Delicieuxz

I've recently replaces all seals, the vent, the weatherstrip in my trunk to stop leaking that was coming from literally every parts that I replaced. I had my car parked for a year, so when I saw it, the spare tire well was just about completely filled with water.

After replacing everything except for the tail lights and their gaskets, the trunk in pretty dry, and none of those places are leaking anymore.

But there's still one spot that's dripping water. And at first I thought it was the new OEM weatherstrip not conforming perfectly to the pressed overlapping metal ridges that it seats on top of, on the upper-sides of the trunk opening, and so I put RTV grey along those places. But proved to not have stopped the dripping today when it rained.

Looking around further, I found a seam that water is slowly leaking through. I've indicated where on a picture attachment.

I plan to seal it up with seam sealer, but I also want to stop wherever it's coming in from, so that I'm not accumulating water on the other side of that seam, and inviting rust there.

Does anyone know where it could be coming in from? Could it be the place that I've circled in the other picture?

BTW, here's a Honda service bulletin on sealing '01 - '03 Civic trunk leaks. It's not very thorough, though.

Delicieuxz

I've confirmed that the water is indeed leaking in from the spot that I've circled in the second picture. I'm going to fill that spot up with silicone.

I've also discovered some water pooling around the trunk weatherstrip. Should I be using weatherstrip glue with these clip-on weatherstrips?

oneheadlight

I had the same area leaking into the trunk. Seam sealer up to the window molding and just under it, stopped all the water leaks. After this many years the seam sealer is drying out, causing leaks. Now about the sunroof, I'm wondering if the same idea (seal sealer) is at play. At least I could tell ya about the trunk. Oh and no the weatherstrip isn't the problem, it's the seam. Search this forum for trunk and seam sealer. 3M part number 08302 is what I used.

TomCat39

I'm not sure the relevance of a 01-03 TSB if your car is not an 01-03?

And if it is an 01-03, why would you post it in the 92-00 area?

Something seems off here....

Delicieuxz

Because I had it on hand, and it's useful insight for how to go about treating trunk leaks for anyone who doesn't know where to start, and what product Honda recommends. Just sharing a resource.

If anyone has a Honda service bulletin for treating a 96 - 00 coupe trunk, I'd love to check it out.

oneheadlight

I didn't have any resources except this forum. There is a post somewhere here posted awhile ago about water in the trunk. I can see your seam, its in the picture you posted. Slap some of the seam sealer I told you about and I bet the leak stops. It was the *EXACT* same place mine was leaking.

TomCat39

I gotchya, as a general reference... I don't put a ton of faith into a tsb for another generation car as they tend to be pretty specific for problems that are pretty common to that vehicle. So if they didn't have a tsb for your generation of that nature, then it wasn't common and the other generation tsb quite likely doesn't apply.

As the other user mentioned, use seam seal, please don't just use silicone.

There is two major types of seam sealer, ones for flexible seals and ones for rigid seals. If the body part needs to be able to flex and move to some degree you need the flexible seam sealer. If the body part is not supposed to move then you can use the rigid seam sealer.

I ended up with the rigid sealer for my front fenders as where they bolt into the door frame should never move unless you are removing the fender.

I am not sure off the top of my head, what part of the car would need flexible seam sealer, but I'm sure there is some spots, possibly for expansion and contraction?

Anyways, go to the autoparts store like Napa or Lordco etc and ask for seam sealer and see what their offerings are. I have heard from body professionals that Eastwood makes good product.

oneheadlight

I agree with Tomcat.. It has to be a flexible seam sealer. The stuff I used IS what Honda recommends for sealing seams. It's 3M part number 08302. Go to a paint supply/body shop supply store to get it. I got one from NAPA and it was OLD! This stuff only has like an 18-24month shelf life. The crimp at the end of the tube has the date code. The first two digits are the year it was made. The stuff I got from NAPA was 14! that is 2014! that stuff would've never worked!

But the seam is right there in the picture, see under the rear glass molding strip there is a line.. you should be able to feel that line that goes about 1/2 way towards the back of the car. you first clean it with prep solvent, then apply the sealer.. You have to work quickly because this stuff starts getting tacky in 3-5 minutes! In 45minutes it was dry. But it is a synthetic rubber that stays flexible.

