Posted: 10/18/2016 7:28:24 AM EDT
so my beater car I use for driving to work had about 4" of water in the trunk where the spare tire goes and the rear floor boards were soaked. the car is a 03 Hyundai accent. i think i have narrowed down where the water is getting into the car. the rear drivers side tail light has about 1/4" gap between the housing and the frame of the car. i pulled some lining back and sure as shit it was soaked  this car is pretty beat to shit but has low miles and is reliable so im not going to scrap it yet. the area where the tail light is has damage so i know even with a new gasket its not going to seal.
can i use some expanding foam to fill in the gap, then follow it up by using silicone around the exterior of the housing to water proof it? the carpet is shit already so im not concearned about that, im planning on taking out the seats, ripping out the carpet and doing an roll on bed liner for the floor boards. My boots are generally muddy and i think it will be an easier clean up this way. |
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There should be a factory gasket on this . I posted in the OP that I didn't believe a new gasket would work because of body damage on the car. IE car was smashed into on the rear drivers side, a new tail light assembly was installed but the body damage was not correctly fixed. |
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There is probably a drain plug already there. Just pull it out. Quoted:
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Maybe in addition to trying to stop the leak you should give the water some exit path as well? Small hole or two in the bottom of the spare tire well Just pull it out. This. |
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This. Quoted:
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Maybe in addition to trying to stop the leak you should give the water some exit path as well? Small hole or two in the bottom of the spare tire well Just pull it out. This. forgot to mention but yes there were drain plugs in the trunk and I did remove one of them to let the water exit I also drilled a small hole through the flooded floor board that ill patch up after I rip the carpet out and fix the leak. |
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Sunroof Butyl Sealant Tape is what you use around tailights, you can stack it if the light is not level to car like old damage
it will be water tight and also will come apart later if you need it to. amazon has it cheap, https://www.amazon.com/CRL-Sunroof-Butyl-Sealant-Tape/dp/B002CXGSKY |
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Quoted: forgot to mention but yes there were drain plugs in the trunk and I did remove one of them to let the water exit I also drilled a small hole through the flooded floor board that ill patch up after I rip the carpet out and fix the leak. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Maybe in addition to trying to stop the leak you should give the water some exit path as well? Small hole or two in the bottom of the spare tire well Just pull it out. This. forgot to mention but yes there were drain plugs in the trunk and I did remove one of them to let the water exit I also drilled a small hole through the flooded floor board that ill patch up after I rip the carpet out and fix the leak. Get the Flex Seal spray and cover every place you think is leaking. Walmart has it in the "As seen on TV" isle. Let us know if the stuff really can seal up a screen door. |
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No. any silicone that smells of vinegar will cause rusting very quickly. Quoted:
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Expanding foam holds moisture causing rust. Just fill it with silicone. Interesting. How about RTV then?? Or Butyl tape as mentioned above? Probably the best method so far. |