It could be coming thru the seal in your light assy, but that vent you shoed has a little flap in it for keeping water out. Is it in good shape? Also check your trunk rubber seal to make sure it hasn't been rubbed by the wire harness.

 

That means water could normally drip in there, but be routed outside of the trunk by that flap in the vent? I think I'm gonna try replaceing that vent and any gasket or seal that goes with it first, but it seems weird that water could normally come in through the light assy...

The trunk rubber seal is all good I checked it.

 

I have the same problem with my right tail light assembly. I use to have aftermarket tail lights but returned them to stock and still have the same issue. Thought it could have been a body repair that I had done but now I am beginning to wonder if it could be something else.

Ill take a closer look at mine in a bit. Let me know if you find the problem.

 

I will probably work on it again tomorrow, I'll unclip the black vent and remove the metal assembly and hose some more, I'll know if it's a seal around the tail light or something else. I still have no idea what that vent does after much searching, if you know please post.

 

It's called a quarter panel air duct flap. Toyota recalled them because of water leakage. The old part #62940-AA010. Updated part#62940-AA011 and now the new part#62940AA012
Part number 62940AA010 was superceded by part number 62940AA012

62940AA012 msrp$34.32 auto part site$23.74
Quarter panel - Inner structure - Pressure vent
Pressure vent 1997 - 2001

 

Wow, thanks a lot

But should I check out the light assembly for leakage too anyway?

 

The purpose of the Air Duct was to relieve pressure when you slam your doors. So that way when you slam your doors you dont blow out your ears and pop your windows. lol

Excess pressure is released through the trunk through that.

 

It's called a quarter panel air duct flap. Toyota recalled them because of water leakage. The old part #62940-AA010. Updated part#62940-AA011 and now the new part#62940AA012
Part number 62940AA010 was superceded by part number 62940AA012

62940AA012 msrp$34.32 auto part site$23.74
Quarter panel - Inner structure - Pressure vent
Pressure vent 1997 - 2001

Thanks for the info.

 

Part has been ordered on tuesday from the dealership, I'm picking it up next monday after work, I'll post back the results, should be an easy fix.

 

I got the part tuesday morning, great weather so I'll be working on that tonight, I'll post pics.

 

Very easy fix, unclip the bottom then push it inside, you'll be able to take it out.

Slide the new one in sideways so it goes through the hole, then orient it correctly, clip the top of it by putting your fingers through the vents and pulling the part towards you, but be careful not to damage it. Then the bottom clips should already be in place, verify that it's solidly fastened, and you're donw.

I hosed the car, no water came through. The new recalled part has some rubber flaps to keep the water out, you'll notice the old part sitting in the trunk doesn't have any rubber flaps.

 

Where are these vents located you are talking about, my trunk leaks also.

 

The vent is visible, when you remove the trunk trim, from the LR of the trunk. You may have to remove the fabric-like liner, from the LHS of the trunk (in addition to the hard plastic pieces).

I found that for my trunk, I had the unit that has rubber flaps alright (and they are intact) – but one of the hold-in-place tabs is broken on mine. It would require removal, clean-up of the mounting face (which is outside of the trunk…. actually behind the bumper cover, but outside of the trunk proper) and then gooping the whole assembly up – along its mounting surface – with silicone. Certainly would complicate subsequent removal, but is cheaper than wholesale replacement.

Aside from this “pressure relief” vent mounting flaw (which in my case, appears to NOT leak water) I also found that there is a lap seam (spot welded overlapped sheet metal, one of each side, towards the bottom / furthest rearward of the trunk) that I suspect lets in moisture, as well, when the trough “outside” of where the trunk seal seals-off fills with water, runs down, and then goes thru the gap associated with the lap seam. I think I will try some 3M weatherstrip adhesive, at that location, to improve the waterproofedness of that “discontinuity”.

 

that might explain water getting in our 1989 Corolla SR5 trunk,it's been a huge mystery and every after I put new weather stripping around ht elid deack recesses, mystery water came in when raining..

if it's the same type parts on the corolla..

gotta find out where..

also, there is a sealer applied on the tail light assemblies before they are put in att he factory,, and if you take a car apart to paint it, andf put it back together and don't put new sealer on those parts.. (it's like a soft black tar sealer, black and sticky).

I gotta go look aroundin there and look for that things int he corolla,, not sure if the 1993 Camry LE leaks when water is on the car..

 

97 Camry driver side rear tail light and pressure vent leaking

On my 97 Camry LE 4dr, Removed the plastic trunk liner by removing the 3 black plastic pop out retainers by popping out their centers with a screw driver and then pulling out their bases . The rubber flappers in my old air press. vent part# 62940-010 B were shot so I ordered a new one 62940-AA012 on line . This unsnaps with 4 built in grippers that hold this vent to to body at top & bottom and you push it back in the hole and twist it sideways to get it back out into the trunk . Reverse the above to put in the new one . This parts number was changed which may be a change in materials, design or a sub manufacturer but it was never recalled per Toyota USA ( I asked them hoping for a free one ) . I was told that the tail light assembly has a foam gasket behind it per my local Toyota parts, similar to what is on the back side lip of the air pressure vent that seals it to the body so I checked the 3, 10mm nuts that hold the tail light to the body and discovered them to be loose so I choked up on the head of my wrench and did a careful snug down so as not to break the tail light assembly but to compress any gasket left (?). I await arrival of the new pressure vent part and the next really windy pouring rain storm to see how this all works out, as is with a tightened tail light . The upper gripper snaps on the old vent part numbered -010 B were hard to get to properly engage the car body and thusly comprised its' gasket being tightly compressed to keep out water . I had to pry gently under each one of mine on the top two to get them to extend out and I finally got it to grab the body by pulling it into its general body position with the left side hooked and then prying the right side open from below with a thin screw driver to grip the body tightly inside onto the upper right hand gripper to snap it onto the body, to compress the backside foam gasket ( not easy ) Obviously, Work on your car at your own risk of screwing something up . I have a little rust inside below the trunk deck behind the drivers side rear wheel in that recessed compartment and that comes next after stopping the leak as rust can slowly destroy a cars body from the inside out in this case . Am conserned if a rust-oleum rusty metal primer would effect the body caulking ? I.e., be compatible with and not damage it ? Or their seem caulks ? I'll hand paint that space which sits covered by a filler panel and carpeting . Thanks for earlier posts .

