Leak in trunk
 

Hi,

It has been raining all night. When I entered the car this morning, I noticed the passenger side of the trunk carpet was very wet. Driver side is wet under the carpet but not as much as passenger side. Car is back from a respray. Do you guys have any idea? Car was sitting on a very slight angle, towards passenger side.

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Re: Leak in trunk
 

Check the weatherstrip on the Hatch, especially toward the top.
Betcha it's cracked of separated from the body, maybe even a small piece of masking tape on it.


Nice Viper.

Neither car should be left out in the rain, word on the street is that they melt.


'Crabs

Re: Leak in trunk
 

Corner right hatch seal. Main body harness connector near right rear of compartment needs cleaning, common, connector likely corroded green .


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Re: Leak in trunk
 

Haha thanks, I don't hesitate to drive them all in the rain too! I checked weatherstrips all around the hatch... Everything looks OK.

Hum, I really do not understand. What a connector has to do with water leaking inside the car?

Re: Leak in trunk
 

Check where the rear glass struts connect to the glass... just a guess that seal might have failed over time.


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Re: Leak in trunk
 

Seal seems to be very good...

I called the body shop. He told me he put 3M tape under the seal, instead of OEM glue. He told me the OEM glue is a real pain to work with. I'm pretty sure the problem is right there!

Re: Leak in trunk
 

Yes, the OEM glue IS a pain! But, it never hardens, allowing the seal position to be adjusted (I suppose).

Anywayz... I used 3M Weather Seal Adhesive (contact cement) on mine. I Pre-installed my seal and put index temporary marks on the seal and the hatch so that after I applied the glue I could be sure that the seal was indexed correctly before pressing it down on the 3M (contact) adhesive. I hasn't leaked in 5 or so years now, and it has sat outside and been driven in several frog stranglers! So far so good.

I might add...

By the time I got the adhesive spread on the hatch and the seal, it had already dried too much - especially where I first started to apply the (glue). But, according to the directions on another application of contact cement (the head liner, in fact) it said to reapply a third thin layer to one of the contact surfaces and (get this!) proceed to apply the two surfaces together before the fresh adhesive dries to the point of being tacky.

Boy, does that work! It gives you some time to adjust the fit after the two surfaces make initial contact. And, once it sets (in 5-10 min or so, depending on how much adhesive was used over all, the surfaces are very secure. (I have also found that third layer technique is especially useful when installing carpet. The carpet can be "squirmed" around to optimize the fit before the (glue) is fully set.

Re: Leak in trunk
 

Hi Paul! It's been a long time, glad to see you chiming in. I haven't used contact cement in years, doesn't it harden? It would mean that I will never be able to remove that seal again without breaking it + damaging the paint? 3 layers... I'm confident it would be sealed, but I'm a bit skeptical about it... Looks overkill, but for sure I will talk about that with him!

OEM glue is a pain - that's EXACTLY what the body shop said!

He was planning on using dum-dum rubber tape.

Thanks for your tips!!

Re: Leak in trunk
 

Yep. The 3M Weather Seal Adhesive is black, and essentially contact cement. However, it does not harden or become brittle. Good stuff.

Far as ever having to remove it, 3M Adhesive Remover works as well as any and better than some. I've not had a reason to try to remove that adjesive from my hatch. BUT!! I have used the Remover on painted surfaces when removing emblems without any issues with it removing paint. Good stuff too!