Water leak in hatch area - 93 Loyale

[Scoby4wd]

Hi All,

Looking for a bit of advice.  I noticed some water pooling in the rear fender well where the jack is stored on my 93 Loyale wagon.  Initially I thought the tail light was leaking but I dont see evidence of water coming in from there.  I see the window washer tank in that location too but I dont believe that is the culprit.  Any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[idosubaru]

that other panel in the picture looks like it might have an easy/tab/handle for pulling down?  can you pull that off and look? 

does it have an external antenna in that area?  are there any drain hoses for the atenna, etc there? 

keep looking "up" for the highest level of wetness you can find.  which can be tough if it's been wet, humid, condensing. 

generally spray water from the outside while looking carefully with a flashlight on the inside.  preferrably after drying it out so there's no residual wetness. 

 

[carfreak85]

I constantly battle water intrusion on my three EA82 3-doors.  While they have several leak paths compared to your wagon, my first inclination would be to check your taillamp gaskets, those are pretty easy to inspect.  If perished/flattened reconstruct them out of closed-cell foam.  Make sure any drain holes aren't plugged in those cavities.  Does your wagon have a sunroof?  Check that the rear drain tubes aren't leaking or disconnected.

If you're really unlucky you won't have found the leak yet and you'll need to get drastic.  Best way to find leaks is with two people using high volume, low pressure water, like from a garden hose on full flow.  Remove the interior plastic panels in the hatch area and sit yourself inside with the tailgate closed.  Have your helper direct the water onto various areas like the taillamps, window gaskets, hatch seal, body panel seams.  Inside the vehicle you'll want to be watching for any little drips or rivers of water getting into the interior.

[el_freddo]

Through the rear side window rubber or trim piece under the window. 

It’ll most likely be the lower front corner that’s the culprit if it’s the window rubber leaking. 

The leak will drop into the wall cavity, above the rear wheel, then flow down into that rear well area. Leave this issue and you’ll end up with rust coming through from the inside to outside. 

Cheers 

Bennie

[Scoby4wd]

Thanks for the advice.  I've had good luck resealing tail lights on the 3 doors but in this case it didnt seem to be tail lights.  I will check the window seals and trim.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Scoby4wd