Delicieuxz

ool. Thanks for all that great info, TomCat39 and oneheadlight. I'm going to get on that, and hopefully in the next two days, because after that it'll be raining again in Vancouver!

I found out that spot I circled in the photo was the source of the leak by putting a garden hose up in there and turning it on, and within seconds, water started seeping through that seam in the trunk. So, I want to put silicone in there, like this poster did in this picture.




Another place I had water leaking in from was the corners in the rear wheelwells, as is pictured here and in the attachments.

While working on everything else in the trunk, I applied this rust converter to those spots, and the rust turned metallic silver, and those places haven't leaked a drop of water since. I haven't yet put anything on top of the converted rust, though the '01 - '03 Honda service bulletin advises to apply seam sealer to that same spot in those cars. I kind of want to leave it with just the rust converter and see how well that holds up on its own, for personal awareness of how well that rust converter product works.

oneheadlight

you don't use silicone to seal at all, not in this situation. Use seam sealer. Silicone will cause a lot more problems than using the correct sealer.. Seam sealer is a synthetic rubber and the right stuff to use like Tomcat and I explained. But it's up to you, it's your car.

your pictures are exactly where the rust happens on all the 96-00 Civics! Mine is rusting in the same exact place.

The SEM product RUST MORT you'll have to let us know how that works for ya. Let's see how long that Rust Mort lasts.. If it's anything like the Rust seal I had, about 3-4 months. maybe you'll get lucky!

I used Rust seal from SEM products but it wouldn't last and found that Eastwood's rust convertor actually worked better. The SEM Rust seal works if it's hot and humid outside, but if it's in the 70 degree range it doesn't last. That's why I switched to Eastwood, which has really stopped the rust, for months now!

oh and about what you said with Honda saying to apply seal sealer to those areas you had rust. They meant BEFORE you have rust.. But you could add seam sealer in there.. it would stop any more water from coming in

secur60

i had this problem and fixed it today after i changed the trunk seal and cleaned all the water from the trunk
today i checked it up there were some water inside i discovered that the water was dropping from the the same spot
i went to my storage room and brought some Tar and went crazy painting the hole area until tar start to drop instead of water
now its work like a charm no more water in the trunk

Good luck

Delicieuxz

I was able to order 3M 08302 from a local shop, so I got that and returned the other stuff. This is the silicone I had:


Prefix 442
•Tough, waterproof, weatherproof
•Doesnt crack, shrink or chalk
•Superior adhesion and flexibility
•Guns easily

Applications Bonding, Sealing
Applicable Materials Metals, Woods, Plastics, Glass

Though that listing says the colour is red, but another listing of the same thing says it's white. I don't know which colour the one I had was - I had thought it was clear.


I notice that the 3M 08302 label says that it's flammable, while the silicone didn't have that warning. I mostly hope the 3M will endure outdoor conditions and lots of rain - because it can rain all winter and spring long, here.

The attached pictures are of the same places, but after applying the SEM Rust Mort. I just wiped it on with a couple paint brush strokes and then left alone till it completely dried. It leaves a sticky residue after an hour or so. The stuff (maybe not the residue) is acidic, and it looks like it took some of the colour paint off, but not the primer.

Does that mean I shouldn't put seam sealer over top of it now - or it might rust underneath or something without my noticing?


Cool. And thanks.

Delicieuxz

Update: I applied 3M 08302 to the trunk seam yesterday, while it was dry out. Last night and today it's been raining, and my trunk is completely dry So, sealing that seam really solved the leak issue.

Delicieuxz

So, I'm still having water leak into the trunk from someplace, this time from the driver side of the trunk. I've made a video showing the leak source on the inside of the trunk, and also an outside location that I wonder whether it could be where the water is coming in from.

In the video, I start showing the leak inside the trunk. About 10 seconds in, I back the camera out and move it to the driver-side rear window seal, and press my finger a few times on the place that I wonder if water could be coming in from.

My other suspect for the outside source of the leak is the seam that is pictured and circled in the above post, but on the driver-side of the trunk. I did seam-seal both sides, but I'm thinking that maybe I need to put a bit more sealant underneath the rear windshield seal on the driver-side seam.

