trunk leak..

[TheDriver916]

Now that the wet weather is here, i was excited to drive the yaris in the rain and see how it did. But when i opened my trunk the other day after two days of rain, i found out that the place where the spare is supposed to be was full of water.. It seems to be leaking in on the left side by the brake light. I took it in to toyota and they determined it wasnt the weather stripping and that its a possible bad gasket in the brake light..(brake light gasket, go figure).. so i just wanted to know if anyone else had this problem and how i should go about fixing it. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[TheDriver916]

Anyone?

Bump

[Lil Abner]

I've never heard of the problem, but it seems like an easy fix. If it were me, I'd go to a hobby store and find a piece of rubber about the same thickness as the OEM gasket. I'd then use the OEM gasket to trace the pattern, cut it out, and put it on. Just make sure the rubber has some give to it. Also, if it's been leaking THAT much, you should be able to see the path the water took coming in. I'm guessing the rain in California is sort of dirty, so there should be dried-up trails the water took. Hopefully that helps!

[silver_echo]

do you know if this car was wrecked? otherwise, i would think that it would be under warranty for that...

[TheDriver916]

i took it to toyota and its not a warranty thing. funny how a body seem which is done at the factory is not an item that is warrantied. Its kind of ridiculous that toyota promises this great assurance and reliability and yet they wont back work done at their own factory. I tried sealing different seems and everytime i did it blocked up one area just to let the water seep in from another place..

[Hershey]

Remove the trunk mat and cover and you may see some oval and round rubber plugs . Make sure they're not out of place , snug . Could also be the taillight(s) seal leaking . GOOD LUCK .

[TheDriver916]

i think its a body seem. i removed the tail light and everything looked fine. I even sealed where it was initially leaking from and now its leaking from a different place. I just cant believe that toyota wont consider this warranty work especially because its a certified used car with the purchased extended warranty.

[Hershey]

Did you check the rubber plugs that are located where the spare tire is and the surrounding area ? They have a tendency to come loose .

[Lil Abner]

Have you taken out the interior panels/carpeting? Try to get the trunk down to bare metal to see if you can tell where it's coming in. You could also lock yourself in the trunk and have a friend spray the car with a hose on high power to see if you can find the leak.

Another option, once the trunk is stripped, tape paper towels all over the place and keep checking them (hopefully it rains). That should help you narrow down where it's coming in. I'm not familiar with the trunk of a sedan, so I can't really point you in certain directions.

Also check the seal around the trunk. Or again, lock yourself in the trunk on a very bright day and see if you can see light coming from ANYWHERE. I know, needle in a haystack, but it's worth a try.

[sqcomp]

Check it out...

Take your driver's side padding off in the trunk. I'd be willing to be that there's a vent under there. I sincerely believe that this is the culprit.

...I say all that because I'm having the same issue. This Tuesday I'm going to seal that vent up with Roadkill to see what happens.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww203/sqcomp/2007%20Toyota%20Yaris%20S/CIMG1657.jpg
^That is the "old" setup.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww203/sqcomp/2007%20Toyota%20Yaris%20S/CIMG2078.jpg
^This is the new re-working of the wiring

See that vent behind my distro setup in the first picture? Yeah...I'm a good bit north of you, I get rain all the time. I'm going to fix the "leak" on Tuesday. I have to fix that leak or I can't panel off my trunk for shows.

[TheDriver916]

its coming in right behind the tail light but almost level with the trunk floor. Its were the two metal pieces connect and its for sure on the back bumper wall not on the side were the vent is. i think the culprit is the body seam below the tail light and behind the bumper. is there any DIY's on removing the rear bumper so i can get in there and really seal it up for sure.

[Lil Abner]

Hmm, interesting place for the leak! I'm going to keep watching this thread to see what happens. Once you get the bumper off, you can spray a hose right on the suspected seam. And I think you've got the right idea, silicone it up.

[Hershey]

Years ago I would use the GREAT STUFF spray foam sealant ( http://greatstuff.dow.com ) to fill areas of cars where holes developed due to rust in tire wells , trunk floor , and rocker panels . It would reach all the way to the inside of the car . Then after letting the foam dry overnight I would remove the access on the outside / inside with a razorblade knife then spray the external areas several times with undercoating and let that dry thoroughly . Could work for your problem . You would only need to use the spray foam and remove the access for your problem . GOOD LUCK

[TheDriver916]

well tomorrow is the take off the bumper day, after a round of golf of course. if anyone knows of a bumper DIY or even just a heads up on what to look for, please let me know. thanks for your help guys.. do they sell that foam at any hardware or automotive shops?

[TheDriver916]

ok i just answered my own question, looks like Ace and Walmart sell it. Looks like im going to Ace, i hate supporting walmart when i dont have to. its just sometimes... those deals... are so tempting haha

[Hershey]

LOWES , HOME DEPOT , K-MART , etc.. For the GREAT STUFF spray foam sealant .

[djgoodonya]

I have this problem and surprisingly, it did not involve the JDM tail lights that I have. The metal hook for the trunk latch has an empty area around it. Looking down, overhead, at the plastic piece surrounding the latch hook, I slowly pour water down to simulate rain water or any other water that drains down the weather stripping. I notice that the water flows RIGHT THE F@CK down into the spare tire well. I also notice that there are slight gaps in between the weather stripping along the bumper and the metal adjacent to it. I've thought about applying sealant along the entire length of bumper stripping and upper portions on both sides. My concern is that the water that runs down during rain and high dew points HAS to go somewhere. Another concern is how to seal off or re-direct water around that truck latch. Any wise ideas towards a fix?

[TheDriver916]

well after three failed attempts i brought it to toyota for the second time. This time i got a little more rude but with good points to back it up. points like, i bought this car from you, certified used, and i bought the extended bs warranty on top of that. if i buy the car in july how am i supposed to know that its leaking... so they are fixing it now. It took them one whole day and its still leaking. makes me feel better now that they are having issues getting it fixed and i just didn't miss something stupid.