saablog

Some of you may remember reading about my big water adventure in September due to clogged sunroof drains.

I thought I had addressed my leaking problems, especially since I put a car cover on the 900 as there isn't room for it in the garage. Yesterday the ark-inducing rains briefly abated, and I went out to drive the 900 after nearly 3 weeks rest under the car cover. The car was parked in my driveway, pointing nose-down, under the cover.

I found about 2-3 tablespoons of water in the spare tire well in the trunk, sitting under the petrol filler tube. This may have leaked in via the petrol filler, as the plastic collar that holds the petrol filler door is cracked. Or it may have leaked in elsewhere.

I thought that was all, but upon exiting the car after 1/2 hour of driving, there was a spot on the carpet where my heel sits when driving, soaked through. The weight of my foot in that location must have caused enough pressure to push the carpet down into the pad, wetting it with water caught in the pad.

But I don't know where it is leaking from. Since the car cover is a breathable material, allowing water to evaporate, it can also become saturated with rain water, which allows the water to find its path in.

It'll be in the garage now through the weekend in an attempt to dry out again. I'll next try parking it with the nose pointing uphill with the car cover on, to see if this keeps the car dry.

I've lifted the driver side front carpet, and the pad is wet under the pedals toward its forward-lowest edge and a bit up the wheelarch. That is consistent with the fact that  the front-left corner of the car was sitting lowest. But because it's only wet at its front edge, it seems like the water is entering along the wheelarch or firewall. Perhaps as a result of my windshield replacement a few months ago?

 I'll leave the carpet and pad lifted over the weekend to dry out, then will see what happens next.

The trip started with a quick run to the Edmonds ferry terminal, where I crossed to Kingston. From there it was about an hour drive to Port Angeles. After meeting with my client in his office, I followed him up to his job site, which is a potable water plant at the head of a stream on Clallam County's Mt. Pleasant. The plant was at the end of a 2-mile long gravel road with steep inclines and a wooden bridge to cross a stream.

Click on each picture to enlarge it, stupid old blog.com doesn't support viewing full-size photos in the blog posting.

The stream was quite swolen with all of the rain we've been getting...

It was really cool to take the R on those steep gravel roads! Fun that it was a bit mud. I actually had spots of mud on my driver-side windows after going through a particularly muddy spot.

By the time I got headed home, the Olympic Peninsula was enjoying a sunny afternoon, though I know that it was still pouring in Seattle. I barely made the 2:15 PM ferry in Port Townsend and crossed to Kingston on Whidbey Island, in glorious sun. I stopped at the beach park just off of the ferry to take a copule more shots of the R in the unexpected sun.

That's the ferry I just got off of... one of the older/smaller boats in the fleet. It was the kind that Erik and I used to ride with Mormor and Papa between Clinton and Mukilteo when we were little kids.  There were pretty significant swells as we came in to this dock, it was a fun ride!

After the photos, I drove down to Mormor and Papa's house, to get Mormor's lasagna pan, and some jelly. But the jelly was all gone, which was a sad discovery for me. Then I hopped my third ferry of the day from Clinton to Mukilteo, and was home 20 minutes after landing in Mukilteo.

This was a much more fun drive than the typical work commute between Seattle and Portland on I-5. This drive on 2-lanes with three ferry crossings was much more entertaining, and the weather for the drive home was beautiful.

The R will be taking yet another ferry trip on Thursday afternoon, as we take a family weekend away to visit my in-laws on Lopez Island in the San Juans.

On a side note, it's supposed to be a little sunny today. I'm hoping I can have time to uncover the 900 and take it out for a warming-up spin...

About 3 weeks ago, I parked the 900 and put its cover on, to keep needles and leaves from getting into its nice little drains. The car hasn't moved since. Of course, that isn't how it was supposed to be.

 We were going to take the car to the pumpkin patch. It's orange stripe is very pumpkin-themed. But Anzara's mom decided to go with us, and we were having very heavy rain. I decided to just take the R, leaving the 900 tucked in.

Then my dad sold his truck, and was going to use the 900 to drive around until he found a new one. That would let the 900 live in his garage, too. On the morning my mom dropped him off to get the 900, he convinced me to drive with him (in my R) to Tacoma to look at a used Titan. He bought it and drove it home. So once again the 900 got no love.

Last week I flew to Lexington, and when I came home I met my brother in the Chicago airport and he flew with me. I usually take the 900 to the airport, my parents ended up watching Luisa while I was away, so Erik and I drove the R to my parents house, where I traded my brother for my daughter. Since the car seat doesn't work as well in the 900, the R was again my choice. Erik didn't even end up borrowing the 900, as his stay wasn't long enough to justify the hassle of getting the car from me. So it just stayed parked.

This week, the "pineapple express" has hit the Seattle area, bringing crazy amounts of rain and wind. The 900 sits out there with its sodden car cover in place, at least no leaves or needles are getting to it. I just went out and check on it, during a temporary lightening in the rain. The car cover isn't waterproof, merely water repellent.  It's literally soaked through, so water runs down the car. There's a bit of water in the trunk, maybe 2 tablespoons worth on the trunk floor near the spare tire. It seems to be entering near the gas filler. Other than that, it's humid/damp feeling inside, but not wet.

Tomorrow I"m heading to a jobsite somehwere on the outskirts of Port Angeles. I had hoped to take the 900. But with heavy winds and rain, I'm just going to take the R. It seems like the 900 isn't as good of a choice for a trip to the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula in really heavy rain. Someday I'll drive the 900 again... someday...