris they are just slightly easier to access that’s all .

* still need cleaning / unclogging and testing .

I have a 2013 and contemplating just pouring water down and see how it drains. I am not a fan of fixing something that isn't broke. Where do they drain? Center, sides...through a hose or just against the firewall?

I do not know on a 2013, but on the first Gen 2004- 07 that I have seen, they drain in the center right onto the top of the transmission bell housing area, it is just a flap, sorry for the not so clear of pictures, it's all I have at the moment, my vacuum line video may show it more clearly.

Johnny

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Thank you!