Technical Why does the rubber only go half way?

[earthman]

http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/365327,16563/2009-Fiat-Panda_photo.aspx

The rubber seal (that's just below the windscreen washer jet) only runs half the width of the car, anyone know why?

At first I thought that Fiat had just forgotten to put that side on my wife's car or that it had fallen off because it does look like there's glue still left on the lip of the plastic panel. When the bonnet is shut you can see a gap down there compared to the drivers side, surely that ain't right? what's stopping the rain water getting in?

Today I found a Panda in the breakers yard, opened the bonnet and found that only had the rubber seal on the drivers side too! I bought it but I'm not sure now if I should fit it to the passenger's side on the wife's car after seeing that picture.

 

[percymon]

Whilst probing around trying to sort out the limp mode only problme on the GFs Panda, i noticed hers is like the photo too. The plastic moulding for the scuttle suggests there should be one on the passenger side too, but then maybe LHD cars have one on that side and not the other !

 

[greyridertoo]

The rubber seal (that's just below the windscreen washer jet) only runs half the width of the car, anyone know why?......

It's a Panda, we should consider ourselves lucky there's a seal there at all
Been asked before and it seems that's how things are.

 

[LeanMeanRacing]

Yes, mine is the same too!

 

[doctorchris]

Very strange, a seal in a panda. I thought they were herbivores!

 

[miura74]

Odd. Same on my LHD Panda, rubber on the left side (passenger), none on the right.

Same position as yours even tho mine is LHD. Weird.

There is electrics under that area, I guess for the wipers and is that strip to protect them and so not needed on the other side perhaps? A cost cutting exercise probably.

 

[Eklipze3k]

Cost cutting and possibly allows for a more expedient heat removal in warmer conditions, a thread in the Cinq/Sei section mentioned something similar to reduce overheating in this weather/heavy traffic so that could be it.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Suspect the answer is actually that the fresh air inlet to the car's interior is under that side of the scuttle -- on RHD cars you can't see it because it hides under the wiper motor. So, that extra bit of weather strip keeps water out of the heater...

 

[earthman]

Hmm, so what do you guy's reckon I should do, fit or not fit?

 

[miura74]

Hmm, so what do you guy's reckon I should do, fit or not fit?

Personally, I'd say not.

We've all got the same rubber on all our Pandas and it doesn't look like we all have serious trouble with water flooding in. So it's probably pointless to fit. imo.

 

[greyridertoo]

Hmm, so what do you guy's reckon I should do, fit or not fit?

Well..if you're into customising then go for it

 

[earthman]

We've all got the same rubber on all our Pandas and it doesn't look like we all have serious trouble with water flooding in.

You are probably right, I didn't pay close attention to where the water would/could run to once it gets in that area, could well be worth investigating, it just seemed odd that the seals not there period.

A while ago I heard about a similar problem with Ducato vans, water getting in from around the top edge of the bonnet and rusting injector bolts etc, not sure if it were down to a missing seal though.

 

[LeanMeanRacing]

I took a close-up photo of the area today and you can see that the plastic lip on the scuttle panel [that the seal attaches to] ends at the same point as the rubber - so it is designed to be that way.

 

[earthman]

I took a close-up photo of the area today and you can see that the plastic lip on the scuttle panel [that the seal attaches to] ends at the same point as the rubber - so it is designed to be that way.

Well the lip seems to run the full length on the wife's car, and it looked like there had been adhesive on it at some point.

 

[pmh]

Re: Why does the rubber only go half way?

and I thought that you may have bought some newly manufactured Indian grey imports!

( If you do not understand my sense of humour,
see following link! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6161691.stm )

 

[MountainRunner]

Yes the rubber seal only goes half way, but there are 2 seals. Below the half length seal is a long full length one and that stops water getting into the actual engine bay.
The half length seal I guess protects the wiper motor but the half where there isn't a seal will let water in but it will only let water into the drain gutter from where there is no way into the engine, water will simply drain down into the wheel arch. Just like the plastic drain grill below the wipers.

It seems the only way water gets into air filer and wrecks the engine is through the air intake hose that collects air from the front grill. That is the defect that can wreck the engine, especially if car parked facing up hill in heavy rain or snow.
A very simple solution can solve this: simply remove the air intake hose and improvise one that does not open to the grill, instead the entry end of hose is pointed side ways collecting dry air from behind the headlamp unit. I saw this arrangement on a Peugeot 1.4 HDI. Here its impossible for rain or snow melt to get into air intake. Air does not have to be collected from the front grill. I don't know why fiat never considered this as the 2007 era design is crazy.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

It seems the only way water gets into air filer and wrecks the engine is through the air intake hose that collects air from the front grill. That is the defect that can wreck the engine, especially if car parked facing up hill in heavy rain or snow.

Nope, as I've said in response to your other posts, this is NOT the cause of water ingress into the MJ engines.