Water in Trunk of 92 Q45

[BadQ45t]

I have a puddle of water in the trunk under the trunk carpet at the rear area. Not sure where the water is coming from, but there was a big puddle of it that I had to drain out with a big sponge.

Anyone have some ideas where I should look for the leak or to unplug a drain hole? This appears to be the only area that is retaining water although the car is very foggy when I get into it (we've had huge rains here in Northern California the last couple of days).

Any help is appreciated.

Jeff L.

[Sopdadope]

Does it get wet from raining or is it some sort of condensation goin' on in the trunk? On rainy days, the passenger side of my trunk would get soaked. Found the culprit to be cracked weatherstripping lining the trunk. Check yours to see if that's the case. Generally, with a car that old, the weatherstripping succumbs to the elements and starts cracking.

[BadQ45t]

Yes, it is certainly getting wet due to the rain. It is the passenger side that is getting soaked, but it is pooling up below the trunk materials and pooling in the little area to the rear.

I'll check to see what the weather stripping looks like. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Mayhem_J30]

runs a water hose slowly around the rubber striping and check for a leak. If a leak is found seal it with silicon. I've also seen leaks coming from Tail lights on other cars.

[BadQ45t]

Okay, I'll try to see if I can get the hose onto it and see if that gives me some light on the subject.

[Q451990]

Bet it's not what I found on an Oldsmobile Achieva once - the weld joint in the area beside the weather stripping wasn't welded correctly! I think it had been leaking since the car was new, but being GSA surplus, I guess the driver never worried much about the algae growing on the spare tire! I swear tadpoles would have loved it.

Same fix in that situation... silicone.

Heath

[Mayhem_J30]

the I30 is leaking in the trunk now too. i wouldn't care to much if it wasn't for the mildew smell that flows into the cabin.

[Sopdadope]

Yes also check the tail-light. Have you replaced your passenger side tail-light? If you have, make sure it's been very thoroughly resealed with silicone or liquid nails. Antennas can sometimes be hidden culprits as well. Make sure the insulating rubber on that's in tip-top shape.

[MeaAnik]

i did a repair job last saturday to fix a water leak in my trunk... not only the tail lights but the weld joint under the weather stripping needed attention... fixed both with butyl rubber from NAPA... advance or zone doesnt carry it which is where i usually get stuff like that

under "Water leak" in the 240 section it lists this recipe for repair:

Water leaking into trunk (fastback)

After finding puddles of water by my spare tire, I tried for months to locate where the water was coming in. When I finally asked Nissan, they told me that the Butyl rubber gaskets under the left and right taillights break down after about 8 years, and need to be replaced. You can do it for about $10 in parts, and about 2 hours of work. These notes worked for my 1990 fastback but should apply to most models. Open the hatch, remove the plastic trim near the top of the trunk (four screws, two plastic inserts), then the interior piece of insulation underneath it (the grey cardboard/fabric, held in by three plastic inserts). Remove the center plastic lens which covers the backup lights by removing the six gold nuts (8mm) holding it in place. You'll have to tap the screws from the inside with a mallet to loosen then, then the whole lens should easily remove from the back. Next, remove the left and right side lenses, each of which is held in place by three gold bolts (8mm). On the left, you'll have to remove a wire guide, and on the right two wire guides, to access the bolts underneath. You'll also see four (two left, two right) bolts colored the same as your cars paint -- don't remove those, they hold on the piece of body metal below the lens assembly! On both the left and the right side, you'll need to remove a metal bracket which acts as a support for the interior fabric, held on by one8mm bolt; it's next to and supported by one of the light assembly depressions. Use the mallet to loosen the screws from the back, and you'll probably need to pry off the lens carefully with a long handle screwdriver from the back. Once you've got them off, you'll see a bunch of black goo surrounding the two lens elements on each assembly. Peel it off both the lens and the car itself, then use lighter fluid (actually if you peel off a chunk and put it in some plastic so it doesnt stick to you you can tack up the remaining bits and virtually eliminate the need for adhesive removers) to remove any remaining residue (it's messy, go slow when peeling it off, to try to keep it in big pieces). Go to NAPA auto parts and buy a replacement box of Butyl Rubber. Unspool it and press it into the two tracks around each lens assembly on both left and right lights. Reassemble the left and right lights onto the car, and bolt them back in place, then reinsert the wire guides (one on the left, two on the right). Now reattach the center lens (the one that says "240sx" on it, which has the backup lights). Test all the lights to make sure everything works, then reattach the two brackets, interior trim and finally the plastic top piece.

Marty LyonsEmail: [email protected] <~ thats the guy who wrote this repair recipe, i just copied it here in case anyone needed it