Water leaks into spare tyre well & rear seats assistance please

[frunkster]

Hi all

I just picked up anther aerodeck & it has a mirriad of little issues, I'm sure I'll be asking about a few other things.

But it has a substantial problem with water getting into the rear tyre well as well as the under the rear seats.

I've made a start by checking & clearing the sunroof drains, boy are the rear ones a pain to get at, the plastics on the end spout that exits behind the rear wheels have hardened a bit, so I had to get in behind the rear boot compartments either side behind the carpeting & make sure they were clear that way, 1 done one to go.

I don't think the water is coming in through the rear window seals but I am concerned about it coming in round the tail lights, I have tried youtube / google & searches on the forum but am coming up empty, from what I can tell the aerodeck/Mc's & MB's do not have a foam seal on the back of the light clusters like many of the other civics do, so my question is - how in the heck do I create some kind of seal behind the rear light lenze units (pictured) to create a seal & prevent water getting in through them? I'm sure many have had the same issue as it's a very common problem with the decks.

Luckily no wet carpets in the other usual places in the front footwells or anywhere else that I can tell.

I'm also like many from my reading on here struggling to get the tail lights out, I know it's just the 2 screws on the inside & then wiggle, but I am scared as hell of breaking something as they don't seem to want to come out freely, the image included are from a previous car which I have as spares.

I don't really want to go putting silicone on them as it will make bulb replacing impossible in future.

 

[frunkster]

Well I've managed to get the other rear sunroof drain looked at & all 4 are now clear.

I'm convinced this is not the issue though as the section where the rear ones exit is dry as a bone (Photo 1), but the ajacent section under the foam inserts either side of the tyre well are where it's wet which I assume is coming from behind the tail lights (Photo 2), collecting there & then draining down into the trye well & with the movement of the car, through to underneath the rear seats.



Photo 1



Photo 2

 

 

[frunkster]

Whoever had the car previously has obviously been trying to tackle to tackle the leak as the area below the boot latch has been sealed running from one side to the other & up on to the rear inner where the waters collecting (photo 3 & 4).

I've spotted where it's possible the leaks are getting in through the tail light area as I can see some minor corrosion next to the boot seal/joint behind the tail lights (Photos 5 & 6) & a lower seal again behind the tail lights which I am not 100% convinced is firmly sealed (Photo 7)



Photo 3

 

Photo 4

 

Photo 5

 

Photo 6

 

Photo 7

[dr_broon]

Just seen this - there's a good chance that the culprit is the seam sealer on the roof joint under the trims where the roof rails are. The seal dries and cracks, letting water in. 

I've got to check mine as well tbh

[frunkster]

2 hours ago, dr_broon said:

Just seen this - there's a good chance that the culprit is the seam sealer on the roof joint under the trims where the roof rails are. The seal dries and cracks, letting water in. 

I've got to check mine as well tbh

 

I should have updated this a little Simon, but with no traffic at all I've been asking on some of the FB groups, you are spot on though as I had all the roof rails & weather strips off the roof & found an area rigth at the back of one on the drivers side where the seal had given way, this has been dealt with & it's reduced the leak from a torrent to a trickle, but there's still water getting in, I suspect from the top panel join behind the tail lights, I did seal up the bottom joint with tiger seal, but soon as the weather lets up I want to do the top ones as I suspect they are my culprit, I suspect it's getting in there & trickling down to the inside near where the rear sunroof drain exit pipes are located, well a little further back directly behind the lights.

But I'm also getting it coming through very slowly in the spare wheel well at either end of the top panel joint/seal, someones already been quite happy with mastic sealing it all up from the inside already (before I get her) but that's not solving the problem just delaying it, I want to tackle the cause not the symtom & get her water tight the right way as water inside the panels you can't see will as we know not end well.

I really hope it's just as said water coming in from the tail light top joint & making it's way down to this join in the panels in the well, god knows I've plugged enough leaks now, at least I'm moving in the right direction, I'm not doing any other jobs on this one till I get her 100% water tight as would be throwing good money after bad.

 

[dr_broon]

Water leaks are a nightmare.. It just goes where it wants and it's so hard to track down. Hope you get it figured out. I can see where mine is running down into the spare wheel well, it's just down the side, in the same place I had it on my other shell, so it'll be running down the panel under the rear quarter window.