Mystery Rear Hatch Leak Found

I had all the rear cargo area leaks chased down and fixed last summer and thought I was all ready for the wet Portland winter ahead of me. That was until I backed into a tree and had to have the DS quarter panel replaced. I didn't think about the little rear slider window clips leaking again until I found wet carpet last week.

Pulling the panels off, I did find all the typical evidence of the little plastic clips leaking, so I plugged those up with some clear RTV silicone. So far, nothing new.

The interesting new leak I found is from the gas cap door gasket. Check out the pics:

http://homepage.mac.com/stevenlent/landcruiser/PhotoAlbum35.html

I was surprised to see how minimal the rubber gasket is between the sheet metal and the filler tube holder piece. If you remove the four screws and take off the bolt attaching the fuel door release pin, you will be able to pull the hard, plastic filler tube surround. It holds the filler tube in the center of the hole and separates the outside of the vehicle from the underside.

The only barrier to the inside of the quarter panel is the rubber gasket, which is held down and sealed off by the hard plastic piece. After 10 years, the outer plastic piece has warped a little in between the four screws and no longer holds the rubber gasket firmly to the sheet metal of the quarter panel. I could see a very clear water line running down from the gasket. I'm sure this was where much of the water intrusion was coming from. I sealed the rubber gasket to the sheet metal with clear RTV, so hopefully that stops it.

I also noticed the factory jack holder extends from the cavity it rests in, out over the edge of the carpet. If any water sits in the jack holder, it can easily spill out and onto the carpet. I removed the holder, jack, and tools, and I probably wont put them back. I would much rather have a few drops of water now and then make it into the bottom of the quarter panel than accumulate in the jack holder and spill out onto the carpet where it will cause much more damage.

Hi Steve,

I tried checking out the write-up on your .Mac site, but all the pic links were broken.

Hey, it sounds like you had that entire panel replaced, which means a shop was in there messing around and was supposed to put the seals back in contact with their sealing surfaces, etc. Makes me wonder if the issues were caused not by 10 year old seals (mine are 14 and tight) but by whomever was in there messing about, eh? Be sure things were done correctly in that area as the interface between the body and the fuel filler tube is heavily scrutinized during design and assembly due to this area's key responsibility in preventing a fuel leak in a severe crash. Body shops leave off filler neck grounds, gaskets and seals all the time.

DougM

Yeah, no doubt that pulling the pieces out due to the replacement of the quarter panel had a lot to do with it. All the pieces appear to be intact, just not sealing so well.

FWIW, almost a year later and no more evidence of leaks. So far so good.

I pulled the pics off my website to save a little space. Let me know which ones you are looking for and I'll send them to you.

Holy brought back from the dead, Batman! Glad you are leak free, Steve.

Thanks for the tips...

I just picked up a 93 and during cleaning it out, I have wet carpet near the back. I need to check the windows and the gas door area. Good ideas. Someone told me it came in from underneath from the bottom of the fold down door bed --- they said the rear door did not have good seals and water can get in and "up" through the poor seal --- any ideas on that?

75PIG said:

Thanks for the tips...

I just picked up a 93 and during cleaning it out, I have wet carpet near the back. I need to check the windows and the gas door area. Good ideas. Someone told me it came in from underneath from the bottom of the fold down door bed --- they said the rear door did not have good seals and water can get in and "up" through the poor seal --- any ideas on that?

Click to expand...

That is most likely because of a warped tailgate...

Good to know about the potential warped door. Don't see any signs of it being in an accident --- looks all original and paint has chips to

Just inspected the "jack" and tool compartment --- bottom of jack is wet and rusted from where it rests in the jack holder. don't see any other signs of leakage yet but not 100% confident that the slider window was/is all the way closed (front latching mechanism may not be 100% closed).

These are all great tips for me.... thanks

75PIG said:

Thanks for the tips...

I just picked up a 93 and during cleaning it out, I have wet carpet near the back. I need to check the windows and the gas door area. Good ideas. Someone told me it came in from underneath from the bottom of the fold down door bed --- they said the rear door did not have good seals and water can get in and "up" through the poor seal --- any ideas on that?

Click to expand...

other potenial areas for leaking are the rear side slider windows. the gaskets can leak and water can run down into the jack area.
the rear hatch glass, that gasket can also leak.

75PIG said:

Good to know about the potential warped door. Don't see any signs of it being in an accident --- looks all original and paint has chips to

Just inspected the "jack" and tool compartment --- bottom of jack is wet and rusted from where it rests in the jack holder. don't see any other signs of leakage yet but not 100% confident that the slider window was/is all the way closed (front latching mechanism may not be 100% closed).

These are all great tips for me.... thanks

Click to expand...

No need for an accident for the tailgate to be warped... Mine is horrible.

Here is some reading to show what I'm talking about: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=74292&highlight=tailgate

My tailgate warped pretty badly when I transported an aluminum rowboat. The V of the hull pushed a little too hard and made the gate bowed out a little toward the rear. The top hatch hasn't latched the same since. My 250lb. fat ass sitting on it doesn't help either.

You can try bending it back. I have had some success just pushing on it with the gate closed. I've even toyed with the idea of rigging up a come-along to one of the rear seat latch hoops and pulling the gate back to straight.

Well I was looking for damage when the rear door was open --- when I closed, found the "skin" to be pulled out towards the edge (see Picture #1).

Also, see picture #2 for what the jack and jack holder look like. Still need to check the windows but have run out of light.

In my experiences, that little pulled-out section on the gate did not cause any water to enter the side compartment. You might get a little wet carpet, but that's it.

In the jack compartment pic, you can just barely make out two light, vertical lines on the inside of the sheet metal. If that is what it looks like, the gray-ish, white-ish residue is residue of the water streaming down from a leak in the seals of the slider window. Your jack and holder look just like mine did. I re-painted my jack and put it in my tool bag, then pulled the holder and tossed it in the garage.

Get a flashlight or a headlamp and lay on your back looking up inside the cargo compartment while somebody sprays the window with a hose. Dollars to donuts you'll see the water dripping in from all the bolts holding the window molding in. Let it dry out and add a little clear RTV or similar waterproofing goop and you'll be set.

Thanks for the insight... I could not see the "waterlines" by naked eye while taking the picture. I had inspected pretty well for leaks. The flash actually helps to identify the "leak" areas. I will perform the water test over the weekend ---

How do you apply the RTV or "other" waterproofing? Apply from the top using water to deliver the waterproofing material to seal or apply somehow from the bottom?

I just cut the nozzle on the RTV tube back to be as large as possible and placed the tip of the tube right on the bolt from the inside. Then, just smoosh it (technical term) to cover the bolt, the "gasket" that has worn out, and about an inch around the bolt. I wouldn't use water to force it in from the outside in fear that it would trap water inside when the RTV vulcanized. You wouldn't want that. Plus, the place you would need to squirt it isn't really available from the outside ~ captive nuts in the window seal and a bolt to hold it from the inside.

Hey welcome back to this awesome thread, 14 years later. I hope everyone’s been well.

After a full hydro-throttling via The 2021 Fall Atmospheric River, here in the N California, I am experiencing wetness in both lower corners of my tailgate/ trunk area, as well as the lower tailgate carpet itself.

1) Has anyone purchased and installed the Cruiser Corps rear body to hatch weatherstripping?
2) I plan to inspect the gasket bolts inside the quarter panels, any other points of interest to inspect?