Water in bottle sump in trunk in 2003 Camry

[bfaling]

Hi, folks.

I didn't see anything about this in the remainder of the forum, so here goes: The twin bottle holder sump in the trunk of my 2003 Camry takes on a few inches of water after driving through heavy rains. All other parts of the trunk, carpet, spare tire well, etc., always remain bone dry and I cannot figure out where the water is coming in. There is no sign of water coming in through the lid seal and the seal itself is unbroken and pliable. There is the seal mark uniformly minted across the sealing surface of the trunk lid. There is something of a gap in the body right in front of the sump if you peel back the floor covering, but I can't see light through it. The sump itself, when it's dry, shows no signs of cracks or leakage. I do not actually store water or any other liquids in the sump. Actually, because it takes on water, I don't store anything in the sump. It seems easy enough to replace the bottle sump, but I'm a little reluctant to do so until I can figure out exactly where it's coming from.

Has anybody else here experienced the same problem? If so, did you fix it? How? Any answers, tips, pointers, solution, troubleshooting tips, etc., you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

Bruce

[touringcamry]

There is an air vent in the trunk near there that is used to release pressure when doors and such are closed. The flap should open and close depending on the air pressure inside the car. Perhaps that vent is damaged or stuck in the open position.

[csaxon]

Cause of many mystery water leaks in trunk.

[Miranthis]

mine was on the other side (passenger) and I traced it to a bad gasket where the drain for the sunroof passed through the bulkhead. The tires threw water on that gasket in foul weather and it would leak inside. Replaced the gasket and double checked the drain tube to make sure it was not leaking and it has been fine since. Mine has drains on both sides, you might check yours.

jeff

[bfaling]

The drain tubes for the sunroof pass through the wheel wells on both sides of my trunk but there is no sign of leakage from the bottom. The floor of the trunk itself is bone dry under the bottle well; only the bottle well collects water. Nice answer though! I didn't realize what those plastic tubes were until I read your post.

Originally Posted by Miranthis

mine was on the other side (passenger) and I traced it to a bad gasket where the drain for the sunroof passed through the bulkhead. The tires threw water on that gasket in foul weather and it would leak inside. Replaced the gasket and double checked the drain tube to make sure it was not leaking and it has been fine since. Mine has drains on both sides, you might check yours.

jeff

[bfaling]

Originally Posted by touringcamry

There is an air vent in the trunk near there that is used to release pressure when doors and such are closed. The flap should open and close depending on the air pressure inside the car. Perhaps that vent is damaged or stuck in the open position.

Is that the same thing that Csaxon illustrated in the post below yours?