My Battery Took A Swim [ pics inside | 56k suicide ]

[Ducati]

So my cousin comes over to inspect my car so we can begin to work on it, fixing it up a bit. So he pops open the trunk and lord be hold there's about 5 inches of water and my battery is swimming. Funny thing is I drove it 20 mins before I found this out. So I drained it but scared the shit outta me, got some rust marks too. The water got in there through a cracked seal around the gas cap. Stupid california rain season.

[Ben Carufel]

Hrm, it got in through the gas filler neck boot huh?

Good to know, mine's been doing this for a while -- I just drilled holes on through the bottom of each of the side pockets in the rear so that the water drips out on it's own.

My gas filler neck boot has been torn since way back.

[Ducati]

Doesn't it effect your battery at all? :?

[Ben Carufel]

Doesn't seem like it ever has.

*shrug*

[KenC]

replace your tail-light gaskets

[Ducati]

My whats? :?

[KenC]

My whats? :?

Take your tail-lights out and you'll see (maybe you won't lol) a black rubber gasket around it. Yours need to be replaced, it's the most common cause of water leaking into trunks in that spot. There is a light chance it could be the large trunklid gasket though.

[DSchultz325e]

I had that same problem years ago. Thought it was the trunk gasket until I stumbled upon bmwe30.net. It is most likely the tail light gaskets, believe it or not. The water can be felt along the rearward base of the trunk if you check it out after a heavy rain.

[Ben Carufel]

This is good to know. I'll replace those, too.

I always figured it was the trunk gasket but that guy seems super intact and I've put an application or two of gummi-pflege on it...still getting the water inside.

[PeaveyBassist]

I bet its the tail light gaskets. If you spray a bunch of water on the trunk and open the turnk and look at the metal right below the tail lights and see if you can see water going down that. It shouldnt be "flowing" but you can see where it will be wet.

Will

[Digitalwave]

Hrm, it got in through the gas filler neck boot huh?

I don't think that has anything to do with the trunk, Ben.

[Ben Carufel]

Hrm, it got in through the gas filler neck boot huh?

I don't think that has anything to do with the trunk, Ben.

Neither did I. Hence the puzzled expression on my face. Not that you could see it.

Might as well replace it since it's only $6.

[BS87]

PO of my cabrio kept it in the garage always, so it almost never saw rain.

First rainstorm of the year, 5 inches of water in my trunk + spare tire well (To be fair, there was so much rain local bridges were washed out, but still...)

Upon closer inspection, the taillight gaskets were so bad i wouldn't even call them gaskets, more like a painted coating :shock:

[EtaSport]

Yea, I've gotten both sides. Most is coming from tail lights as I have a rust spot right under my driver's side which will be repaired in the spring. But I also had a spot weld break on the trunk hinge. If you take the battery tray out there should be a box for the battery vent, pull it out and watch any pooled water spil to the ground.

[Ducati]

Tomorrow I plan to go to the junkyard see if there's any parts I could use, I'll take a look at it then, and I'll update you guys/girls on what happend to it.