 

By the way, that removable plastic trunk wall liner also allows one to access the body set of drivers side tail lights and side marker bulbs from the trunk to change out a bad bulb by twisting the bulb holders gently to unsnap and pull out to get at the burned out bulb for replacement .
Remember that the drivers side plastic wall liner panel has to be in the right position to put the retainer base/push in pins back in their places....I.e.....The liner tounge must engage beneath the trunk lid body bottom edge liner panel that spans the trunk opening from the driver to the passenger side panel and fit under the spare tire Masonite like cover before the push in retainer pins will fit back into their respective holes with correct ease ( notice how the passenger side was slid under the middle sections edge and don't put the liner cover on top of the removable spare tire cover traping that down .
Replacement pop out retainers can be had at your dealer if any break or ar missing .

 

I received my replacement air pressure vent part by mail today. It looks like the original . It is stamped with the 012 ending part number and appears to have a thicker more compressable attached foam gasket but it could be that the old part foam attached gasket had just been permanently compressed over 18 years . The new part just snapped in as the old one did . Obviously, the flapper hinges go up as the flappers must be hanging by gravity to blow out words to let air pressure be released . The two bottom grippers snapped in easily . I did use a needle nose plier to to grip the outer part of the part body to get the upper left hand side gripper to snap on to the trunk body and used a flat head narrow screw driver to gently/pull in/pry out from below on the right upper gripper to get it to lock in-out to the body ( the needle noses just didn't cut it on my car on the right side upper gripper . I believe that the row of 10mm nuts to the right of this air press. valve hold the bumper "curve around" to the drivers rear quarter panel (?) . One of these screw/nuts was loose so I gently tightened or snugged it so as not to pop any paint outside on the cars body (?) . Work on your car at your obvious own risk , etc.. Now I guess that I need a heavey duty thunder storm with rain and sideways wind gusts to check out if these cures are really a cure ?

 

I just caulked around the entire vent where the foam cushioning is to re-seal it.

 

Yesterday morning about 2am a line of huge thunderstorms moved thru the area where I live. Looked outside & the rain was blowing sideways at maybe 50 to 60mph, not to mention falling in buckets full, which was the test that I was waiting for after putting in the new vent and making sure that it and everything mentioned above was as ok as i could reasonably do it .
Went outside around noon & opened the trunk to check it out.........dry as the desert.....was pleasing to find....as I have had it with bailing several inches deep of water every time it really blows up a real storm ( several car washes couldn't cause that leaking...it took wind driven rain....before the fix ) and the same storm tore the heck out the huge trees in K.C. to our east .
Now, if caulking works for you that is good for you ! It sounds very economical ! Smart to save !
I got my part that was "new" on line & that beat the dealer & life goes on, as my old car is low mileage for it's age, etc.... and I hope to keep it for a while, as I am a low mileage type driver......like many years ...saving a lotto win that is huge or whatever...or maybe I'd keep it to go out shopping so idiots, wouldn't have a weekly go at a nicer car, at the grocery store. I guess that we all have different needs and reasons .

 

That's good info on the updated vent part, thanks MIKEKT.

We were getting water in the spare tire well after standing rain, leaking from the driver's tail lamp area, and found:

the glue on the top of the tail lamp gasket attached to the body had separated,

the metal lip that the trunk lid gasket sits on was deformed at the top of the curve, allowing dirt & grit to accumulate inside the gasket seal in that area.. It looked like it had been that way for awhile..

the trunk vent part is missing all rubber flaps,

the rubber plugs at the base of the wheel well were loose / not tight, again from accumulated grit over time..

Reattached the tail lamp gasket to the body using some 3m 'super-77' glue, re-formed the metal trunk seal lip to match the passenger side using some scrap wood, a C-Clamp, and rubber mallet, removed & cleaned out all the grit/junk from the trunk gasket channel, removed & cleaned up the rubber plugs at the wheel well base.. And under-coated the wheel well base, just in case.

So far so good, but ordering a new tail lamp gasket and trunk vent anyway, and will be replacing the trunk gasket soon: contact rubber is good, but the edges are worn after 15 years.. Probably time for a new one.

 

Thanks for the reply !

I checked the other passenger side "jack compartment" and it is always dry but I guess that I should pull out the spare and look for rust in the spare tire well."

You still have those flappers . They have just probably fallen off and are back down inside that body cavity of the trunk that the flapper installs into . My old flappers were badly cracked and hanging on by thread (an angled mirror and flashlight bouncing off of it and down into the space will tell the tale) for whatever that is worth .