My trunk is leaking, I see the water runs down from the back wall where the trunk's lock located. Anyone have the same problem? and know how to resolve this? Replacement for weather strip from Dealer is $154.00

Thanks in advance.

I can't answer your question, but I found it rather bizarre today while shopping for a '93 LS, looking under the carpeted trunk area to check the spare tire, low and behold, the spare tire was sitting in standing water, about an inch or two deep. Odder still was the fact that the carpet was not wet anywhere we inspected.

I found a similar situation in a '98 LS one day.

Any one experienced anything like it and or got any ideas how water could fill the spare tire well w/o getting the trunk carpet wet?

Is it the actual gasket that seals the trunk opening to the trunk lid, or are the taillights not sealed properly to the body of the car??

I think it may be the gasket but i ahev not seen someone who change it post back that it is resolved.
My 98 used to do that as well as atleast 4 others also filling up with water.

I have a 94 LS with the same problem, looking for the solution.

Hey All: I had a similar issue with my 98, when I purchased it at the end of last year with only 23K miles. At first, I had no idea the trunk had any leaking issue. I noticed a musty/moldy smell whenever I opened the trunk up, and it was irratating as hell! The inside smelled pretty new for a 10yr old car. I ended up tearing apart the trunk to figure out where it was coming from. First I checked the water vents (not sure if thats what their called, but they basically let water drain that may get in from road), on each side to make sure there was no clog. Then I sprayed the car from the outside with water down the cracks on the trunk. Sure enough, one side was leaking and going to the bottom via the side wall. I went to Home Depot and bought some silicone, and siliconed the entire seal/lining back onto the car. Let it dry, and after a week tested it out again to make sure the leak had gone. Took me over 2 weeks of spraying the trunk with lysol and cleaning the entire area by filling up a spray bottle of bleach and water, to get the nasty smell out. Thank God the smell left and the trunk is dry! Good luck!

No, I never have had the problem on my 1991 LS400 or my old 1990 LS400, but did have a 80s Camry with the issue. I think it was the taillight leaking. I also had a 1985 Mercedes S-Class with water getting in the trunk.... turned out the antenna seal was leaking... a $3.00 replacement. I imagine that a possible faulty antenna seal could not be ruled out on an LS400 either. Check it.

Some will often suggest getting in the trunk with a flashlight and close it.... have someone you trust there to let you out. Have them soak down all around the rear window, trunk, taillights, antenna seal, etc and inspect for leaks.

Good luck.

I just fixed my trunk leaks in the weekend. I removed the weather strip from the trunk, also cleaned up the moist and dirt build up on the edge of the rubber. Since, the weather strip is still in good condition, I use silicon to reseal the it back on the trunk then keep the trunk close tight for a day.
Now, it looks good as new.

Just joined the forum after searching for the water in the trunk problem. My first Lexus 400 (1991) had a major trunk leak and filled up with enough water enough to have fish in the wheel well...dealer had it for a month doing all kinds of things supposedly fixing the problem...and still had the problem. Took it in again and they replaced the trunk lid gasket and it solved the problem. Bought another LS400 (2000) and I now have another trunk with water in it after a few years...not what you would expect from a $60K car. Going back to the dealer one more time for the same bad gasket design.

Why don't you order the gasket yourself at parts.com and... install it yourself... It's just a gasket.

I still find water in my trunk to the point where i place a moisture absorber , It is a small disscant contraption that holds it and it drips down into a lower bowl to be disposed of by trapping water.

I am trying a fix by cutting the weatherstrip in a few areas and spraying the inside of the weather strip since it is hollow with silicone spray. Then inserting round pipe weatherstripping used for homes . It is a 1/4 inch diamter but a smaller one shoudl fit if you can find it as this is a tight fit.

So far it has been a few days since i did it but i also fixed my driver door one that had air leaks in the same manner.
Quick easy fix , and no matter what car it is the weather strippign is rubber and will loose its elasticity so it will not seal well after a few years. The design of the trunk which allows the lower part of the trunk to have no overhand is the reason why when the seal fails it leaks . Most cars with a higher lid edge do not have this problem.

Where can I purchase new weather strip for my front & back doors. Dealer's parts are too expensive. Anyone knows?

parts.com

I don't see they have any. Any links please.

