Water leak in a Cessna 172

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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My plane is always hangared at home, and I put a cover on it any time I leave it outside overnight. This weekend,I tied down at Jekyll Island for a couple of nights. It poured rain one night. When I got home today I noticed a stream of water coming out of what looked like an empty rivet hole on the bottom of the hull. I don't think it was a rivet hole. In fact it might have been a weep hole for just this purpose. It was right down the center line and just about between the two back wheels. But I never saw water come out before.

I suspect rain entered around the fuel filler opening on the top of the wing. The cover doesn't extend out over the wing. There is a gap there. But I am not sure how water would make it's way from there, around the fuel tanks and down into the hull. Could it have drained through the wing spars? Any one know of another path from the fuel filler hole to the hull or maybe another possible water entry point. Suggestions?
 
JOhnH said:
My plane is always hangared at home, and I put a cover on it any time I leave it outside overnight. This weekend,I tied down at Jekyll Island for a couple of nights. It poured rain one night. When I got home today I noticed a stream of water coming out of what looked like an empty rivet hole on the bottom of the hull. I don't think it was a rivet hole. In fact it might have been a weep hole for just this purpose. It was right down the center line and just about between the two back wheels. But I never saw water come out before.

I suspect rain entered around the fuel filler opening on the top of the wing. The cover doesn't extend out over the wing. There is a gap there. But I am not sure how water would make it's way from there, around the fuel tanks and down into the hull. Could it have drained through the wing spars? Any one know of another path from the fuel filler hole to the hull or maybe another possible water entry point. Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Leaking windscreen or rear window.
 
JOhnH said:
My plane is always hangared at home, and I put a cover on it any time I leave it outside overnight. This weekend,I tied down at Jekyll Island for a couple of nights. It poured rain one night. When I got home today I noticed a stream of water coming out of what looked like an empty rivet hole on the bottom of the hull. I don't think it was a rivet hole. In fact it might have been a weep hole for just this purpose. It was right down the center line and just about between the two back wheels. But I never saw water come out before.

I suspect rain entered around the fuel filler opening on the top of the wing. The cover doesn't extend out over the wing. There is a gap there. But I am not sure how water would make it's way from there, around the fuel tanks and down into the hull. Could it have drained through the wing spars? Any one know of another path from the fuel filler hole to the hull or maybe another possible water entry point. Suggestions?
Click to expand...

As the previous guy says, a leaking window or windshield is most likely. Those little holes on the belly are drain holes, and they're often clogged by dirt inside the belly.

The water can't get into the fuselage from the wing. There's a big gap between the wing root and fuselage wall. It's covered by a long strip just above the doors. That strip leaks any water that might get into the gap. The wing spars aren't hollow, and their connections aren't conducive to water flowing through them.

Dan
 
Like Dan says. Myneighbor is rebuilding one and we were commenting on how crappy the front of the wing to fuselage joint is designed from a waterproofing perspective. It looks likw water just wants to run down the front of the post on the hinge side of the door....
 
Dan Thomas said:
As the previous guy says, a leaking window or windshield is most likely. Those little holes on the belly are drain holes, and they're often clogged by dirt inside the belly.

The water can't get into the fuselage from the wing. There's a big gap between the wing root and fuselage wall. It's covered by a long strip just above the doors. That strip leaks any water that might get into the gap. The wing spars aren't hollow, and their connections aren't conducive to water flowing through them.

Dan
Click to expand...
That makes sense, but we had a cover on that should have kept the rain from the windshield seals. Of course, canvas isn't completely waterproof, but it should have detoured the water.

But is it agreed that the water probably did not come from the wing?
 
I think most older Cessna singles leak around the windows, it's part of their mystique! :D
 
I was wiping down the 172's belly last night and this reminds me that there may be a weep hole in the bottom of the rudder cap too. There is on my '65 G model. I know this because when mine was tied down after a rain, I could hear water sloshing around.

A cursory inspection revealed that the hole had been painted over. A sharp pointed object fixed that issue.

As a previous poster said, they may be blocked by crud. There are a few of them underneath, so I took a pick and carefully cleaned them out.
 
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