Dreaded Water Leak In Trunk

[chevelles240]

Hey everyone,

So I've done some searching around and this issue seems to be a very prominent issue in the Mazda community where water leaks through into the tire compartment under the trunk. I posted a video so you all can see what preventative measure I applied to stop the leaking, but my method failed...

At this point I honestly do not know what to do. Do any of you recommend some sort of compound that I could coat where the leaks are occurring? Any type of seal that I could purchase?

I already tried fixing the leaks from the outside of the car, but as I explained in the video, that did not work out.

You may have to turn your volume up to hear my voice in the video.

Thank you to anyone who can help or offer some assistance.

 

[austinzprotege]

wish i could help, but i need to say thank you because you helped me, im about to go check mine for similar leeks

 

[chevelles240]

Austinzprotege, hopefully you do not have leaks in your trunk. My car hasn't had a huge rust problem because of it, but I plan on keeping this car for a long time, so I'd rather fix this issue than neglect to address it.

I did some online research and think maybe getting some silicone sealant will do the trick, but I still want to hear from others what they did to fix this problem. I fear that if I add some silicone sealant, https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned), then the water will still push its way through because it may be sitting in the passage way its flowing through and the sealant wont dry in time.

I read on this forum that people said the issue was coming from "Behind the tail lights" and that the sealant behind those crack over time, but there wasn't any noticeable cracks and we applied some rooftop sealant their anyways. I also tested to see if the water was flowing through behind the tail lights, but I did not see air bubbles form in that area.

 

[DOMO]

I had the same issue when I used to own my p5. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out where the water was coming from so I would just stuff some paper towel under the spare tire. Then after it would rain or I would wash the car, I would toss the wet towel and replace with new ones.

Not the best solution but it did help from rust forming

 

[betting101]

hello sorry to see you have a leak in the mp5! a few things to consider when looking for the leak would be: tail light gaskets, rear hatch spoiler, rear wheel well liner. Im sure there are more things to consider but if you havent looked into this then i hope it helps!

 

[memo79]

I had this happen a while back. It started after the roof had been PDR'd after a hailstorm. After checking everything and not finding a solution, I left it be because quite honestly it doesn't rain much in west TX. But then I shipped the car to Korea, where we frequently got rain, and I started noticing a musty smell after it rained. I checked the trunk, and the spare area and the area in the fender immediately to the left of the spare held about 1/2 a gallon of water after each rain. BAD. Worse yet, the headliner was damp right in the center where it met the trunk weather seal. I traced it to here: The grommet that is on top of the trunk opening that feeds the wires to the hatch brake light. It wasn't seated properly, and rain would get in, trickle around and into the trunk. After I put it in correctly, no more water in the trunk. It's worth checking to see if it's the offender on your cars also.

Edit: There are two of these grommets. One's for electrical (wiper motor, light, defrost, it's on the left side) and the other is the washer fluid hose pass-through in the center. Both should be checked.

 

[kms1990]

try using clear silicone around your tail lights, i had some leaks in my hatch and that solved it. is the carpet/cover wet or just underneath?

 

[chevelles240]

I had the same issue when I used to own my p5. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out where the water was coming from so I would just stuff some paper towel under the spare tire. Then after it would rain or I would wash the car, I would toss the wet towel and replace with new ones.

Not the best solution but it did help from rust forming

That is what I am having to do each time it rains. That is why I am still working at fixing this issue because I'd rather not have to do that each time it rains.

hello sorry to see you have a leak in the mp5! a few things to consider when looking for the leak would be: tail light gaskets, rear hatch spoiler, rear wheel well liner. Im sure there are more things to consider but if you havent looked into this then i hope it helps!

Thanks Betting101, I plan on taking all of that into consideration.

