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.

 

Ahhhhh!

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!

 

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...

 

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!

 

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!

:whatthe:

 

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.

 

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 :thumbsup:

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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?

 

Oh yeah... still have my 2000 Echo. Still have never had a single mechanical failure with it either. It's almost maintenance free besides regular oil changes (Mobil1). Other than that, I've only changed the spark plugs when I had a mis-fire on cylendar 1 a while back, a set of brake pads, and a new set of Goodyears 2 months ago. I did buy another car recently, but it's a 1998 Mercedes Benz SLK230 I got a really good deal on. Being a RWD roadster... I don't care to drive it in the winter, especially on ice, even in here Tulsa. Plus, it has really low miles and obviously wasn't driven year-round by the previous owner(s). I use my Toyota pretty much daily. I almost sold it a few times... but I just can't do it. It's long been paid for, and being as reliable as it is, I see no reason to get rid of it. With only 125K miles on it, I think I'll be giving it to my son when he starts driving. He turned 4 this year.

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?

 

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!

 

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:headbang:

 

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!

 

^^Wow, a 2000 that has 125k? That's lower than my 03. Crazy!

I agree, you can't deny these are little tankers. Boring as hell but almost invincible. Its perfect for me, cause I don't make much of an income at the moment. But when the time is right financially I will get different car that is fun to drive. :thumbsup:

The Merc sounds fun.

 

Ya know what fun is? Getting 44 MPG! Watching people flip out when gas here in hawaii is 4.25 a gal! I don't know about you, but, even making a decent living 4.25 with a car that get in the 20's is just insane. I dunno, I got the coupe version of the Echo. I don't really care the the style of the car, but it rides nice. I just put a new stereo in it with a usb port. Bought a 8Gig Super tiny cruizer sandisk that will hold over 100hours of music. Don't know about you... but AC, Power Steering, Automatic, easy to drive and comfortable... With all my favorite tunes. Sounds fun to me.

To each their own I guess.

Oh did I mention that it gets 44MPG? Gas will only continue to go up. I suspect it will be 5 bucks a gallon by the end of the year. I see all these big honking SUV's and always wonder how they afford to drive! I know they can't be getting more than 18MPG on the freeway.

 

Thanks for your response! It gives me hope! haha

I went straight for the rubber gasket but after reading about people replacing them and still having leaks I continued on to every other possible place I could think of. (tail lights, rear window seal, lower emblem, lock, gas filler neck, trunk vent, misc body seam/welds etc
I'll find out when my wife gets home if there's any water in there today.

Glad to hear the Echo has treated you well! I keep telling my wife she's lucky to have such a reliable little car!

:chug:

 

If you have the Trunk (not the hatchback...) Mine is a '01 and I bought it with 65K miles! Got 67K on it now.

Anyway, I'd get a bucket of water open the trunk up and slowly pour water on the back gasket, or get a hose on low, no pressure and let it drain down one side for a few minutes and if no drips, try the other side of the gasket. I suspect if you get a pin hole in the gasket your gonna get some drips. If no drips than I'd say you've eliminated the gasket ... I'd look to see if there is any crud build up where the water rolls off the trunk lid and under to drip into the gasket, it could have built up enough crud to allow water to continue to travel under the trunk lid just passed the gasket. The only way your going to see this is if you have TWO people as in the previous poster with rear seats folded down and a (flash light) just say no to torches!

Good luck!

 

I know this is an old post but I was having trunk leaks and could not figure out where it was coming from. Replaced the seal around the trunk and that did no good. Finally crawled in the trunk and had my wife wet down the back of the car. I found that water was running down the side of the quarter panels and seeping in around the clips that hold the side of the bumper to the interior quarter panel liner. There are two of these clips on each side of the trunk. One set is by the drivers side air vent in the trunk. I was amazed at how much water was running in through these clips. I sealed them up with rtv and hope that stops the water from entering. This is on a 2003 ECHO.