po0dingles

So I started smelling something foul in my Jeep this past weekend. Smelled like cat **** so I knew it must be mold/water that's entering the vehicle. I finally found it in my trunk/cargo area which of course I was using as temporary storage.

I've got one of those "rugged" rubber cargo mats so the problem wasn't obvious at first. When I pulled that out, the entire bottom was saturated with condensation. I removed my stereo equipment and my tools - the carpet was SOPPING wet. Like GALLONS of water must have made its way into the trunk somehow. Mold was growing on my new sub box, my toolbox had about a pint of rusty water INSIDE it. Rust all over my tools. Just a complete mess.

We've had really heavy rains down here in FL the past few weeks. I'm not entirely sure where the leak is coming from (or how the hell it managed to get inside my toolbox!).

I've searched around and saw threads on the rear tailgate struts that could cause an indentation in the rubber seals but this does not appear to be my problem.

I'm going to be running a hose over the entire exterior to see if I can figure out where its coming from but wanted to ask around to see what places I might try checking most thoroughly first.

I recently had a guy install a backup camera so I'm wondering if maybe he didn't put something back properly. The headliner I just replaced was dry to the touch. No clues coming from the roof specifically.

This jeep is essentially bone stock - no aftermarket roof racks or anything like that.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. IF I do find areas that are leaking or could potentially be contributing to the problem...how do I fix?

I read that water can also be entering from the rear tail lights...what would be the best kind of adhesive/water barrier I could apply if I decide to rip the entire carpet out and the bottom panels to address this?

dave1123

Check the gasket on the TOP part of the hatch. If that's bad, water can get into the hinges and drip down from overhead. That's probably why your toolbox is full of water. I've found that even a plastic toolbox isn't waterproof around the handle.

po0dingles

Thanks, Dave.

I checked the seals by eye and feel, and removed some light dust/grit but they're soft to the touch. There aren't any indentations or anything that would seem amiss.

I know on my C5 vette the seals need to be properly maintained -- Vaseline will bring will basically "reconstitute" them like dehydrated vegetables. I did this with my sun roof seal on the Jeep and it worked like a charm.

Funny thing is it was a plastic toolbox. But to have literally a bucket sized amount of water inside is just plan nuts so there must have been even more water entering the trunk.

I appreciate the input.

dave1123

I just realized you're in Florida. Didn't you guys just get some heavy rains and strong winds? Check your vents at the rear edge of the cargo area windows.

That doesn't account for the water in your toolbox, however. That HAS to have come in around the top handle.

I read that Pensacola got 25" of rain and sinkholes are popping up all over. I lived there for 2 years back in the 50's. That was NAS Pensacola, military brat then.

po0dingles

It started raining hard so I ran outside. I found the leak!

I'm uploading a video now so folks can see it for themselves, maybe it'll help someone else since I've received so much help from this forum.

Basically there are two plugs on each side of the top trunk/hinge area. One was pulled out after I had a stereo & reverse camera installed at best buy. Not such a great job obviously, since the guy didn't bother to plug anything back in, allowing gallons of water into my cargo area.

I pushed the plug back in as best I can -- there's now a new cord running around the outside and into the hole the plug is supposed to seal. I moved the wire to the top and pushed in the bottom of the plug to at least help stop some of the water from getting in.

I also pulled the rubber seal out and cleaned underneath the hinges. They were gummed up pretty bad with mud and debris, which created a dam on each side. The water would build up between those two points and then funnel its way down inside the hole where the plugs are.