Water leak...into spare tire area etc

I just found out 5 gallons of water on the spare tire cargo and 1 gallon on the 12V battery area. Pop-out the rubber seal and drain it. After carefully pry the gutter on the top of the car I found cracks on the border between quarter panel and roof. I epoxy the hairline crack and groove and will see if it still leaks. It is so horrible and may be a hazard since the high voltage 500V traction battery is just next to it.

 

Found my leak up around the same area as keyslammer on the previous page.

I just coated the area with Vaseline, put back on the rubber strip, wiped off any excess, and it's perfect now. Even the musty smell is gone!

Must admit I'm well chuffed with myself as I figured it out before finding this thread!

 

I joined to say thanks for this post. This fixed my problem on my 2007.

 

I found this post searching the internet last week. My 2007 was leaking water into the trunk area also. I used windshield silicone as instructed above to seal the body lines at the top of the hatch, and it solved my leak issues. It's crazy two little hairline cracks would let that much water in, but my problem is solved! Thanks guys!

 

welcome, and congrats!

 

I have a leak coming into the trunk of my prius. I have closely inspected the whole area around the top of the hatch and there doesn't appear to be any cracks (such as pictured in some of the posts above). So I am at a loss as to where the water is getting in exactly. Suggestions are much appreciated!

 

Update: I have spent another few days trying to find the leak and I'm still not sure where its coming from. Possibly through the tail light? The search continues..

 

Yes, If you are in Eugene, I am not that far from you. Albeit, in the Coast Range at about 1000 feet....

We have had record rainfall this winter, so if any cracks were to make themselves known, this is the year. I found, two days ago, very, very, very (can I say very any more) light evidence of a very, very, very minor seep on the driver's side, where that empty container sits just behind the wheel well.

That is all I have found. having said that, I am battling some significant physical issues at the moment and I did not want to pull the tire or deal with checking out the battery side of the hatch. Guess I should "woman up" and do it. Ah, I will wait until tomorrow.

But, what is the preferred sealer. Is just GE silicone as good as any. I have a lot of it.

Hmm, Shawn Storm. Any relation to Storm Kennedy? LOL>

Storm Kennedy - Home

kris

 

Its definitely been a crazy winter! Not sure what the best sealant to use would be.

 

Hello! For those who applied sealant to the cracks under the rubber molding area, did it fix your water leak? If so, is it still holding up? Did you have to add another coat of sealant after awhile?

 

Windshield silicone is what you want, as it flows nicely for this application. I used this one from Permatex available from the typical auto parts retailers, Autozone in my case:

Permatex® Flowable Silicone Windshield & Glass Sealer - Permatex

Still leak free almost 3 years into the repair I did on our '07.

 

Thank you for the update! This gives me hope. I cleaned the area by the clip with a toothbrush, water, and soap. I cleaned around that area and down past the hydraulic hatch strut. I found small crack by the clip and around the the welded seam. I used the flowable silicone stuff and put it around the clips, the crack, and even under the hydraulic hatch strut to be safe. After about 2 hours of drying, I put another coat of the silicone stuff just in case. I did this for both sides. I hope this solves my water leak in my 12v battery and spare tire area. Thanks again for the update.

 

How do I remove the drain plugs on the outside under the 12v battery area? I tried using a screwdriver to pop it out but I didn't want to use too much force and possibly break it. I've attached a picture of what I think is the drain plug. Please correct me if I am wrong. I'm not very handy with cars. Thank you.

 

No that’s just a clip. Drain plug is a bit inward from where the picture is taken. It’s rubber plug.

 

Hey - I think I have the same problem as posted in many of these above threads - any reason why I couldn't run a dehumidifier in my Prius all night to help dry out all the wet fabric, foam, spare tire and battery area?

 

If it's just confined to the trunk are just take it all out, pull the drain plugs, wet vac or towel dry and use somw cleaning agent to prevent odors later or mold growth. I thought I was confined to the trunk only to find it was under the seats and dehumidifier is not going to fix that. Sorry.

SM-G935P ?

 

Would it be safe for me to remove the 12v and then clean in that area with soap and water? Or should I have the dealer remove the battery and then clean it?

I'm almost certain its only the rear side panels, the spare tire area and the 12v battery area plus some of the wiring on each side too. I removed the rear seat pad and checked all over in there and it was dry as were the floor mats and carpets from front to back.

 

Get a 10mm socket and remove the positive and negative cable along with the tie down bracket and clean away.

SM-G935P ?

 

In that order? positive first and then negative?

 

Doesn't really matter although some will disagree. Just don't hit the any other metal while connected to the positive. Try You tub. For videos.

SM-G935P ?