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Another trunk leak post...
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Another trunk leak post...
Hi All,
I have a 2007 3.0si coupe and I noticed it smelled kind of bad when I got in it the last couple days so I started poking around seeing if I had somehow left a grocery bag in it or something and on a whim pulled the battery compartment tray off the floor and found about an inch of water in the compartment. I took the battery out and cleaned up all the water then started searching around for the leak.
What I found was that none of the carpet was wet from what I can tell, other than condensation on the under side of the battery compartment cover, and any carpet that directly touched that tray has also wicked water on the edges. But no dampness anywhere around the hatch or under the taillights as far as I could tell. So I started searching and it appears to be a common issue, I think I've read about 50 different threads on trunk leaks in the last 24 hours. I know at some point the best thing to do is probably start hosing it down and see if I can isolate it, but it's supposed to rain here for basically the next week straight and I wanted to get a head start on this.
So, a few questions after reading all the threads I could find:
1) As I said above, I see that the taillights are a very common leak point. I didn't find any water under or around them, but it had probably also been a couple days since it was in the rain. Is it possible for them to leak in somewhere under the carpet so it wouldn't be wet? Should I replace the seals just to be sure?
2) I've seen many references in other threads to air vents behind the bumper being a common leak point, however I've not been able to find any information on what anyone does to actually fix that, or even how to access them other than some mention of them being behind carpet somewhere. I've looked on RealOEM and can't seem to find the part either. Do those leak into the battery compartment?
3) It looks like the convertibles have a lot of problems with drains behind the soft top becoming clogged and backing up into the trunk. Since I have a coupe I can't have that issue, but are there other backed up drains that could be causing the problem? I saw a mention in a post about something around the fuel cap, but I don't see anything that looks promising on any of the parts diagrams. I also assume I would probably have wet carpet if that were the case. I just don't see how so much water got in without wetting the carpet anywhere that I can find.
4) When cleaning, I did notice some water sitting in the bottom of the big rubber grommet that the battery cables go in to head towards the front of the car. Now, it's totally possible the water already in the compartment just sloshed up in there when I was driving, or even that I splashed it up in there while cleaning, but I just don't know for sure. I found one post, that referenced another (unlinked) post, that said some people have driven through puddles and had water forced up into that channel and out the grommet into the battery compartment. It has been very wet here lately and, while I haven't driven through anything remotely dangerously high, I've certainly driven through a lot of puddles. Is this a thing that happens and is considered okay? Is there something I should be sealing to prevent it? In searching, I read horror stories of whole wiring harnesses becoming corroded from moisture and requiring thousands of dollars in repair, I certainly don't want that!
Anyway, sorry for the novel, I just wanted to provide as much information as I could. I appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks,
Colin
I have a 2007 3.0si coupe and I noticed it smelled kind of bad when I got in it the last couple days so I started poking around seeing if I had somehow left a grocery bag in it or something and on a whim pulled the battery compartment tray off the floor and found about an inch of water in the compartment. I took the battery out and cleaned up all the water then started searching around for the leak.
What I found was that none of the carpet was wet from what I can tell, other than condensation on the under side of the battery compartment cover, and any carpet that directly touched that tray has also wicked water on the edges. But no dampness anywhere around the hatch or under the taillights as far as I could tell. So I started searching and it appears to be a common issue, I think I've read about 50 different threads on trunk leaks in the last 24 hours. I know at some point the best thing to do is probably start hosing it down and see if I can isolate it, but it's supposed to rain here for basically the next week straight and I wanted to get a head start on this.
So, a few questions after reading all the threads I could find:
1) As I said above, I see that the taillights are a very common leak point. I didn't find any water under or around them, but it had probably also been a couple days since it was in the rain. Is it possible for them to leak in somewhere under the carpet so it wouldn't be wet? Should I replace the seals just to be sure?
2) I've seen many references in other threads to air vents behind the bumper being a common leak point, however I've not been able to find any information on what anyone does to actually fix that, or even how to access them other than some mention of them being behind carpet somewhere. I've looked on RealOEM and can't seem to find the part either. Do those leak into the battery compartment?
3) It looks like the convertibles have a lot of problems with drains behind the soft top becoming clogged and backing up into the trunk. Since I have a coupe I can't have that issue, but are there other backed up drains that could be causing the problem? I saw a mention in a post about something around the fuel cap, but I don't see anything that looks promising on any of the parts diagrams. I also assume I would probably have wet carpet if that were the case. I just don't see how so much water got in without wetting the carpet anywhere that I can find.
4) When cleaning, I did notice some water sitting in the bottom of the big rubber grommet that the battery cables go in to head towards the front of the car. Now, it's totally possible the water already in the compartment just sloshed up in there when I was driving, or even that I splashed it up in there while cleaning, but I just don't know for sure. I found one post, that referenced another (unlinked) post, that said some people have driven through puddles and had water forced up into that channel and out the grommet into the battery compartment. It has been very wet here lately and, while I haven't driven through anything remotely dangerously high, I've certainly driven through a lot of puddles. Is this a thing that happens and is considered okay? Is there something I should be sealing to prevent it? In searching, I read horror stories of whole wiring harnesses becoming corroded from moisture and requiring thousands of dollars in repair, I certainly don't want that!
Anyway, sorry for the novel, I just wanted to provide as much information as I could. I appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks,
Colin
- Dale_B
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Another trunk leak post...
Your problem will more than likely be this. I had the same symptoms you described.csalexan wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2018 7:26 pm
2) I've seen many references in other threads to air vents behind the bumper being a common leak point, however I've not been able to find any information on what anyone does to actually fix that, or even how to access them other than some mention of them being behind carpet somewhere. I've looked on RealOEM and can't seem to find the part either. Do those leak into the battery compartment?
