2001 Es300

[Rusty]

I recently bought a 2001 ES300. As I was cleaning it out, I noticed 1/2" of water in the trunk, at the bottom of the well where the spare tire is stored. We have had a lot of rain here in the Northeast during the last week and the car was parked outside for a few nights.

I cleaned out the area and sprayed it down with bleach. I noticed there are two rubber plugs, about 2" in diameter in the trunk, but they appear to be in ok condition, so I don't think the water came in through there.

Has anyone else had this problem ? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to locate the leak ?

[91L3xus]

I had this problem, which I noticed right after picking the car up from the guy selling it- I just like to poke around, ended up checking the spare tire and all of the trunk, and found 2 inches of dirty (most likely rusty) water sitting at the bottom of the spare tirre cutout. I took the spare out, and the lip of the rim sitting in water had started to rust and corrode, so it must've been in there for a while. I took out the plugs out and sprayed it out with a hose, took some towels and windex and cleaned the rest of it, making sure it was completely dry before I reinstalled anything. I've had the plugs out of thoe holes ever since, but no water had collected in the spare cut out. Now that I think about it, the water might just be draining out and not collecting, and I've never noticed it. <_<

This is on a 1991 ES250, but I would think the idea is the same. Make sure you check all the rubber lining around the trunk opening. A common problem with my car was that the arms or hinges would somehow expand and cause the trunk lid to raise up above the body line, with a slant going from the bottom of the rear window to the rear of the car. The trunk hinges had been replaced right before I got the car, so maybe that was the remedy to my standing water in the spare cutout. Hope that helps.

In the picture, I circled where the trunk lid is higher than the rest of the car; the same problem is starting to come back.

[gbhrps]

Rusty,

If water is getting into the trunk, it can only get in a number of ways. The trunk lid seal isn't doing its job, the tail light seals aren't doing their job, the rear window glass is not sealed properly, or if your car is sunroof equipped, the rear drain tubes may have come disconnected from their drains up inside the roof. I'd put my guess at the tail light seals, as this is fairly common on many cars. Been there done that, more than once. How to tell is to apply a moderately running garden hose, starting low and working slowly upwards around first one tail light, then opening the trunk and checking for signs. Close her up and do the other side. Then move slowly up one side of the trunk/fnder line, and again check inside. Do the other side. Then up one side of the rear windshield, and check, then the other side, and so on across the top of the windshield. Lastly is the sunroof, etc., until you find the culprit. If you're small enough, and can trust a friend to not leave you in there forever, climb into the trunk with a flashlight while they do the testing outside. Sooner or later you'll find where the water is coming in, just be sure to start low and work upwards, and take your time. Water leaks sometimes take a while to show. Good Luck!