ghr4news

I've seen postings from Forum members inquiring about this part in the past and I hope the Forum administrator will post this one under the sticky list. Below is the note I sent Eckler's after receiving their REAR HATCH WINDOW DRAIN KIT:

"Hi, on Oct 15th I place an order with Eckler's for several parts. The order number is: (order number omitted). One of the items I ordered was part No. A7221, a window drain kit. After reading the instructions that came with the part, I realized there was something terribly wrong with the instructions and the part. Had I followed the instructions, I would have drilled a hole into the inside of my car and You would have had one very angry customer. I would hope Eckler's does actual testing from products it sells from its vendors, because in this case, this part does not work for my coupe nor for any Corvette.
Please let me know what process I need to take to ship this product back and I hope Eckler's takes this product off of its catalog."

383vett

Nothing worse than having a drain that funnels water into the rear compartment. Are you sure you didn't switch left for right in the instructions?

ghr4news

No, the instructions are very simple, it states:
"Drill a hole as vertical as possible 1/2 inch from end of sill using a 1/8 inch drill to start.
Then it tells you to enlarge the hole with a 5/16 inch bit."

If you measure your window sill and measure 1/2" from the sill, you are drilling a hole into the inside of your car!
All this drain kit consists of are two 5-1/2" long clear rubber hoses with a copper end tip that is concave and a piece of sealer material you are supposed to wrap around the underside of the copper ends before pressing the hoses down into place.

Did I forget to mention the disclaimer at the bottom of the instructions! It says:

'BC Enterprises and Eckler Industries assume no liability or responsibility for damage to vehicle due to improper installation of this kit."

Real reassuring, Hu!

Cliff Harris

I have these drains on my car and they work very well.

You need to drill all the way through the interior and into the wheel well. That's where the water drains to. My recollection is that I drilled through 3 "layers".

I used RTV to seal the top of the drains to the car body.

WW7

That's why you have the 8" tube, it directs the water into the outer wheelwell... And Cliff is correct , you go through at least 2 , maybe 3 layers on your way to the outer wheelwell.. These kits work well and remove the hassle of having to syphon, dip, soak up, the water from the window area...The only thing you have to be carefull with is to make sure you drill straight down and not sideways, there is a wiring harness in this area and drilling straight down will miss it..I have heard some people say they won't drill holes in the body of their cars, sorry to inform you, but there are holes all over your car body already, Im sure 2 more won't make any difference......I have had one of these kits in my car for 6 years and will say it's one of the best mods I've done on my car..Why GM engineers couldn't see the future problems with this design is beyond me........WW
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jimmymack

[QUOTE=WW7;1585399891] That's why you have the 8" tube, it directs the water into the outer wheelwell... And Cliff is correct , you go through at least 2 , maybe 3 layers on your way to the outer wheelwell.. These kits work well and remove the hassle of having to syphon, dip, soak up, the water from the window area...The only thing you have to be carefull with is to make sure you drill straight down and not sideways, there is a wiring harness in this area and drilling straight down will miss it..I have heard some people say they won't drill holes in the body of their cars, sorry to inform you, but there are holes all over your car body already, Im sure 2 more won't make any difference......I have had one of these kits in my car for 6 years and will say it's one of the best mods I've done on my car..Why GM engineers couldn't see the future problems with this design is beyond me........WW
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x3 Also have had mine in for years, no issues if you install it correctly

JMelton

D'oh!

JrRifleCoach

with those above.

You have to drill through 3 layers to penetrate the wheel wheel.

When I installed mine the drill severed the ground connection in the L/H compartment void.


Took an extra few hours to trouble shoot and repair the damage.
At which time I did not blame the instructions, but myself for not paying closer attention to what I was drilling into.
I did do a SEARCH here for others misfortune BEFORE I started drilling
and discovered that a long drill and some applied common sense was required.
Yet I still effed up and hit the wire (Murphy was in charge) that was warned about.

In the future I suggest you ask around for advise and suggestions before starting a mod.

sburnison

Well, I am terrified now. Just ordered one a few hours ago from Ecklers myself. Crappers..drilling a hole does seem pretty intimidating.

JrRifleCoach

If the hole was in the middle of your hood maybe.

sburnison

Well, I shall be back for further advice when it comes. The risk is worh it. I can't stand the spew of dirty rain water across my fender when I take off.

PLRX

I had these drains installed on all my C4s (92, 95 and 96). Yes, it funnels thru the rear compartment, and down to the rear fender area.

Follow instructions, use your mechanical skills, and above all else use RTV.

Welcome to 1984.

"Warning"

I thought you had something big here

WW7

If you want to make sure the hole is being drilled where it needs to be, you can just pull the carpet and insulation down like JrRifleCoach did before you drill..That way you can see exactly where the wires are and where your drilling so there's no question your doing it right.....WW

Ranman#1

Had the same issue. Just make sure you drill straight down about 12 feet until you hit oil
you need a loooooooong bit

JrRifleCoach

I pulled the wheel well liners off both sides to ensure the exit hole was correct.
As well as double checking the drain tube location was exiting the cargo compartment.
Its some effort to do it right. but worth the wait.

NuckinFutz93

Coach,

Thanks for the great pics! One of these kits came with my 94 I sold, I kept it for my 95 and haven't got around to putting it in yet, but your pics and post will help me tons, when I get around to doing it.