I had this happen a while back. It started after the roof had been PDR'd after a hailstorm. After checking everything and not finding a solution, I left it be because quite honestly it doesn't rain much in west TX. But then I shipped the car to Korea, where we frequently got rain, and I started noticing a musty smell after it rained. I checked the trunk, and the spare area and the area in the fender immediately to the left of the spare held about 1/2 a gallon of water after each rain. BAD. Worse yet, the headliner was damp right in the center where it met the trunk weather seal. I traced it to here: The grommet that is on top of the trunk opening that feeds the wires to the hatch brake light. It wasn't seated properly, and rain would get in, trickle around and into the trunk. After I put it in correctly, no more water in the trunk. It's worth checking to see if it's the offender on your cars also.

Edit: There are two of these grommets. One's for electrical (wiper motor, light, defrost, it's on the left side) and the other is the washer fluid hose pass-through in the center. Both should be checked.

I will definitely check that as well. I am hoping its something simple like that compared to slapping sealant everywhere...

try using clear silicone around your tail lights, i had some leaks in my hatch and that solved it. is the carpet/cover wet or just underneath?

The carpet does get wet. I guess the water hits the carpet as well and just starts to soak into it while it also runs down into the tire compartment. So would I take the tail light off again and add silicone under it? or am I literally sealing the tail light onto the car with the silicone?

I am thinking the only time I can really address this is when the weather starts to get warm again. Its too cold and rains too often to fix this. Plus the only days I can work on this stuff is on the weekends and that's always hit or miss.

 

[kms1990]

my carpet was not getting wet, the silicone fixed where mine ended up which was on the sides under the carpet. check your hatch seal as well. the silicone does "adhere" the light to the body but all you need to do should a light fail just take out the nuts from the threads inside the hatch and pull it off it rips silicone so just re-silicone each time and make it thick beads

 

[shanewalrus]

this is my first post ever so im sorry about the noobage but i am having a water leak but not in the trunk. there are wet spots on my headliner that are showing up above my front doors, right where those plastic pieces reach the headliner, anybody have any insight on where it could be leaking from? only leaks when raining. i have an 02 MP5 with a roof rack

 

[lowlevel]

this is my first post ever so im sorry about the noobage but i am having a water leak but not in the trunk. there are wet spots on my headliner that are showing up above my front doors, right where those plastic pieces reach the headliner, anybody have any insight on where it could be leaking from? only leaks when raining. i have an 02 MP5 with a roof rack

Sunroof drain lines perhaps?

 

[shanewalrus]

Forgot to clarify that i do not have a sunroof on my protege5, i posted a picture to help show where the water is coming in. ANY help would be greatly appreciated, im trying to keep her as pristine as possible

 

[kms1990]

Forgot to clarify that i do not have a sunroof on my protege5, i posted a picture to help show where the water is coming in. ANY help would be greatly appreciated, im trying to keep her as pristine as possible

that would point me to a leaky windshield seal try some clear silicone around the outer seal of the windshield especially up near where it comes in and around your side windows as well. if that doesnt work then you may need a new windshield/door window seal

 

[shanewalrus]

ill definitely try applying silicone as soon as possible. there isn't all that much water seeping into my headliner but enough for me to notice so im hoping the silicone will do the trick. thank you for the input, much appreciated!

 

[kms1990]

ill definitely try applying silicone as soon as possible. there isn't all that much water seeping into my headliner but enough for me to notice so im hoping the silicone will do the trick. thank you for the input, much appreciated!

not a problem, always glad to help.

 

[chevelles240]

I know this is an old thread, but I finally got the leaking to stop and I thought I'd describe how.

Prior to this I attempted filling the cracks with roof tile sealant and adhesive compound. This means I took the tail lights off, applied sealant, then applied sealant in the trunk where I thought the water was leaking through. Did this on 3 separate occasions and the leaks never stopped.

So I just took the brute force approach, bought 2 cans of black Rust-Oleum LeakSeal, removed ALL of the plastic from the trunk, and sprayed in every area where I thought water could go through.

DONE! No more leaks! I did a water test before I attached all of the plastic molding in the trunk and no water leaked through. It also rained last night and this morning I checked and there was no water.

If anyone wants me to post photos of what I did then let me know. I forgot to take photos before putting everything back together, but I'd be willing to do it again if it helps a fellow Protege5 owner out.