trunk leak (Page 2/2)
fierce_gt SEP 18, 05:52 PM
ok, so this is what i'm seeing...

it's leaking over the edge and into the trunk right around where my finger is pointing


the other side seems to have a raised lip that directs water away from that corner


but it's flat on the right side, so any water that comes in from that side is flowing towards the back of the car, but then falls into the trunk instead of flowing away from it, or around until it hits the low spot behind the latch.


thoughts? obviously i'm listening to the warnings about sealing up stuff that's supposed to be open, so wondering what the fix is here? it seems like if i can get the water to not flow into the trunk right at the corner, it should flow away safely
fierosound SEP 18, 09:32 PM
There is something messed up there.

Looks like the trunk corner has been notched out or something.



The D plates divert water to the side and out the back between the trunk and body.
That along with the gap at the back is hidden by the trunk weatherstrip.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 09-19-2019).]

fierce_gt SEP 19, 09:59 AM
yes, ok, so that's what i was wondering. If it's supposed to look the same as the left side, there's something missing.

Guessing i need to make some kind of 'dam' to act like the original?

i don't know if i'm reading too much into it, but the carfax report(actually just found it yesterday under the seat) says there was a collision at the right rear with an estimated repair cost of just over $2500. This was in 2007 and the vehicle has been registered several times since.

anyway, back to the fix. i have one of those like $100 stick welders. Being that this is pretty thin, non-structural metal, would that be sufficient to try and copy the left side. Or am I better off using a glue or epoxy? I haven't touched the welder in over 15 years, I was 'adequate' in skill back then, it might get messy.
fierosound SEP 19, 10:51 AM

quote
Originally posted by fierce_gt:

Guessing i need to make some kind of 'dam' to act like the original?

i don't know if i'm reading too much into it, but the carfax report(actually just found it yesterday under the seat)
says there was a collision at the right rear with an estimated repair cost of just over $2500.



Yup. The leaking problem is not the design of the car, but the quality of the repair that was done on that trunk corner.
That missing edge is what the trunk weatherstrip grabs onto. How would it even attach as it is?

Maybe someone with bodywork/welding experience can chime in on the best approach they would use to fix that.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 09-19-2019).]

2.5 SEP 19, 11:32 AM
Also where the blue arrow is, the plastic D shaped filler piece (that notchbacks don't have). There is sealer around these D plates. Mine also had a gap in the sealer. Appllying sealer around these D plates stops a leak. Its accessible for the most part from the bottom. I actually had mine in a dark garage and put a light on one side and could see the light through the gap. I dabbed permatex black over the gap with my finger, no more leak.

The other common leak is the spoiler mount bolt holes.

If water is getting under the trunk seal itself, I'd say put sealer betweente seal and the metal that water can't pass and put it back on. I would then leave the decklid open until it cures.

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 09-19-2019).]

fierce_gt SEP 19, 10:30 PM
it seems to just be leaking from the area I identified, but once that's fixed I'll have to check the other areas just in case. right now it seems as though the d-plates are sealed ok, same with the spoiler bolt holes

you guys have been great help though. ID'd the problem much faster. now i just need to figure out how to best fix it. feel kinda dumb now, having talked about welding. went to take some better pics, and on closer look, realized it's just part of that 'd-plate' piece. so i guess what i need is to find a new one that's not broken. But since it's plastic, any kind of temporary fix(not sure how hard it will be to find that piece?) will need to be epoxied i guess


EDIT
Well, I tried a little arts and crafts tonight. Figured the end game is to locate a non-broken right D-plate. I'm not sure any 'repair' will be permanent. But while I'm locating that part, it would be nice to at least reduce the amount of the water in the trunk. I cleaned up the area and sifted through my pile of 'junk' to see if there was anything I could use. I found a plastic piece that seemed to have a similar bend, and was soft enough to cut without breaking it. So I trimmed it down to mimic the 'dam' that directs water away from that corner.

you can see it resting in place here:

I used some automotive 'goop' to glue it in place. It takes 24hrs to cure, so I'm just going to let it sit, then I'll go back in there and fill in any holes to make sure it's sealed.

I don't know if there's much i can do about the missing chunk of lip. The trunk seal is surprisingly secure despite it, but obviously there isn't a great seal there, so if the dam doesn't direct water away, it will be able to leak under the trunk seal there.

[This message has been edited by fierce_gt (edited 09-20-2019).]

fierce_gt SEP 22, 08:11 PM
well, the little detour seems to be doing the trick. time will tell how 'perfect' it is, but at least for the time being I can wash my car without removing the trunk liner.

thanks again. now on to the next issue...
fierosound SEP 23, 02:01 AM

quote
Originally posted by fierce_gt:

well, the little detour seems to be doing the trick. time will tell how 'perfect' it is, but at least for the time being I can wash my car without removing the trunk liner. .