Rear water leaks

[jadney@vwtype3.org (Melissa & Jim)]

>Why do you want to add air vents?  I'm thinking of welding mine up (or maybe 
>just the outer top one).  The foam inside has, quite literally, disintegrated 
>and at high speeds water from the outside drips in to the rear stowage area.

If you are getting water inside the back (above the engine) then I suspect 
your problem is elsewhere.  Two possibilities:

1) The plate that the FI computer is mounted to is improperly installed.  
This black rectangular metal plate is located (under the vinyl trim panel on 
squarebacks) on the "wall" above and to the left of the engine hatch. I find 
this incorrectly done on 100% of the cars I work on for the first time.  
There are two screws that hold the top of the plate in place and two spring 
clips that MUST be slipped over the OUTSIDE of the metal panel to hold the 
bottom of the plate snugly in place.  If you've never done this before, it 
will take about a minute to figure it out.  Don't assume that the fact that 
it was last installed by a "professional" insures that it was done properly! 
 Of course the rubber seal must be in good condition, but I've never seen a 
bad one.

2) You are missing a plastic plug that should seal a rear fender attachment bolt
access hole at the base of the "D" pillar on one side or the other.  The 
hole is about 1" in diameter and needs to be plugged.  I've never had water 
leak in through the rear vent louvers on the 71-3s.  My foam rubber, 
however, is nearly as shot as yours.  I suppose you might also have some 
problems if the drains under the bottom were plugged up.

Jim
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       Melissa Kepner                                    Jim Adney
       jadney@vwtype3.org              jadney@vwtype3.org
                             Laura Kepner-Adney
                             Madison, Wisconsin
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