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Water leak in hatch area

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Don402, Feb 25, 2018.

  1. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Sprung a leak! Probably gonna have to tear trim apart to figure out were the leak is coming in from. Looking for common areas to check. Saw numerous reports of a crack opening near the top of the body. Didn't look like anything there on mine.

    Thinking maybe it's coming in through the taillight.

    Here are some photos the wife took while I was changing the battery:
     
    #1 Don402, Feb 25, 2018
    SFO likes this.
  2. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Water in battery & spare wheel well, usu due to hatch hing cracks. Poor body work is another contributor.

    START reading from Post #49!
    Water leak...into spare tire area etc | Page 3 | PriusChat

    Best to disassemble rear cargo area so no panneling is hiding the water entry. Even remove the plastic pannels off rear hatch door. Water has entered from a failed seals on the hatch before, for others.
     
    #2 exstudent, Feb 25, 2018
  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Take the black plastic strips off the sides of the roof they pop right off you will see hairline cracks running up that valley.

    Or the tail lights have been replaced with after market units and they don’t fit right and leak badly. Get in there with flashlight and have wife hose it down while you look for leaks. Watch bottom edge of tail lights.

    Battery well probably a swimming pool. There’s plugs in bottom take them out. Plug under spare tire take that out.
     
    #3 edthefox5, Feb 26, 2018
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  4. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    #4 Don402, Mar 4, 2018
  5. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Just looked again and the side tabs are for the rear bumper cover.
     
    #5 Don402, Mar 4, 2018
  6. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Spray FlexSeal around the leaking spots?

     
    #6 Don402, Mar 4, 2018
  7. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    You are starting on the wrong end. Listen to Edthefox, he never steers anyone wrong. Find the leak spots on the exterior and seal them with flowable silicone.

    Could be on the roof, which Edthefox is talking about, could be in the actual channel the hatch beds into (you know, you close the hatch and it seals into that channel). Probably the roof as ETF said.
     
    #7 Stevewoods, Mar 4, 2018
  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Was this car in an accident? If so take it back to the body shop.

    The rear bumper cover should be removed and a weatherstripping applied to the opening where the grommet/screw fastener enters. Go to Home Depot/Lowe's and pick up the black rubberish weatherstripping, various thickness and width; you will figure out which one will work. Avoid weatherstripping FOAM; cheaper and does not last long. As the exterior screw is screwed into the plastic grommet, the weatherstripping seal will compress a little, and a watertight seal will be made.

    For added peace of mind, you can apply a silicone sealer to the outside and inside of these grommet/screw fasteners; overkill IMO. These parts are meant to be accessible and removable when the need arises. Adding silicone gets in the way.

    You still need to rule out hatch hinge cracks and water entry from hatch itself due to failed weatherstripping seals from the spiler and garnish.
     
    #8 exstudent, Mar 5, 2018
  9. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Just got the car through private sale and there wasn't any accident history. Still cold where I'm at, so I plan on using the flex seal on the inside. Just going to rely on that for a month. Then I'll take off the whole bumper cover and reinstall with weather stripping.

    Did troubleshooting with spraying the car down while I was inside the hatch and was able to watch where the water was coming in from. I'm pretty sure it was just the areas pictured. I'll let the flex seal dry and do some more spraying to double check that it's not coming in from other areas.
     
    #9 Don402, Mar 5, 2018
  10. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Do you know if the rear side seal, part number 52592-47010, is supposed to actually be the item sealing out the water? I put some caulk around the rear side of the bolts. There is still leaking and I can see it coming in various nook & crannies below the taillight. I think there was supposed to be a seal for all the spots but is missing. If the part mention is what I need, I'll order it before taking the bumper off. Otherwise I'll get the Home Depot weatherstripping.

     
    #10 Don402, Apr 1, 2018
  11. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    #11 Don402, Apr 11, 2018
  12. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    edthefox5, can you look at my last post? Do you know much about the rear side seals?
     
    #12 Don402, Apr 11, 2018
  13. Don402

    Don402 Member

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    Just got done looking at videos and photos of the tail lights and bumper being removed. Doesn't look like any of the spots in the last three photos I uploaded are accessible from the outside of the car. I will be adding the permatex to the usual areas tomorrow.
     
    #13 Don402, Apr 11, 2018
  14. Robert Ruggiero

    Robert Ruggiero Junior Member

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    Noticed 3 inch pool of water in spare tire well AND rust stains in my battery compartment. Then checked the roof trim piece/seal/waterproofing is missing on the top rear portion of roof (circled). Anyone know what the part number is OR have ideas for alternative fix?
     

    Attached Files:

    #14 Robert Ruggiero, Jun 3, 2018
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