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Smoke detection of leaks
macc man - 14/10/23 at 10:55 AM

Has anyone ever used smoke to find a water leak their car. I have a leaking soft top on a BMW Z3 and cannot find the source of the leak.
Would a smoke pellet used for chimneys be any use and would it taint the interior with the smoke. Thanks for any help.

40inches - 14/10/23 at 12:18 PM

You could try one of those air con cleaners that you place on the floor of the car?

macc man - 15/10/23 at 03:07 PM

Thanks for that, I have just ordered one lets see if it does the trick.

nick205 - 16/10/23 at 02:52 PM

Watching with curiosity.

Never had a soft top or needed to find a leak in one.

coyoteboy - 17/10/23 at 08:07 AM

Last time I had to find a leak I used food colouring and a watering can, but I didn't have to worry bout staining the black carpet, just find the dribble.

I'm not sure smoke would penetrate anything but a large hole, and therefore any tiny whisps will be dissipated by ambient air very quickly - make sure you're in a garage away from wind!

adithorp - 17/10/23 at 06:58 PM

The AC aerosol cans I've used don't produce a sustained smoke and I think if they did you'd need a positive pressure difference to force it out. How big is the ingress? It could be a tiny crack that capillary action is letting water through.

There's a reason we no longer deal with leaks into the interior at work anymore: They're a pain in the arse.

ReMan - 20/10/23 at 01:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by macc man
Has anyone ever used smoke to find a water leak their car. I have a leaking soft top on a BMW Z3 and cannot find the source of the leak.
Would a smoke pellet used for chimneys be any use and would it taint the interior with the smoke. Thanks for any help.


My P-car has many forum based problems and resolutions for soft and hard top versions leaking into the car/floor etc.
It seems that most are covered, but there can be some work to check them all.

As quick look online suggests similar pitfalls with the Z3 (I have a soft spot and nearly bought a Z3-M Coupe) so sadly a case of working through them if its not that obvious, but I don't think smoke will smoke out the culprit :-(

Mr Whippy - 20/10/23 at 06:38 AM

Have you check the drains have not blocked? Their next to the seats under the trim. Blocked drains are a common problem with modern soft tops and sunroofs indeed all over the car they can cause havoc.