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Unclog Rain Gutters
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skemcin  



Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 1284
Location: Plainfield, IL

PostPosted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:09 pm    Post subject: Unclog Rain Gutters Reply with quote

I've been plagued with a small leak that only happened in severe weather. I've been around here enough to have read plenty of diagnoses, so I have always known its highly likely it is one (or more) of the four rain gutters that drain water from the sun/moon roof area. Until I got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in the pouring rain, it hadn't been on the top of my list of to dos. Well, I got around to it last night and the following process work wonderfully for me.
  • Gather 6' of standard weed trimmer line
  • Remove sun/moon roof
  • Open/prop your hood
  • Slip one end of the trimmer line in from the top of the sun/moon roof
  • Work it down through the drain tubing
  • Watch at the end to see debris being pushed out
  • Use a wet/dry vac to remove debris from engine compartment (for front drains)
A couple notes to add:
  • repeat this process but tie a small knot in the middle of your trimmer line - make sure it is not too restrictive though, it needs to pass without doing damage. The knot should be in the middle so you can remove it when you encounter a problem. You might want to double the length if you are concerned you have a lot of debris
  • double check the left rear drain as it exits the car - it comes out right next to the muffler which can essentially cauterize the end - causing an eventual back up of water.
  • if you have a thicker gauge weed trimmer line, you could likely skip the second pass that uses the knot

keywords: clean, clear, clog, clogged, unclog, drain, water, plugged, unplug, tube, rain, gutter, how do i, how to, how
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Last edited by skemcin on Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:28 am; edited 2 times in total
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ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent idea...I wonder if a fish tape would work too? I have one that I've used for pulling network and phone lines...might give that a try later today and see if it makes it through the tubes.

Cool idea on the keywords too
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pocketscience  



Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 1650
Location: Sydney, Australia... mate!

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, can vouch for the weed-trimmer trick - worked a treat for me a few months back. It's scary how much shite can get stuck down those damn drains!


G.
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skemcin  



Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 1284
Location: Plainfield, IL

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies. This should pretty much work for anyone. I found it rather interesting to learn exactly where the drain tubes come out since I'd hadn't really looked before. This is how I learned the muffler had cauterized the left rear tube.

I thought of adding the keywords to the post since this is a How To section and all the keywords I searched for didn't return any results in this section, let alone one that gave a solution. After I submitted the post, I tested the search and it worked as planned.

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9249206346 - 89k – new shifter bushings, belts, running well.
9249206347 - 8k – waiting its resurrection, no power at the fuel pump and fuse #7 blows w/power
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flosho  



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 3155
Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will this end the puddle that is on my passenger side floor?
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ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Front or back?
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tuurbo  



Joined: 08 Aug 2007
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Location: East Windsor, New Jersey

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can also blow them out with compressed air if there's not too much gunk.
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flosho  



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
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Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ideola wrote:
Front or back?


Both? The front is a little damp and behind the passenger seat gets that way occasionally as well..
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ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
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Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the 941 and the 81 NA, I had an issue where the passenger foot well would get wet during heavy rains. In both cases, it was a combination of the rear drain tube not clearing enough water, and the sun roof seals being aged and not sealing correctly. If it were strictly in the front, I would suspect a problem with the front drain tube and/or the battery tray (which could be related, btw).
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flosho  



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 3155
Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting, just went out and cleaned all four drains, the rear-driver side one was/is plugged, as I couldn't get the wire through. The fronts were clear, and the passenger side rear one seemed fine.

Where do the rear drains come out? I couldn't see where they ended? I stuck about 4 feet of stiff wire down then finally hit something that wouldn't let it go any further.

I also think because the PO tapped the headliner up and used duct tape(black) from underneath up into the sunroof seal(wrapping it up around the lip into the drain area.

If it rains heavily I get that same issue where it'll be damp on passenger side front/rear.
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ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should be able to physically see the rear drain tubes coming down the rear fender wells along the back side of the wheel wells. There are small holes at the bottom of the rear wells where the tubes should go thru. As skemcin pointed out, on the driver side, the tube can actually come thru far enough to come into contact with the outside surface of the muffler, which if left that way to long can "cauterize" or melt shut the tube.
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alexvex  



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 420
Location: Seattle, WA (from Indiana)

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

On my 924S my carpet would get wet just like you described Flosho. If heavy enough the seat would get wet too. I ended up taking off the panel under the passenger quarter window to find the water running down behind it. I siliconed the inner and outer seal of the window and didn't have any problems after that. Sounds like that's your problem too.
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skemcin  



Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 1284
Location: Plainfield, IL

PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When investigating the rear drain tubes,
  • Open you truck(boot if you across the pond)
  • Fold inward the left and right side rear storage compartments
  • In there you will see the drain tubes from the respective sides enter at the top of the wheel well
  • Pull the train tube up from the base, where it exits the cabin.
  • Inspect it to see if it has been damaged by heat or anything else.
Once you access the rear drain tubes from inside the car, its pretty easy to figure out where they exit the car.

The front drain tubes exit into the engine compartment just past the firewall underneath each hood (bonnet) hinge.
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9249206346 - 89k – new shifter bushings, belts, running well.
9249206347 - 8k – waiting its resurrection, no power at the fuel pump and fuse #7 blows w/power
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1987924s  



Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Posts: 48
Location: Texas

PostPosted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

after reading this thread i pulled my pass. side matt to notice my carpet was wet. Checked drain tubes, however it was my batt. tray. So cut out the cancer had a friend at muffler shop weld in a new tray painted and sealed, what a pain in the a$$
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rkmichel  



Joined: 27 Jan 2012
Posts: 1
Location: Colorado Springs Colorado

PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:11 am    Post subject: Thanks for the advice. Reply with quote

I just bought my first Porsche about two weeks ago and i thought for sure that i was going to have to buy a new seal for the sunroof because it was leaking. Then i read this post. This morning i cleaned my gutters and BAM! no more leaking into the car. I just wanted to thank you guys for posting helpful information like this so that i don't have to learn everything the hard way.
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