Interesting but disturbing site today!

I was on the highway, and my car was "thumping" & sheering wheel "shimming", like I had a nail in a tire. I pulled over, and didn't see any nails - but I did see that I lost a wheel weight on one of my rear tires.

Today, went into my trunk, into the black plastic "tool tray" to try to find my lug key - but it was missing (separate story)...

I figured maybe I put it in with the tire itself.

So I lift up the plastic tire cover, and am greeted with several inches of water, and what looks like an old tire that had been pulled out of the ocean!

I will take a picture & post it, if anyone is interested. But obviously my concern is - how did the water get in there in the first place???

We have had a lot of snow over the past few weeks - and I have gone to automatic car washes to keep the salt off the vehicle.

The carpet in the back is dry.

Ideas?

 

It came in with rear water drain pipe. I had similiar problems. I soaked with few towels and clean it. But you should careful some metals are very sharp down there.

 

I, I what??? You have me on the edge of my seat!!

 

The pipes that drain the sunroof, right? They are known for collecting debris.

 

You got it HYP.

 

Wow, so it's designed to drain into the tire well? Hmmm.............

 

I have water in my spare tire well also. I see no Sun Roof drain tubing anywhere near the tire well but, I do see the tubing in the rear quarters that allow the Sun Roof water to drain off.

I have also cleaned and sealed the well rubber plugs to no avail as I don't think this is where the water is getting in. There isn't water anywhere else leading me to think it's rolling in from the top(Hatch floor) above the spare tire well.

And I don't have any cracks or rot allowing water to come in. There isn't lots of water, just damp/moisture most of the time but, I can't figure how it's getting in and it won't drain out either! If I figure out how the water is getting in, I'll certainly post here

 

I don't think so.

 

Thanks for your suggestions, and (kind of) glad to see that I'm not the only one who has experienced this.

When the weather gets a little warmer, I'll investigate.

My seal around the lift gate is slightly damaged in one spot, but it has been like this for at least 5 years, and I have never seen water in the well.

I want to take the spare out, clean out the water, and try to clean off the wheel - what is best to clean the wheel itself?

If I confirm the source of the water, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks

 

I keep reminding every one that they need to inspect and inflate the spare every 6months.

As vehicles age, people dont take them for scheduled maint and only do the oil change etc. There is a huge value of doing a visual. One must crawl under and see. When you are in a plane, the flight engineer/co-pilot makes the round in cold and heat. There is a reason for that.


Salim

 

I do inspect & inflate the spare a few times a year (usually in the late spring & fall). And in the fall, the wheel itself looked fine, and there was no sign of water