I'm not sure if this is the best spot for this one, since it has pics... but here we go.
My trunk has been leaking for quite a while now. Back in November I discovered that my carpet in the trunk was soaking wet. When I pulled up the carpet I found the vent that is in the next picture, was missing. I replaced it, and siliconed the vent so that it would water proof.
Apparently I was wrong, because about a month ago I discovered a frozen lake in my trunk, and mold in my back seat. The recess in the trunk for the spare tire is complete rust, and I'm not sure what to do. I need something to stop the rust, and cover it up. Most importantly I need to get rid of the leak. I'm wondering if I can just have a metal plate welded in the area of the vent, or if that's a bad idea. Also I'm including some pics of a gap in my 3rd brake like on the trunk, and a picture of my rear... it looks like my trunk isn't lined up right. Any suggestions or information would really be appreciated. I need to take of this before it gets worse.
The bracket to hold the bolt for the spare tire probably has to come out and be replaced. Not good.
The trunk latch is starting to rust. Also not good.
Mold is growing under the backseat cushion from all the water and moisture coming from the trunk.
I'm also thinking that maybe water could be coming in from here... unless that gap is supposed to be there.
And finally, this is rear... the trunk looks un-aligned. Could that be another entry point for water?
Hopefully some of you guys can give me some input on this!
you have a sunroof? do you leave it vented? near that vent there shoudl be a black tube that drains out fromt eh sunroof. make sure it is conencted. there is one on the other side too. i jsut had this exact problem, hos jsut came undone.
dont worry abotu the latch rusting is always does, as for teh spare tire well: shopvac all the water out, and get those rust protecting primer sprays fromt eh auto store.
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
Nope, I don't have a sunroof.
cant say anything about the leak other then i dont think its coming from the gap on the third brake light, but for the uneven trunk, have you tried adjusting the latch????
Thats all i had to do on my 99.. then again, ur latch is different so it may not be that either..
i would help you but you have a hillary clintion sign in you car
looks like you put the vent in backwards
Oh... that's not cool.
I don't think it's in backwards... that's what it looked like in the car I pulled it out of.
I think the third brake light looks right. Mine is the same with the little gap, and i've seen other fire's the same.
Proud member since 99
lay in the trunk with the seat down so you can fit and have a buddy hose it off and look for leaks. That vent is just for ventilation and is NOT a likely source of a water leak. The latch is rusting from all the moisture in your trunk from the leak not actually water , moisture in the air will cause rusting too. I would look closely at your tail lights and your back window, if the water is getting in the interior and the trunk my money would be on the rear window leaking.
It definitely STILL leaks from the vent area. It always has, but when I sealed it up with the silicon, I thought that would stop it. It's not leaking from anywhere else like I thought it might be. It rained a lot today, and I drove a lot in the rain.... and it's wet from the vent, leaking down into the spare tire compartment, and into the backseat again.
I just want to know if I can remove the vent, and patch it up with something so that it's just gone. It's bad enough that I have to replace the carpet in the trunk, but now my entire backseat, and interior carpet. There's mold and road dirt everywhere and It's getting old.
Benny B wrote:I just want to know if I can remove the vent, and patch it up with something so that it's just gone. It's bad enough that I have to replace the carpet in the trunk, but now my entire backseat, and interior carpet. There's mold and road dirt everywhere and It's getting old.
I'd patch it up with something. A little less ventilation is a lot better than mold and rust.
It's probably leaking around where the trunk seals when it's closed....
You might have to replaces the rubber around the trunk (weatherstripping around the edge)... 9 times out of 10 thats where the water gets in.
Also... adjusting the latch soo the turnk closes tighter might help a little.
and ya.... whats up with all the Hillary stickers
What can I say... I loves the hillabeast.
imo I think Hillary is the best one running out of the others. I think they all suck but hillary is the best out of them. and maybe we'll see some white spots on her dress like husband like wife.
I would take EVERYTHING out of the trunk, get someone to get in the back of the car with a flashlight, and look in the trunk from inside of the car with the seat folded down, as you spray water everywhere outside around the trunk.
Okay... I did the whole spray the whole back of the car with water. it DOES come out of the vent area... right under it... so I guess there is a gap underneath leaving water in. So besides trying to seal it up some more... does anyone know if I can just remove the gosh darn vent and seal it up?