PARTS.COM

Do I have to spell it all out for you??

1. Call a Lexus dealership, get part #.
2. Search on Parts.com
3. Drink beer.

I guess I could have just left it at 2 steps??

Just an update on my trunk fix, the car is quieter and the windnoise is so much less, also my trunk now closes with a thud .
Also my stereo is much more crisp with higher bas notes. I also used the sub in the trunk to look for air leaks and i only have one tiny one in one corner of the trunk now.
I love easy fixes.
Not sure about rain as we had some crazy rain over the weekend and i was pulling off a tire at the side of the road so i got some water in the trunk from it.

Nice SKP

Glad to hear it's worked. What size tubing did you use?

Don't know that I would have come up with this solution if I had the same prob. So props to SK for thinking outside the Box! Might be worth pinning in the General Maintenance section?

I like idiots.....haha


Was just taking out my spare tire today and found standing water in the wheel well. Took some pictures of what it looked like inside. I'll look into a new trunk gasket.

Backside of the rim


Well (highlighted the water line)

this is scary, sure hope my 3 12s and my 2 amps dont die when i get one i'll just keep praying about it. :]

or just replace the seal right away and then check the trunk for leaks before you install it.

How about you just LOOK at it... to see if it's wet..


It doesn't get much easier.. unless you'd like me to come open the trunk for you? lol

Drilled 2 small holes on the left and right of center in the deepest parts of the spare wheel well. Testing to see if that will drain the water significantly enough to keep it dry. Prolly not.

Seriously?? You know those rubber stoppers in the trunk are for EXACTLY that!?!?! Now you have MORE holes in your trunk

I don't think drilling was the best thing to do.
I would fill them as you are now gaining an air escape to cause wind noise.

So in order to do the trunk i will make a whole new post but it is basically 3/8 foam tubing used for homes at a hardware store.
cut a corner of the weather stripping /
Spray the tubing and inside of the weather stripping with more silicone spray.
Insert tubing and pull you hand along the weatherstripping to inch it along and fill.

Perfect. hurry up with the DIY hahaha

I had the same problem when I first bought my '95 used. Turned out for me that the problem was driving with the moon roof partially open- I thought that at the speed I was going the water wouldn't get in-duh!

Just pulled the plugs in the bottom of my swimming pool, let it dry-and DIDN'T DO THAT AGAIN!!!

Three years later I have a NEW problem. Seem to get a leak under or behind the back seat left hand side, and on the carpet. Anyone else ever have a problem with that? It's happened even when I let the car sit- I didn't leave the window open!

I'm in the process of pulling out the seats now to let them dry....

Another ? I've found the 2 front drain holes for the sun roof, but don't see where the additional holes are. Could someone tell me???

Thanks,

Maddog

ps- No trace of water or staining on roof liner- Leak has gotta' be oozing from somewhere else...
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'95 LS400 210,000 miles. Daily driver, runs like a clock. 2nd tranny though.
'88 944 Guards Red Porsche Turbo ("Lucille") with chip and boost enhancer. For sale (alas).
'89 944 Red Turbo S. ("red haze"). My track car...can't keep 'em both.

pull off the rear c pillar trim panel and look for the hose there as it is disconnected and leaking down the pillar to the seat base.

My 93 LS400 leaks somewhere around the tail light area and mysteriously travels through the back panel below the trunk lid. There is a small wiring harness that runs across this panel. My leak is through what appears to be one of several tiny vents below this harness. I can see where it traveled to the wheel well and to the right side well below the changer. need to find the leak spot is around the tail light.

Get a Maxima! LOL jk jk jk I couldn't resist

1Maddog, my drain holes were completely stopped up when I bought my 93LS400. First I boiled water on the stove and slowly poured it in the front holes and they started draining. I did the same by elevating the front of the car and poured hot water in the channel since you can't see the drain holes. Then, I got some Clorox Cleanup and poured it in each hole/channel and flushed it out after a couple of minutes. Man, they drain like crazy! As for water in my trunk, I removed the upholstered side panels, located the clear drain hoses and replaced them with new ones about 2 " longer just to make sure they weren't leaking or overflowing into the trunk. I also flushed out those air/water vents on both sides above the small wells. Now, if I can only completely seal my tail lights. Tried silicone + new rubber washers around studs, but still a small leak!