86 GT 2.8. There is an inch of water in my trunk after a good rain. It does have a spoiler that I just reinstalled, and sealed real good with new rubber gaskets, and silicone. There is no evidence that rain is getting in from the 4 spoiler mount bolts...Are these cars noted for leaking down through the louvered battery, and air cleaner covers, and getting into the trunk somehow, or anything else? The rubber seal around the top of the trunk area is new...This is without driving it in the rain, so it's not coming in from underneath. No evidence of wet carpet where water might be running down the sides of the trunk, unless it's drying up before I discover the water in the bottom Bobby
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-16-2019).]
Yeah Gall, thats what I'm thinking. If it ever drys up around her (Buffalo) I'm gonna run a bead of silicone around the outside, and inside of the gaskets it's sitting on...Unless you have a better idea. I'd like to seal them from the outside though rather than the inside if water is getting in there I don't want rust happening...
All I did when I installed the spoiler was to put a glob of silicone on the bolt holes. Like I said though, this time I'll get em all around the gasket inside the lip, and around the outer perimeter......
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-16-2019).]
Hard to believe that so much water can get in via 4 little holes, but it happened to me a few years ago. I put clear silicone around the stud on the inside and tightened the nut to squish it into the hole.
The GT has D-shaped plastic trunk corner pieces (D-plates) that square the ends of the rounded trunk opening to match the width of the deck lid, and provide support for the trunk seals. They are not present on the notchies, as the deck lid is wider than the GT deck lid. The D-plates are usually the source of a GT trunk leak.
The GT has D-shaped plastic trunk corner pieces (D-plates) that square the ends of the rounded trunk opening to match the width of the deck lid, and provide support for the trunk seals. They are not present on the notchies, as the deck lid is wider than the GT deck lid. The D-plates are usually the source of a GT trunk leak.
Ding-ding-ding! This is where I had a lot of water leak into the trunk. I converted my 85 SE V6 to 86-88 GT quarter panels/lid.....I didn't realize that a lot of water can (WILL) leak around the decklid...till I drove to work without having RTV'd around those D-shaped pieces.......I quickly found out and bought some black RTV...problem solved! (And my decklid has the wing-holes. but I have screws in them with a small amount of RTV.....no leaks!
...till I drove to work without having RTV'd around those D-shaped pieces.......I quickly found out and bought some black RTV...problem solved!
I was just about to ask, but you answered the question: I assume this means the RTV is a must-have? I finally found a good pair of D-plates in the junkyard and need to put them on my car. I imagine it'll be obvious where the RTV goes?
So what am I looking for, a crack in the D-plates? Could these be leaking with the car just 'sitting'' in the rain, as mine is? Not driving...Are they in the deck lid or the body?
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-17-2019).]
So what am I looking for, a crack in the D-plates? Could these be leaking with the car just 'sitting'' in the rain, as mine is? Not driving...Are they in the deck lid or the body?
Or poor sealant on the edges of the "D" plates. How does your trunk seal look?
Trunk seal is brand new last summer...I can't see any way for rain water to get in when sitting, other than the wing stand mounts. The sides of the trunk carpet are dry when this happens.. I'm going to put buckets in the trunk under the mounts, and turn the garden hose loose. The reason I brought this whole thing up is because I put a fair amount of silicone around the wing mount studs a couple days ago when I put it back on. I was just wondering if there was another way for rain water to get in when not in motion.
Trunk seal is brand new last summer...I can't see any way for rain water to get in when sitting, other than the wing stand mounts. The sides of the trunk carpet are dry when this happens.. I'm going to put buckets in the trunk under the mounts, and turn the garden hose loose. The reason I brought this whole thing up is because I put a fair amount of silicone around the wing mount studs a couple days ago when I put it back on. I was just wondering if there was another way for rain water to get in when not in motion.
If the water is in the middle then yep should be the stands. Could take the nuts off and seal then put back on, all from the bottom..
Okay Gall here ya go. After putting buckets in the trunk under the spoiler mounts, and closing the trunk, of course, I broke out the artificial rain. Opened the trunk and lo and behold, the buckets were dry, but there was water on the floor in the middle...
Conclusion: The, insert expletive here, new rubber surround seal for the trunk that I put in new last summer had mysteriously removed itself from it's groove. Well, I tucked it back in, and with a quick bed time story slammed the trunk, and did the Indian rain dance...no leak...
Solution: I gonna run a bead a black RTV round the perimeter to keep it groovy...I'm think'n the rubber got stuck to the deck lid and pulled it up enough to pop it out of it's groove when I opened the trunk. After the RTV sets, I'll keep silicone spray on it, so it won't stick again, like I do with the rest of the rubbers... Bobby
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-17-2019).]
2.5 I will re-goop the nuts from the inside. One was actually a little wet, but the main leak was water dripping/running down around the deck lid past the un-tucked-in seal, and in over the trunk latch protrusion, and to the floor. Thats why I couldn't find any wet carpet on the sides...
Thanks for all your inputs... Bobby
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-18-2019).]
Okay Gall here ya go. After putting buckets in the trunk under the spoiler mounts, and closing the trunk, of course, I broke out the artificial rain. Opened the trunk and lo and behold, the buckets were dry, but there was water on the floor in the middle...
Conclusion: The, insert expletive here, new rubber surround seal for the trunk that I put in new last summer had mysteriously removed itself from it's groove. Well, I tucked it back in, and with a quick bed time story slammed the trunk, and did the Indian rain dance...no leak...
Solution: I gonna run a bead a black RTV round the perimeter to keep it groovy...I'm think'n the rubber got stuck to the deck lid and pulled it up enough to pop it out of it's groove when I opened the trunk. After the RTV sets, I'll keep silicone spray on it, so it won't stick again, like I do with the rest of the rubbers... Bobby
When I did my new trunk seal recently I used sealant where it grabs the metal lip, pushed it on real good and then left the lid up for 24 hours to make sure it had cured, before closing the lid. No probs after it rained hard at the Dells parking lot and also driving home in rain from another event.
Don't use silicone to glue in the rubber. Use 3M black super weatherstrip adhesive. Also, you might want to check into 303 aerospace products to treat the rubber. Much better than silicone spray for protection & preservation. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
Tha Driver, Have ordered products you recommend. What's the best way to seal the trunk surround rubber? Pull it off, and apply sealer to the ridge, then plug it back on, like 2.5 did, or just leave it plugged on, and apply sealer around the outside perimeter? Bobby, aka FX
[This message has been edited by FX (edited 06-19-2019).]
Tha Driver, Have ordered products you recommend. What's the best way to seal the trunk surround rubber? Pull it off, and apply sealer to the ridge, then plug it back on, like 2.5 did, or just leave it plugged on, and apply sealer around the outside perimeter? Bobby, aka FX
Pull the rubber, & run a bead of glue in the groove of the rubber, & re-install it. If you have to (probably won't) use masking tape to hold it in place while the glue dries. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
....and yes I do.
