Water puddle in trunk!?

[Alwyn the Wolf]

Hey guys just looking for some help for a kind of a serious issue I have. A few months ago, I went to load my T-Tops into their holders in the trunk and I found a massive puddle of water there... maybe 2in-3in deep (after a nasty rain storm.) I looked all around and did not find a spot were water was entering my car. Everything but the bottom of my truck was dry... Odd right? The latch for my hatch works just fine, so where is this water coming from...? Its happened twice since the first time I've noticed now (and its not after every rain storm. Several months have passed.) I usually just soak it up with a couple bath towels and hope it doesn't happen again. But it did, and I'm tired of it!

My WS6 is my baby! I don't her to rust out! If anyone has any idea to why & where its coming from, or how to stop it please help me.

I know their could be multiple causes to this, and its something someone would have to see in person to get a better understanding. Im just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and has overcome it.

Thank you in advance!

[kempfer99ta]

Check your weatherstripping around the window in the hatch. If that is bad it could be leaking at the lowest spot. Also make sure the rubber for the hatch itself is good. I would also check to see if the plastic wing nuts that hold the tail lights in are tight. Mine was doing the same thing and couldn't figure out why since all seals looked good, I even got in the hatch and shut it and had someone tai the hose and run it over the glass and nothing. one of the wing nuts was snug but not tight and it was cling through the hole for the stud only on very hard downpours.

[az gt eater]

I have heard others having problems with how the car is parked when it is raining. If you park the rear upwards on an incline, the water may not run out of it.

[sjgreen6]

Besides getting in the trunk while someone douses the outside with a hose you might also try drying all of the seals really well then put talcum powder, corn starch, or flower in a large hole shaker like for coarse pepper and sprinkle all over the seals. Close the trunk then run the water at a moderate but steady speed (don't want to force water past the seals by spraying hard) over all of the seals around the trunk area. Wait a couple of minutes for the water to completely run off, reopen and inspect for places where the powder has been washed away. If nothing, try moving the car so that it is uphill or down hill and repeat until you find the spot where the water is leaking inside. As noted by another post, it could also be in your tail light panel or even from underneath if you were driving and water is splashing up through a gap under the body where a seam is open or a body plug is missing. Anyone know if the t-tops have a drain that could run into the trunk area? I've got a convertible so unsure. Water can often travel quite a way along a body surface before and after it crosses an opening and can be tricky to nail down until you see where it is crossing.

[cowstandmoto]

Good grief! I've never heard leaking like that before. Huh.....

[Alwyn the Wolf]

Check your weatherstripping around the window in the hatch. If that is bad it could be leaking at the lowest spot. Also make sure the rubber for the hatch itself is good. I would also check to see if the plastic wing nuts that hold the tail lights in are tight. Mine was doing the same thing and couldn't figure out why since all seals looked good, I even got in the hatch and shut it and had someone tai the hose and run it over the glass and nothing. one of the wing nuts was snug but not tight and it was cling through the hole for the stud only on very hard downpours.

Thanks. One of the weatherstripping around the window looks suspect... Where it comes down and meets the small elbow piece at the bottom corner where the wing begins. Ill have to check it out.

[Alwyn the Wolf]

Besides getting in the trunk while someone douses the outside with a hose you might also try drying all of the seals really well then put talcum powder, corn starch, or flower in a large hole shaker like for coarse pepper and sprinkle all over the seals. Close the trunk then run the water at a moderate but steady speed (don't want to force water past the seals by spraying hard) over all of the seals around the trunk area. Wait a couple of minutes for the water to completely run off, reopen and inspect for places where the powder has been washed away. If nothing, try moving the car so that it is uphill or down hill and repeat until you find the spot where the water is leaking inside. As noted by another post, it could also be in your tail light panel or even from underneath if you were driving and water is splashing up through a gap under the body where a seam is open or a body plug is missing. Anyone know if the t-tops have a drain that could run into the trunk area? I've got a convertible so unsure. Water can often travel quite a way along a body surface before and after it crosses an opening and can be tricky to nail down until you see where it is crossing.

Thanks. That sounds like a great way to find a leak. Ill have to try it out. This is my first post on here, hah I made the account just for this reason. Thank you for being a solid source of info!