I bought my '96 Max in January. When I first checked the spare tire a little while after I bought the car, I discovered water underneath the spare. I cleaned it up and thought the guy before me possibly left the trunk open and water got in. The other day when I opened the trunk, I noticed my trunk mat was damp in one corner. I took it out to dry it. Once again, I noticed approx 1-2 inches of water underneath the spare tire again. After I bought the car, I read that Nissan changed the design of the trunk for 97. Can anyone with a 95 or 96 tell me if they are experiencing the same problem. Do the 97-99 models get water? What exactly is the source of the problem and how can I fix it?

Thanks

 

i have a 95 and i dont have any water problems.......except that one time when i got a flat tire and i had to change my tire and when i put my tools back i never wipped the snow off of them and the snow melted in my spare tire compartment but thats it.......other than that its very dry down there......

 

Check the Weather stripping that lines the top of your trunk compartment that the trunk sits on when closed. To be honest with you, mine did that for about 2 weeks when I bought it, and this was happening everytime it rained. I checked the weather-stripping and it wasn't secured at some places, so it allowed water to come in. Good luck

 

Hmmm, yeah, I'd go with the weatherstrip in the trunk too.

If that checks out ok, I'd probably consider:
a) spoiler seal (if equipped), mine leaks a little
b) Tail lamp assy weather seal.

Let us know!!!

 

hmmm i had water in my 97 when I bought it, but since then the problem hasnt resurfaced, you are not alone

 

What about the rubber seals thats on the outside of the spare tire space that could be offset maybe

 

Its happened on other Nissans I've owned, but my Max hasn't had this problem. I'll go with group consensus here and say check the weather stripping.

 

Thanks for all of your suggestions! I found that the weather stripping that lines the top of the trunk compartment is loose in the middle of the strip. The rest of the strip is quite secure. Got inside the trunk, and a friend of mine sprayed the back window, tail lights and the trunk lid. With my light, I saw the water trickling in after 30 seconds of spraying water. Now the question is, how do I fix this problem? Thanks for your help.

 

Go to your auto store, I should think they'll have a glue you could use to secure your weatherstrip to the metal lip

 

check the black plugs in the bottom of the wheel well