I'm hesitant to seal that leak from the inside of the car, because if I do so without identifying where the water is coming in from, then sealing that seam will result in water pooling up on the other side of the seam, where it doesn't have a lot of air to dry out from, and could be inviting rust to develop where I can't spot it. I want to address the issue from its source on the outside of the vehicle.

Thoughts?

Delicieuxz

I think I've pretty much confirmed that driver-side read window seal is where water is coming in from - unless it could be coming in somewhere where the water drips down to after that window seal. Anyone know what I should do? Have the window re-sealed or something, or replace the trim... I dunno.

oneheadlight

hey!! haven't been on here lately, but saw your new post! Awesome news that you were able to fix the trunk leak! Yup, just like I was thinking, same area mine had a trunk leak!

You obviously had two areas leaking, one was the seam not being sealed, which you got done. But the other is a different leak, obviously.

From the two videos you made, it doesn't look like the water is coming in from higher up. That's where the quarter/side window is. It would come in there, go down the c-pillar and drop into the trunk, I don't see that. It looks dry, only accumulating at the bottom of the inner wheel well hump. That's why I'm thinking.. start lower on the car with the hose and move upwards until you see the leak. Could be clips into the sheet metal that hold on the bumper? Then move up to the fuel filler neck/lid. But get up in there and see if water is coming from the quarter window. You can also remove the rear seat and backs, then the interior rear side panel. Then you will be able to have a direct view of the quarter/side window when water is applied. Why spend money pulling glass if you're not 100% sure that's where it's coming from?!?

One more thing.. that window glass and seal should NOT be moving when you press on it! That's what it looked like in the video.. I just went out and did that to mine, solid as a rock. No movement. So yeah definitely find out where the leak is, but also have to get that glass re-sealed/glued in place.

Delicieuxz

Thanks man. That was the worse leak, and I'm glad it's fixed.


You might be right. I did some more testing, and found that water started coming in when I held the hose beneath the window, just above the gas cover, and letting the water drip down everywhere from there.

I think there aren't any bumper clips that could lead to that area. My next thought is underneath the fuel line lid, whatever it's called. I'm going to have to do more testing to pinpoint it.

You didn't see water seeping in higher up the wheel well hump because I used rust mort on that thing, and it got rid of the rust and stopped the leaking from there. Same with the same spot on the wheel well on the other side of the trunk.

2 days ago, I also used rust most along that line at the bottom, and now it doesn't leak as much there - but it's still leaking, as shown in my videos.

I put new rock guard in the rear wheel wells this summer, so I'd have expected any cracks to be filled up.

I'll look into that idea of removing the seats, and see what I find.

Thanks for the tips!

oneheadlight

hey Delicieuxz sorry for the delay, been busy lately. Ahh good news then it's not the window (quarter) that it's leaking from. It's coming in from where the gas filler neck meets up with the sheet metal or around there. Seam sealer in that area might stop it if it's not all corroded/rusted. What have you found?? that's if you've tested since your last post.

that rust mort looked like it did a great job sealing/stopping that rust! I had tried rust-seal before from SEM didn't work as well as the Eastwood brand of rust converter/protector.

let me know what else you've found.. and were you able to stop the leak around the sunroof area? I found on mine the drip moldings in the roof, the seam there was leaking, sealed it up with the same 3M seam sealer and worked great.. Maybe yours is there too? Can't remember if I asked you that already..

Delicieuxz

Hi man,

I've done only a bit more testing on where that water is coming in from. But, I've pretty much ruled out that it could be coming in from the gas filler neck, as I stuck a hose in the wheel-well, and made sure it was spraying under the gas filler neck cover, and I left it going for around 10 or so minutes, and that area of the trunk remained bone dry. But then, I held the hose so that the water sprayed into the bumper cover / quarter panel crack that's just below the gas tank cover, and water started appearing in that place inside the trunk within a minute.

I'm a bit stumped at where it's getting in from, but the next thing for me to do is to remove the bumper cover and take a look at what's there. I know it isn't the sunroof drain valve, or the bumper clip, as both those parts are clearly visible inside the trunk, and they're not leaking. I also replaced those parts this summer, as they actually were leaking, before, but not since I replaced them.

