Trunk Leaking

[hhar14]

I have quite a bit of water going into my trun k from the heavy rain we have had.Any one else have this problem?
?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Try checking the taillight seals, heavy rain is prone to seep through that region if the seal is starting to deteriorate or if the light has been removed in the past. The best thing to do would be to use a garden hose on full blast and see where the water is coming from.

If it is coming through the taillight gap, take the light out and seal the gap with silicone or window sealant. If it's not coming through where the taillight is, then it is most likely coming through/past the boot rubber. If so, check for tears or rips.

[Pointnino]

I never thought about the tail lights! I'm gonna take another look at mine. Mine has been leaking and I assumed that it was the rubber gasket, but didn't see any rips. I talked with a Toyota Dealer and they want $60 for a new gasket. I have a ton of sealant at the house too. If I would have bought that and it still leaked, I'd have been IRATE. Thanks so much!

[alfiejts]

If yours is a liftback / hatchback then have a look at the rubber grommit (seal) where the wires come out of the body into the tailgate.

(Top edge between the hinges...)

Our 2000 car started leaking where the wires came out of the body. The water entered here and ran down the rear pillars into the trunk floor.

I sealed it with duct tape and sealant and that worked for three years until we sold the car...

[Pointnino]

Alright! As a matter of fact, I was actually going to get this fixed this weekend, so I'll keep that in mind when I'm blasting the back end of my car with water. That may very well be the point of entry. Thanks for the info!

[Pointnino]

Just wanted to follow up on this one.

Tried soaking the back with water to find the leak, and no luck. Sealed the tail-lights and checked the black rubber seal all around. Everything seemed fine. Still leaking somewhere. Only part that gets wt is the carpet by the taillights and immediately inside the trunk lid. I think it's close to the very rear of the trunk somewhere, but I'll be damned if I can't figure out where from. With the amount of moisture in there, even after a moderate/light rain, it should be obvious I would think. Still having to be careful what I put in the trunk based on the weather forcast. Bummer. Any other suggestions about how to track down this leak? Given Toyota's track record with rust, that's another concern I have with it. Hate to take it in, but may have to have an expert check it out.

Thanks again everyone!

[Kiwi-Corolla]

To find the leak using the garden hose, it would be best to have someone else inside the trunk keeping an eye out for where it's coming from. This would obviously be a lot easier in a hatchback model, but still possible in a coupe (although the person may need a torch, lol). Soak each section of the trunk separately and check for any leakage. Bear in mind that it could take 5-30 minutes for the water to appear.

As far as I know, there's a weld underneath the rubber trunk seal on the coupes. Be sure to check that it is fully waterproof, otherwise the water will get in there and run down to the rear, which makes it appear like the water is entering from further back. Best of luck. I'll let you know if I think of anything else.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I just had another thought. You can buy a device called an ultrasonic leak detector from places such as eBay and Amazon (or possibly from your local plumbing store etc) that detects any traces of water in your car. It works in a similar way to a metal detector, as in it will emit a sound when it detects moisture, and the sound will become more intense the closer you get to the leak.

This could be an option if you're still having a hard time finding the leak, and could work out cheaper than going to a specialist (who will probably use the same sort of device anyway). It would also come in handy for anything water related, such as hot water cylinders, sinks, refrigerators etc.

The best thing to do would be to get a quote from a specialist first. With a bit of luck they might even diagnose the problem for you for free. If it's going to cost a fortune, then I'd suggest buying a leak detector, or keep at it with your garden hose until you find something, lol.

Keep us posted

[Pointnino]

Ah, you know what? I never thought about that fact that they may inspect it and give me an "estimate" for free. That would be awesome cause I just need to know where it's coming from and then fix it myself. I'll make some calls here locally. Good call sir. I'll look into one of those leak detectors too if all else fails. Not sure how much those run, but you're right; it may be cheaper than paying someone to figure it out for me. Most likely it'll be a fairly simple find and I'll get all emotional becuase I had to pay someone. Happens almost every time I take a car in for something like this (that isn't mechanically or electricially related). I think in any eveny it'll be money well spent if I can keep that trunk dry.

Thanks everybody for all of the help & advice. I'll replay back to this thread when I figure it out so if anyone has the same issue I can maybe save them some time and effort.

[2dblo7]

Old thread I know! but...
Did you ever find the leak?
My wife's 2002 Echo just started filling up with water. I've got it pulled apart in the garage right now and have been going over everything.
Any response appreciated!!
Thanks
Jordan

[2531]

just a guess, but the
Yaris Hatch back has the antenna on the roof?

[2dblo7]

I could see the antenna being a possibility on that particular car but there's no antenna on the rear of the echo.

Any likely spot has been examined and/or resealed. Any other ideas are welcome.

Other areas in question are the fuel filler area and the trunk vent/flap thing, although they seem unlikely.

hhar14 or pointnino? Any luck? Do you still have echos haha?

[ECHOKnight2000]

I have an 03 ECHO sedan. I noticed a leak last fall in my trunk and I'm baffled where its coming from. I kinda tested it out but I can't do much until it really gets warm out and then I can really look. I'm glad you brought this thread up cause I had the same question. I will have to look at the light thing. I have a sound system in the trunk so I don't want water going near that!

Its odd cause the wet spot is in a specific spot and only on one side. Weird!

[2dblo7]

I was informed weeeell after she first noticed the leak so alot of the moisture I'm seeing is condensation, makes it harder to pinpoint.

I would say that it's heavier on the drivers side, enough accumulated to make it's way to the spare tire tub/compartment area.

I could see taillights being a possibility but when you pop them off you'll see the water is meant to flow down and around/behind on the outside edge. If the rubber/foam gasket looks good I'd say it'd be hard for water to get behind, in and around the metal lip of the body holes.

I'm wondering if water can get in behind the rear window seal? Maybe at the end of the drip rail things on the roof and work it's way down somehow?
Seems like it is coming in high as the carpet on the sides was wet from the top down in spots.

I'll keep at it

[Pointnino]

I wanted to reply back to this post and give everyone on here an update on my trunk leaking situation. I DID finally get the problem corrected… but I don’t know for sure how I did it. I used to have to take the carpet out of the trunk and leave it in the sun to dry it out every time it rained leaving the trunk lid open overnight in the garage so the rest of the trunk could air out and dry too. While it was all apart, I was inspecting the black rubber gasket that runs all around the opening of the trunk, and although it seemed fine, I carefully pulled if off to make sure there weren’t any breaks, cracks, dry rot, or anything else obvious (came off easily without any tools or force needed). It looked good, so I cleaned it really well with soap and water while it was off, let it dry, and re-installed it making sure it was seated properly all the way around. After that, to my surprise… it never leaked again. Never a single drop gets in now. I even keep 250 piece mechanic’s tool set in there, and don’t worry about rusting/ruining it with water damage. It would have been destroyed in there back when it was leaking.

My conclusion was that the gasket must have worked itself loose and wasn’t sealing properly. I must have fixed it when I re-installed it. The carpeted panels inside the trunk come right up to the edge of the trunk seal in my car (2000 Echo), and it’s really difficult to tell if it’s on there right without pushing on it every few inches to insure it’s on properly. I have to assume that’s what the problem was because I didn’t find anything else leaking, and didn’t take any other preventative measures to keep out water. Give it a try, even if everything looks as it’s supposed to.

Good luck!