The 2 vents will require replacing, they are cheap enough and relatively easy to replace.
Part number: 64226909340
After I changed these it fully cured the issue I found removing the rear bumper (easy to do) was the best method to replace them.
- Dale_B
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- Location: Northumberland
Another trunk leak post...
Found a picture which shows where they are situated....
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Another trunk leak post...
Perfect, thanks so much for your help! I ordered the vents and went ahead and picked up two tail light gaskets while I was at it since they're relatively inexpensive also. Looks like it will be a few days until they ship, but I'll update the thread if it fixes the issue. Thanks again!Dale_B wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:09 amYour problem will more than likely be this. I had the same symptoms you described.
The 2 vents will require replacing, they are cheap enough and relatively easy to replace.
Part number: 64226909340
After I changed these it fully cured the issue I found removing the rear bumper (easy to do) was the best method to replace them.
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Another trunk leak post...
Ok, I haven't received my new vents yet, but I took the bumper off this evening and I have a couple quick questions.
First, the center part of the bumper was a little tough to get loose from the clips. Once I got it free I discovered why: someone had put a significant amount of glue over three different areas at the top of the bumper. Is this normal? Should I be putting some kind of glue there when I reassemble it? I'll attach several pictures at the bottom of the post to show you what I mean.
Second, how do I actually get those vents out? They look like they are just pressed in place and held by friction, do I just pry them out? I didn't want to pry too hard until I received the new ones and could see how they are made, but they seemed pretty snug. Do I need to take up the carpet on the inside of the trunk as well, or can I do it all from the outside.
Once again, I appreciate the help.
First, the center part of the bumper was a little tough to get loose from the clips. Once I got it free I discovered why: someone had put a significant amount of glue over three different areas at the top of the bumper. Is this normal? Should I be putting some kind of glue there when I reassemble it? I'll attach several pictures at the bottom of the post to show you what I mean.
Second, how do I actually get those vents out? They look like they are just pressed in place and held by friction, do I just pry them out? I didn't want to pry too hard until I received the new ones and could see how they are made, but they seemed pretty snug. Do I need to take up the carpet on the inside of the trunk as well, or can I do it all from the outside.
Once again, I appreciate the help.
- Attachments
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- Z4_Bumper_05.jpg (196.95 KiB) Viewed 631 times
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- Z4_Bumper_04.jpg (188.79 KiB) Viewed 631 times
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- Z4_Bumper_03.jpg (164.69 KiB) Viewed 631 times
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- Z4_Bumper_02.jpg (190.65 KiB) Viewed 631 times
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- Z4_Bumper_01.jpg (189.62 KiB) Viewed 631 times
- srhutch
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Another trunk leak post...
There shouldn’t be any glue on that section. It’s quite a loose fit around there.
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Another trunk leak post...
Alright, I got this done this evening with no issues, thanks again for the help everyone. For the sake of future generations, I'll give a little more information that I think might be useful. I'll attach two pictures to the post that will help show what I'm describing as well.
The vents are held in place by four clips total, two on each side, none on the top or bottom. From what I had read in other posts I was under the impression that I needed to pull the trunk carpet in addition to the bumper to access the clips for the vents. I understand why it seems that way, but after doing the first side I realized that it's not necessary. As long as you are replacing the vents and thus aren't worried about damaging the gasket on the old one, you can simply jam a plastic trim tool (or screwdriver if you wrap it in masking tape or are careful) into the gasket from the outside right where the clips are and you can pop them free easily. I've included a picture with arrows showing where to push. It really doesn't take much pressure to pop the clips free and once one side of the vent is loose, the other is even easier. It took me all of 10 seconds to remove my second vent with this method without having to pull the trunk carpet at all. Once you have the vents removed just clean the area where the gasket touches and press the new ones in until you hear the clips snap into place. That's all there is to it!
It's supposed to rain a bunch here tomorrow, so I guess I'll find out quickly if this was the source of my trunk leak!
The vents are held in place by four clips total, two on each side, none on the top or bottom. From what I had read in other posts I was under the impression that I needed to pull the trunk carpet in addition to the bumper to access the clips for the vents. I understand why it seems that way, but after doing the first side I realized that it's not necessary. As long as you are replacing the vents and thus aren't worried about damaging the gasket on the old one, you can simply jam a plastic trim tool (or screwdriver if you wrap it in masking tape or are careful) into the gasket from the outside right where the clips are and you can pop them free easily. I've included a picture with arrows showing where to push. It really doesn't take much pressure to pop the clips free and once one side of the vent is loose, the other is even easier. It took me all of 10 seconds to remove my second vent with this method without having to pull the trunk carpet at all. Once you have the vents removed just clean the area where the gasket touches and press the new ones in until you hear the clips snap into place. That's all there is to it!
It's supposed to rain a bunch here tomorrow, so I guess I'll find out quickly if this was the source of my trunk leak!
- Attachments
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- Z4_Trunk_Vent_02.jpg (158.55 KiB) Viewed 607 times
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- Z4_Trunk_Vent_01.jpg (112.72 KiB) Viewed 607 times
- 1000rr
- Senior Member
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Another trunk leak post...
Do you need to remove the bumper?
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Another trunk leak post...
Yes, although I've seen other people say they were able to do it from the inside without removing the bumper by popping the clips, pushing it out towards the bumper, then rotating it and sliding it back in through the hole, then reversing that sequence to pull the new one into place. So maybe a better answer is that you have to remove either the bumper or the carpet but not both.
- Dale_B
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Another trunk leak post...
Good to see you have managed to change them. Hopefully resolved your issue.