Hello everyone,

Everytime I wash my car water leaks into the trunk. I can't think of why this would happen. The center back piece that says MAXIMA on it the top that is chrom came off along time ago. The spare tire well got full of water also. Any help is very appreciated.

91 GXE.

 

check the seal that goes arond the trunk. that might be it. or if your car has ever been in a collision, it throws of the trunk lineup.

 

this happened to me a year back and it also happened to my buds max. both of us had a leak around the tail light seal. check them for any leaks by pour water on top of the tails. look for the littliest leaks because they can sure become puddles over time. Trust me. hope this helps. after u find where the leak is, get some weatherstrip type of seal and patch it.

 

also just in case you dont know there are some plugs at the bottom of the spare tire well. You can pull these plugs to empty the water that is in there.

 

yeah i found this out the hard way too. water was in the well about an inch. luckily i found the drain. since then, it's leaked but not much. i think it is coming in from around the taillights on my car because of where the water is in the trunk. i've been meaning to go out and pour water everywhere, but it's been pouring like crazy here for a couple weeks.
P.S. on that note, my brother and i were in his 89 camaro the other day driving on atlantic blvd (for anyone in S FL) and there was this HUGE puddle. about halfway through we stop, engine won't start, musta been water logged. water starts coming in at our feet and on the back floor. then we feel it, we're floating, tires are on the ground, but the car is lifting a little. so we have to push...in the pouring rain. we open our doors and more water comes in over the sill, then we're pushing like 30 feet out of the water. the car finally started up after about 20 minutes and he drove it home to orlando. oh well, had to get that story out...

 

Your lucky your car started again after just 20 minutes!! You more than likely got water up the exhaust, not good.

 

I had water in my trunk and found out there was a hole in the driver's side from rust. It was just behind the shock tower. Turns out is was a fuel filler stem recall (see Gen forum) and now I am in litigation with Nissan of America and local dealership(s) to get it fixed. They don't want to do it becuase it is around $4500 worth of work and they say my car isn't worth it . I have spent around $7500 in mods and repairs, so if they won't fix it I'm going to have to do it out-of-pocket...

 

That sucks! Where do I look fo rthis rust around the fuel filler..under the car or will it be evident if I open the gas door?

 

Do a SEARCH for recalls in the General Forum and you'll find a thread all about it. Basically, the evidence of the damage is behind the trunk liner, so you'll have to remove it to see it. I found it when I put in new struts. When I pulled out the back seat, it pulled the seat belt harness off of the area in the trunk where it was bolted to. This obviously was a problem becuase this should never happen. The damage is on the driver's side, behind where the fuel filler stem is bolted to the inside of the wheel well. In my case, both of the rear wheel wells and quarter panels need to be replaced. Nothing can stop it once it's started, either. If you find that thread when you do a SEARCH, you'll find listed in it an 800 number that you can call. Have you VIN ready and they can tell you if the recall has been fixed or not. If you live in the "saltbelt", then it's been recalled and chances are it hasn't been fixed. Good luck...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nismo1989
[B]

Do a SEARCH for recalls in the General Forum and you'll find a thread all about it.

I had this recall performed back in 1998 and after reading your post I decided to check out the seatbelt mounts under the rear seat. Wouldn't ya know it, I effortlessly pushed a screw driver right through the rust around the bolts. So, I called nissan corporate and they have to de-archive my vehichle because it was already repaired, but not at a Nissan dealer. As matter of fact, I never even had a dealer look at the car. Simply took it to a friends body shop and they replaced to fuel fill tube, but my guess is they never inspected the seat belt mounts. I'll know more next Monday when Nissan calls me with the information. Hope to hell they have to fix the car because the left, rear, wheel well is severely rusted.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by keener
[B]I hope you have better luck with Nissan than I have. This is the third Nissan I've owned and I've never had trouble with anything like this until now. It's a shame...

 

Well, I searched NHTSA website and found the fillerneck recall..after reading this thread (1st time I heard of this recall) I checked my 89 SE and sure as ****, there was rust at the drivers rear seatbelt mounting location..put my finger right through it! I hope Nissan honors this recall, even though my car is probably not valued at what the repairs will likely cost! I love the car regardless of all the crap that comes along with it and I still fully intend on modding it to extremes. Anyone have experience/advice on the best way to proceed?
thanks

---Mike

 

you need to call nissan corporate and talk with a representative. give them the vin and they will let you know if your car was involved with the recall. if not, there is nothing they will do to help. sorry....but good luck

 

I called a local nissan dealer..they ran the VIN nad no luck..it either had been done already and rotted out again or I'm not in the recall. How extensive is this repair. I don't have afiller neck problem, but the seatbelt mount is rotted to hell. Is this the only area that requires repair. I could cut the section out and weld steel plate in there, but should I be concerned about additional structural damage? I did search the topic, but came up with little as far as details on the extent of the damage likely. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The damage is there and there is nothing you can do to stop it. It will spread and eventually where you weld your sheet metal it will deteriorate and be structurally unsafe. Think about this: you are dealing with an area (your seatbelt) that was not meant to be tampered with and is important vitally to the safety of anyone riding in your car. Knowing that you have this damage, and still allowing someone to ride in that seat, makes you legally liable to some sort of degree for thier safety should you be involved in an accident. This was my argument with Nissan. Had I not found this damage adn the seatbelt come loose in a collision, how would they feel about being sued for such a thing? Thier answer was "that is what the recall is for. It is your responsibility has a consumer to abide by the recall and take the necessary action." My argument is" why the hell should I have to pay for it????
The only way to get rid of the damage is to replace the fuel filler stem, the ENTIRE wheel well housing, and likely the entire quarter panel. Sorry to break it to ya, but unless you can get Nissan to fix it you are gonna probably be out $4K just to keep yourself from possibly being liable. Good luck and keep us all posted.