Water In The Boot - R33

[Munkyb0y]

R33- only had it a week now.

After a night parked out in the rain (no garage at my gf's place), I found a deep puddle of water in my boot, surrounding the spare tyre.

There's also water (condensation) in both rear indicators (looks awful).

The only part of the boot liner that was wet was the rear left bottom, just under the passenger tailight.

I've left the rubber plug out for now till i fix the problem, rather than retaining water in the spare wheel well.

I found a couple of topics, with mixed explanations. Some say it's the boot rubbers, others say it's the tailights. I know it's not my rear window washer, because that sprays the window fine.

Has anyone got some pics or sound advice for tackling this problem.

It's winter damn it. and it's raining right now, as i type. I had to use the commodore this morning.

[vuey28]

I have that same problem to.. i thought it was the seal or something.. with the lights, if it leaked through that way i think you would get some on the outer part of the boot.. hope you find out caz i sure as hell would like to know to

[Liz]

Guys - I have the same problem... everything on the right side of my car seems to get water seeping through, quite strange really.

I'm going to dry the indicator our with a hair dryer (which will also soften the sealant currently in there so I can take it off and re-seal it.

Anyone tried this, anyone have any comments about this procedure before I dive into it??

Liz.

[blu3chip]

im guessing that it has something to do with the rear lights. ive got the same problem too but mine aint all that bad.

[Munkyb0y]

My lining was only wet under the left tail light.

But there was a shtload of water in the spare wheel well.

The car had been out all night in the rain.

I ran water down the gutters on both sides of the boot, where it runs into the top of tail light assembly, and SHOULD be expelled below. I found a small trickle coming in from a seem above the left tail light.

I will seal this with some silicon, and see if it stops the problem. I have my doubts.

I dont think this would fix the condensation in my rear blinkers though. But wishful thinking would have me believe that the condensation was caused by the water in the boot evapourating into the open section behind the blinker lens.

Anymore advice? bring it on.

I tried getting the tailight off, even hitting the assembly bolts straight on with a hammer.

Pfffft, did nothing, didnt even budge.

Here's a pic of the seem i'm going to silicone.

[eMsta]

Its most likely the lights, i had both my rear lights re-sealed and now shes dry all the time!!

[Munkyb0y]

Its most likely the lights, i had both my rear lights re-sealed and now shes dry all the time!!

you had them resealed? as in, someone did it for you?

how much did it cost you?

was it a panel shop?

[LiQuid IcE]

do you park your car facing downhill? Our driveways on about a 35degree angle and the boot fills up worse when I park it facing downhill. Because the R33 has 2 deep valleys on either side of the boot which fill up with water when it rains or when washing the car.

I find when I park my car facing uphill its ok, but not 100%

[Munkyb0y]

I had the car parked facing up a slight hill overnight in the rain.

I've just siliconed the seems above both tail lights.

Why am i not confident this will fix the problem ?

Guess i'll know tomorrow.

[chopobo]

yeah its the lights

there is this gap when you open the boot lid on the seams

jus get silicon and seal it

i had the same problem and that solved it

but because you seal that gap, when it rains water will puddle up in that area and alot of dirt and shit gets trapped there and the silicon goes all black. Good idea to give a good clean and wipe everytime you wash the car.

I also think this problem might be related to aftermarket spoilers as there are holes in the boot or there is a slight gap for water and crap to go under the wing.

[Munkyb0y]

yeah its the lights

there is this gap when you open the boot lid on the seams

jus get silicon and seal it

do you mean the seam i showed in the pic?

or the gap at the top of the boot between the plastic tail light assembly and the body?

[RANDY]

Hmm.. I have the same thing. The seam on my left taillight looks rusty like the above picture. I get just the left-hand side of the boot carpet damp, and couldn't figure out where the water was coming from. The underside of the bootlid was dry, and so was all the boot lining around the place.

I have sealed the taillight in that dip at the top-middle with foam strips, so I can remove them easily. That particular taillight also traps water.. more like condensation though, it's never got a puddle in it.

