Hey everyone, When I bought this car a few weeks ago, the owner said that it had always had water in the trunk. They said that they discovered this originally when someone in the back seat got wet after a hard application of the brakes. The owner said that they had several people look at it and try to determine the source of the leak, but to no avail. I was in the trunk a day or so ago and noted that the top of the spare wheel has about an inch of water standing in it now. It was dry when I bought the car. I've checked all of the weatherstrip etc and don't see anything amiss. Are these cars notorious for this and has anyone ever figured out where the water actually comes from? Mine has way to much to even consider condensation as the culprit.

Thanks

 

Obviously, the water is coming from some kind of hole or leaky seal. Probably the only thing you can do is vacuum out all of the water, strip out everything in the trunk (take out the carpeting, spare, maybe even the side panels, so you can see down in there) and get inside with a flashlight or a small lantern. Close the trunk and have someone dump a bucket of water on the top of the car and see where the seal is leaking.

With the trunk open, it isn't going to drain the same as with it closed.

You might want to check the drain hoses from the moonroof, too. Maybe it got cut somewhere. I think the drain hose usually clogs up and lets water in through the roof, but maybe yours was cut or removed inside the car somewhere.

 

my weather stripping on my SE was leaking when i bought it and i had a 5 inch puddle in the trunk. First thing, i would remove all the wet carpet and the spare and everything and let that trunk dry out, or you will have one smelly car in a bit.

To fix the weather stripping, it is pretty easy. The weatherstripping will appear normal, i just went around by wear the puddle was and pulled up on the stripping (put i didnt pull it out, just a firm tug to test for proper adhesion). I found a little area which i could pull away a small bit. I just took some silicone sealant and smushed it in the crack with my finger. I have been leak free ever since!

If you can't find the leak, i would run a very thin coat of silicone around the entire stripping. This should seal it up, and if not then you know it isn't the weatherstripping. DON'T use too much silicone, you may glue your trunk lid down .

 

that all makes sense that it could actually go under the weather strip if it's not adhered to the metal. I'll check that. Too late on the smelly carpet in the trunk. There was a pine tree deodorizer in there when I got the car. The last owners had even gone so far as to remove the plug from the bottom of the spare tire well so it wouldn't hold water. I have washed the car a couple of times since I've had it, so that has to be the source of the water. No sunroof, so that's not an issue.

Really thinking about a Gen 4 anyway.. we'll see. Thanks for the input.

 

Look at your seatbelt anchorage , where the shocks are bolted in . Maybe you got some holes in there , Nissan recalled cars for this , and they are prone to rust on almost every Maxima i ve seen

 

On my 91 the water came in through the taillight. There is a seal around the taillight that was worn out and letting the water throught. I took out the taillight and sealed it with silicone around the seal and it was fine. Check to see if your tails are wet inside.

 

take the rear seat apart, close the trunk, have a good friend splash the trunk with a garden hose while you stick your head with a flash light into the trunk from the inside and starting looking for sign of leakage.