dewana421

guys i just noticed a moist smell in my trunk so i removed everything from it and noticed on the left side of the trunk there is a deep dip and there was a lot of water. there is a rubber plug that i pulled out to drain the water but where this water came from? and why its not draining?
I'm sure it'll be back if it rain.
help please

GCL

iTrader: (1)

I've never had leaks in the Lexus' trunk, but I have had leaks before in other cars. I assumed you'd checked for flood damage prior to buying it?

Here what I have done.

Take off all the side panels, tools and spare tire. Wipe everything dry. Then climb into the trunk with a flashlight. Have someone you trust close the trunk and then have them run a garden hose with medium flow, all over the rear window, trunk gaps, and light housings.

You should then be able to find all the leaks. Then either use silicone to repair, or else replace weatherstripping/gaskets.

Remember that there could be multiple locations where water is coming in - find them all while in the trunk. It's not something that you want to do many times.

dewana421

Thanks for your response..i checked before buying but didn't remove everything and check in too much detail. its one of those things that you miss. i don't see any other sign of flooding in the car so i am assuming this is just rain water. ill try what you mentioned and see if i can find out the cause. i was wondering if anyone had this issue in their 08 model?

xanderES

iTrader: (8)

The drain connecting to the roof rails is either plugged or disconnected.

Pull off the rest of the side trunk liners and inside you'll see a light blue line which should be connected to a outlet plug on the side of the rear fender/trunk. Reconnect it.

Wht95scort

/\ or look around the tail light. It's possible the gasket is failing and letting water in.

Nelexus88

If the aforementioned garden hose test does not reveal the leak source, you may need to remove the trunk interior trim and carefully search for a water track leading back to the source. As previously mentioned the tail lights are often a leak source especially if they have been replaced and the factory seal compromised. If the car has been in an accident the body seams can crack enough to leak. Some trunks leak only when the car is being driven in the rain. The motion of the car creates a slight vacuum pulling water inside.

dewana421

Thank you everyone for your response. It has been raining here for a few days and I have not seen any water in the trunk so far. I'm not sure if the water i found was left in there for a while and it accumulated over the years. I plan to try the hose technique this weekend then it dries here a little bit. I will let you guys know what I find.

SoFloGringo305

I recently purchased a 2008 ES350 in great condition with 58,000 miles. I found clean water in the trunk by the spare tire. The car also had a moist smell. I dried it. It rained hard the same night and I woke up to finding more clean water in the trunk floor. I'm going to try the person inside trunk and water hose on the outside method.

ESh

That’s the best method foe checking where the water comes from.
The sunroof hose may be missplaced, seals around the taillights may be bad…

Wilson2000

If you use the person-in-the-trunk method it may only get you in the ballpark of where the water is coming from. From chasing roof leaks in my Facility Manager profession, I know it is difficult to pinpoint leaks that might originate in one spot, but reveal itself in another, as water tends to travel, often in or along a concealed path.

So, don't jump to conclusions. You can do a followup test using light, at night, with one person shinning the light from the outside along all the suspected leak points, with someone inside the trunk looking for any light leaks.

Clutchless

Check the sunroof drain tubes that run down the sides of the trunk and are hidden behind the panels. You can pull them apart at junctions and clean them out with weed wacker line or long flexible hoses with small brushes at the end that are designed for that purpose
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See these threads:

​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...the-trunk.html

​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ure-issue.html

​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ater-leak.html