It's predicted to rain here tomorrow, but then there's predicted a few days of sunshine after that, so hopefully I'll get out there one of those days and figure this out. I'll post an update afterwards.


Regarding the sunroof, I don't have a leak there, AFAIK. But, would you mind showing a picture of where your leak there was? I'd take a look there, and keep an eye on it in the future.

oneheadlight

I never had a sunroof leak.. I did pull up the roof moldings and found old seam sealer cracking.. I pulled most of that up and applied new 3M seam sealer to that area. if you want a picture of that let me know. Was simple.. It was never leaking there, I was chasing a leak around the windshield and thought it might've come from up there. Turns out the urethane wasn't applied evenly around the metal lip that holds the windshield. I pumped in some seam sealer via a straw in that area (pulled up side of windshield molding without removing it) and sealed 12 inches of area. I even pulled the A-pillar trim off that side to make sure. I dumped a lot of water down that area and nothing! Sure, I need a new windshield but it stopped it til I can get new glass.

now.. your leak in the rear of the car.. so not the filler neck, good news there.. Now the leak you're talking, the quarter panel meets up with the wheel well metal where you're talking the leak. Take the bumper cover off, definitely.. and it might be as easy as slapping some seam sealer in there.

on the driver's side there is also the vent.. I forget what it's called but it allows air pressure to escape out of the car to the outside. It's shaped like an S from what I can see. But that's way back towards the tail light. and your leak is more forward of that.. But hey just letting ya know what's back there. I kinda think it's the interface between the quarter panel and the wheel well metal.. but guess you'll know when you pull the cover off (really easy by the way).

thanks for the update!! can't wait for you to win at this game, and fix it completely!

Delicieuxz

Yeah, I'm really interested to see it, if it's no trouble for you.

Thanks! I haven't gotten around to it, yet. And it's been raining a lot lately. Surprisingly the trunk stayed completely dry after a few days of rain, and me checking inside the trunk for water. I think that wherever it's coming in from, in only comes in when there's larger volume of water. Course, I should just get this done with. I'm waking up too late in the day to get these things done, lol.

The trunk vent you mention, I replaced that, if this is the vent you mean: https://www.civicforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=63833&d=1137712463

It was leaking from there, and there was some very minor rust around the vent hole, which I sanded and repainted before putting a new vent in that place. It hasn't been leaking since. Same with the sunroof drain valves, which I also replaced.

oneheadlight

well I did discover that the seam sealer was not good enough since I last posted. The leak was not coming from the roof seam. Had the windshield pulled due to it's leaking and found rust along the windshield lip. The glass shop was able to sand it down and plug the rust holes with urethane. But I'm going to have to find a body shop to correct all this! ouch.. that should stop the water leaks for now, but it's temporary until I get real body work done.

So taking a picture at this point is useless, since that was not where it was leaking, but the windshield lip area. It's all hidden by the windshield glass and until it comes out you can't see all the problems.

One nice thing is the new windshield is very clear and sharp! hey I gotta be happy about something here! lol

glad to hear that your trunk is nice and dry! lol waking up late? no, everyone else was up too early!

oneheadlight

yup that's the vent I was talking about. So it was leaking from there, yeah that was the only thing that made sense! good news about fixing the leak! awesome! glad yours was easier than mine is now!

Delicieuxz

Wow. That sounds like a bad thing to discover going on, but at least you have a new windshield and the rust is stopped.

And I hope that isn't going to be a common problem with these cars.

Oh, I replaced that vent in the summer. It was one of many leaks in the trunk, but it isn't the one I've got to source right now. The following areas have been found to be leaking in my car's trunk:

wheel-well mound upper corners
wheel-well mound base
sunroof drain valve
trunk vent
bumper clips
seams at the top of the trunk (pictured in this thread_

I've fixed all of the leaks except for the one at the wheel-well mound base, which is what I'll be removing the bumper cover to take a closer look at. I mean, yeah, the trunk stayed dry last I checked on it, but it leaked when I ran a hose on the outside of the bumper cover area, and so there's still a leak there somewhere.