spare tire well is filling with water

[winstonsmith]

My spare tire well is filling up with water and rust is starting. How does it keep filling with water? I need to stop the water from getting in immediately. The car is kept outside since I don't have a garage but I don't drive it in the rain so the water is getting in there while it's parked. Where do you guys think the water is getting in? Is this a common problem?

[bryantatem]

Mor than likely it is coming in thru the hatch. Until you have this fixed you need to remove the drain plug in the well. To fix it get inside the hatch and have someone run a garden hose over the hatch and window. Look to see where the water comes in and attack that part. This is how I used to fix trunk leaks. Gotta love being locked in a trunk!!

Good luck.

[TomoHawk]

On my 280Z, I had a small leak in the window gasket on the lower right corner. I fixed that with a little RTV silicone, but I still got water in when it rained hard. The carpet in that corner gets wet, so I think it might be pooling up in the corner under the hatch and dripping in.

[winstonsmith]

Mor than likely it is coming in thru the hatch. Until you have this fixed you need to remove the drain plug in the well. To fix it get inside the hatch and have someone run a garden hose over the hatch and window. Look to see where the water comes in and attack that part. This is how I used to fix trunk leaks. Gotta love being locked in a trunk!!

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip. I climbed into the hatch and had a friend spray the car down with water. Water began gushing into the spare tire well from under the driver side tail light. I got out and pulled the rubber up from the body above the tail light and found a rust hole hiding under the rubber. I finished patching it today and hopefully that will seal out the water. Thanks again!

[bryantatem]

It also might not be a bad idea to use clear silicon around the tail light then install it to get a waterproof seal. It won't be seen and can also stop this from happening again.