I had the same thing on my 05 Sunfire..All I did was cut out the center where all the vents are,Cut out a piece of ABS Plastic to the inside dimension..Siliconed it from both sides and let it dry over night..Next day used Rubberized Under coating and sprayed both sides of it,Let that dry for about 2 hrs or so,,Applied silicon around it and clipped it back into place,Once clipped in ran my finger around it to over lap the silicon,Both out side and inside,Have seen no water after that..Mine was because when I put the side bumper light back in the wire held the flap open,So I just got rid of the problem before it happened again...Also in case you did not know when spreading the silicon with your finger keep your finger wet by dipping it in so water,,the silicone wont stick to you and will leave a nice finish..Best of Luck..
I dont have that vent in my sunfire, but im willing to be you dont have a vent on the door jambs like I do. Im not sure what it does, but i would uess its to allow moisture to dry from somewhere.
O.k., I'm going to give this one a shot. You know I've always been into Cavaliers etc, but there is one notorious problem with GM products. I'm willing to bet that the water is coming in through the wheel wells. Now don't be scared, but lift out the carpeting, and if you see ground and the tires, don't complain, we're all on the same team. Ever since I got my 2000 cavalier I've been very constant and attentive to hosing underneath of the wheel wells and chassic components getting sand / salt blasted from the elements. I had a 1992 RS, that was beautiful, until one day my windows were always foggy, and the back seat started to get wet. Sure enough, that's what happens. Also another problem spot, is that piece of steel in the engine bay at the firewall that angles backwards and down towards the dash, center console area. Salt and other deposits sit in it, make a hole in front of your dash, and you start to get water in the front of your car too. Lastly, always shoot oil over the top of the rear wheel wells, (from the trunk side) making it fall down over top, and to the front of the wheel well. By doing this, it ends up in your rocker panels, and rust proofs them nicely. Mine are still fairly clean and I have a 2000 as mentioned.
Hope this helps, but I hope I'm wrong, it's a big job to weld new steel back there. Good thing my dads friend is an awesome welder.
Spark*
Oh yeah! It's the carpet in the trunk, and the welds around the wheel wells in the trunk!
Spark*
Jason Burten wrote:I had the same thing on my 05 Sunfire..All I did was cut out the center where all the vents are,Cut out a piece of ABS Plastic to the inside dimension..Siliconed it from both sides and let it dry over night..Next day used Rubberized Under coating and sprayed both sides of it,Let that dry for about 2 hrs or so,,Applied silicon around it and clipped it back into place,Once clipped in ran my finger around it to over lap the silicon,Both out side and inside,Have seen no water after that..Mine was because when I put the side bumper light back in the wire held the flap open,So I just got rid of the problem before it happened again...Also in case you did not know when spreading the silicon with your finger keep your finger wet by dipping it in so water,,the silicone wont stick to you and will leave a nice finish..Best of Luck..
I think I'll try that.
steve white wrote:I dont have that vent in my sunfire, but im willing to be you dont have a vent on the door jambs like I do. Im not sure what it does, but i would uess its to allow moisture to dry from somewhere.
It's that vent, period. I don't know if all sunfire's have them, I do know that at the junkyard I never saw a cavalier with one, or a 4 door sunfire. I don't know if I have the vent in my door jam, but I will check later . I also plan on taking another picture of the whole trunk and posting it.
To Spark, my carpet has been sitting in the landfill since December of 07. When I pulled it up is when I found the missing vent, which I replaced and had many many problems afterward.
Hopefully by patching up that vent I can get my trunk back. It sucks not having a trunk, because not only can I not use it... I can't use my backseat because all the stuff that belongs in the trunk is in my backseat, and my backseat is always wet.
So wish me luck!!!
Oh, and if anyone has a backseat from an 00-02 sunfire and/or trunk carpet and the spare tire cover, I might consider buying them off you if the price is right!
i have the same problem on our 2004 , i took the vent out and found it had road grim on the flaps , cleaned them off and put it back in , still leaks . i got in the car with the seats down , doors closed flaps on vent were closed , turned on the heater fan and the flaps opened wide and stayed open till the fan was shut off . so what i think is because of poor vent placement i am going to fix the problem from under the car with a mud flap to keep the wheels from shooting the water up to the vent .
i will report how it worked out once the rain stops falling here in BC
lay in your trunk and have someone spary your car with a hose....