[Munkyb0y]

Randy, if you havent already looked, make sure you check your spare wheel well for water.

Mine had a huge puddle in it, even though the lining under the tailight was only slightly wet, and seemingly nowhere else.

I have also taken the rubber plug out for the time being so as not to retain any water that might get in, till the problem is fixed.

It just started raining here again, so i've parked my car outside.

Hopefully, i will have some positive results to post later.

In the meantime, does anyone know how much it would cost to get the lights removed and resealed?

I tried getting them off, but had no luck, they're stuck tight with that black sikaflex stuff.

[Munkyb0y]

Looks like that didnt fix it.

The water is still leaking in, but now it's coming from the perimeter of the light assembly.

I guess the only way is to take both lights out and re-seal.

Anyone got a price to have this done ?

[sl33ek]

Same here, it is the lights for me, the left one in my case. I tried removing the whole brake light assembly but it was too hard so I got some auto sealant. Poor some water in the boot lining and watch where it drips out at the back of the light assembly and fill up the holes with the sealant.

I went one step further and did what chopobo did, seal the top of the light assembly where the gap is in the boot lining so water cant get in, this stops the lights from getting fogged up

[Liz]

In the meantime, does anyone know how much it would cost to get the lights removed and resealed?

I tried getting them off, but had no luck, they're stuck tight with that black sikaflex stuff.

had you tried the idea i had posted above? about the hair dryer? wouldn't that soften it?

[JaseR33]

You can reseal them yourself as long as you can get the tail light off. Just make sure you use something that doesn't harden like sikaflex. I used windscreen sealer. It's black sticky as hell, waterproof and never cures. A tube costs about $10. Easy job as long as you can get the light off.

Also, while you have the tailights off have a look at the external join of the seams that run down the back of the boot from the join at the guard. If they are cracked then they may be the culprit so use something to reseal them. I found mine were cracked so i cleaned out the original putty/seal and used some silicon...sounds a bit dodgy but it works

Edited June 6, 2006 by JaseR33

[Munkyb0y]

had you tried the idea i had posted above? about the hair dryer? wouldn't that soften it?

I didnt try the hairdryer, but i thought it might work.

I went to a body shop earlier, the guy said that a hairdryer probably wouldnt do it, they use a heat gun, much hotter. He said he'd re-seal them for $60.

So it's hardly worth the effort of doing it myself, especially since i couldnt get the light out.

Another benefit: if there's any damage, or return of leaks, the jobs covered.

But he's busy for 2 weeks. Might have to find another place to get it done quicker.

He did say that the condensation in the blinker may not be due to the same problem. The lense may be itself damaged or prone to the problem. Wont know till he gets it off.

I guess i can kinda live with that, as long as there's no swamps in my boot.

[eMsta]

you had them resealed? as in, someone did it for you?

how much did it cost you?

was it a panel shop?

I took it back to the importer, his mechanic did it. Thing is I had to get a new light (long story), but when they imported the lights in for me, the mechanic resealed the lights. I just had to pay something ike $15 for the whole installation and re-sealing of the lights.

If you take it to any panel beater, they should be able to do it - but i recommend taking it to a reputable one, cos removing the lights are not easy - its just that certain spots the seal is non-existant - and thats how the water is probably going through.

[Liz]

I didnt try the hairdryer, but i thought it might work.

I went to a body shop earlier, the guy said that a hairdryer probably wouldnt do it, they use a heat gun, much hotter. He said he'd re-seal them for $60.

So it's hardly worth the effort of doing it myself, especially since i couldnt get the light out.

Another benefit: if there's any damage, or return of leaks, the jobs covered.

But he's busy for 2 weeks. Might have to find another place to get it done quicker.

He did say that the condensation in the blinker may not be due to the same problem. The lense may be itself damaged or prone to the problem. Wont know till he gets it off.

I guess i can kinda live with that, as long as there's no swamps in my boot.

oh i see. yeah i completely agree!!!

I might just head down and get a quote to get mine done then.