Yes, there is a TSB: https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...argo-area.html

 

Check the bottom part of the back glass to see if the urethane has pulled away from the metal hatchback pinch weld. Mine did that and I had a full trunk full of water. Also, pull the little round black rubber grommet out of the hole in the bottom of the trunk so water can run out...that way at least it won't fill up. Lift the rug up and you will see the hole...

But go get the back glass checked to see if its not sealed anymore. Check all around the glass.

.

 

does anybody have any pictures of where the sealer is applied? i had a glass guy remove & reseal the rear glass, new GM hatch weatherstripping, 3M weatherstrip glued the hatch weatherstripping down, sealed the taillights and still have a leak. I finally found where the water is coming in from (will post pictures, the car isn't in my possession at the moment) by sitting in the trunk during a storm (i tried with a hose but it wouldn't leak, only during an extended storm) but don't know where to "seal" it to stop it. The water is coming from the sheet metal that is joined together by the rear speakers UNDERNEATH the hatch weatherstripping. I know its not my hatch weatherstrip because i put a new GM one in AND glued it down to the quarter panel. anyways, it'd be interesting to check out what this TSB is talking about, might finally end my water in the trunk problem. Thanks

File In Section: 08 - Body and Accessories

Bulletin No.: 01-08-57-009

Date: December, 2001

TECHNICAL
Subject:
Rear Floor or Trunk Wet on Top of Axle (Apply Sealer)

Models:
1998-2001 Chevrolet Camaro (Convertible)
1998-2001 Pontiac Firebird (Convertible)

Condition

Some customers may comment that the rear floor or the trunk is wet.

Cause
Important :This gutter is designed to direct water off the back of the top, into the gutter, then into the rear quarter panels and out of the vehicle.

The sealer in the gutter located directly under the fifth bow may be leaking at the joint on the right or left side of the vehicle. Refer to the illustration above.

Correction
1. Fold down the rear seat.

2. Remove the center trim just under the back light.

3. Clean the inside of the gutter with one of the cleaners listed below.

Important DO NOT SEAL THE OUTSIDE OF THE GUTTER

4. Seal the inside area of the gutter with Medium Body Seam Sealing Compound, P/N 12378500 (in Canada, use 10952233).

5. After the sealer has dried, water test the vehicle again to verify the repair.

 

It sounds like you have the TSB problem. I recall there is a graphic in the actual document showing where the seam is.

 

Here is the document and picture. (I forgot that I had a copy.)

 

thank you very much wssix99!

this particular TSB has been talked about on so many "water in trunk" threads but nobody was ever able to find or post it up. i am sure many will benefit from this and i will try to post pictures when i do this after i get my car back.

i do think it is my problem, water leaking from that area, running down inside the sail panel roof area and into the trunk by way of the quarter panel sheet metal right by the rear seat belts/rearmost speaker area - underneath the hatch weatherstrip.

 

The cartoon is hard to visualize in the TSB but I recall finding it and keying off the bolt/nut locations. (I did this on my car as a preventative measure.)

When you do this, if you could take and post pictures of the seam close up and wide angle (from far away so we can see the location in reference to the rest of the trunk) I think that would help a lot of other folks.

 

Will do sir

 

I finally got around to performing the TSB to my car. With that said, I do not believe it is the proper fix or the real culprit to the water leakage into the trunk. I did however still seal up the seam since i was already in there. What i did find out while performing the TSB was that the water likely comes in through the hatch hinge. As i was sealing up the seams per the TSB, i thought why not remove the nuts on the hatch hinge and put sealant on the studs and underneath the nuts as well just in case that was where the water was coming in through. When i did that and tightened down the nuts, i noticed the sealant squeezed OUTSIDE into the water channel. When i saw this, i believe i found where the water was coming in from. Water falls into the roof channel and seeps through the hinge gasket, through the hinge stud holes, into the inner roof structure, down the inner sail panel and 1/4 panel structure by the rear speaker, dripping by the rear seat belt assembly, and into the trunk/targa area.

the reason why i say the TSB isn't the true fix is because you'll see that the seam they tell you to seal is actually the inner structure which isn't exposed to water. If water was truly coming through the seam, the water would be dripping through your headliner. What does make sense is the hinge holes because once water gets through there, it is able to seep its way through and into the trunk by way of the sail panel and 1/4 panel inner structure.

what i did is unbolt one hinge first and pull the studs out of the car by lifting up on one side of the hatch. i put sealant on the face of the hinge and on the water channel where the hinge studs go through and into the car. put the studs back through and put sealant on the inside where the studs stick through and tightened the nuts back down. repeat for the other side and you're done.

anyways, i believe this is the proper fix but nonetheless i still applied sealant on the seams per the TSB. I couldnt take too many pictures as the sealant i was using was some nasty stuff (polyurethane roof gutter sealant) but you can see what i am talking about with the photos below.

i live in California and we're not due for rain until a few weeks from now but i am confident it will no longer be leaking that i put all my interior pieces back in. i'll report back after the storm however

let me know if you guys have any questions, hope this helps, thanks!



here is the seam you're supposed to seal per the TSB along with the nuts that bolt the studs of the hatch hinge to the car.



here is one side of the hatch hinge removed from the car. you will see the sealant that squeezed through to the outside rain channel when i initially sealed just the studs from the inside which brought me to the conclusion that the water was actually coming in through the hinge/hinge holes and not the seam per the TSB.

good luck! hope this ends everybody's water in trunk problem!

 

The TSB addressed a defect on some cars from the factory, so it very well may not have been your issue.

Hinge sealant deterioration is interesting. Thanks for posting and please let us know how it goes!

 

Do you guys ever park your cars facing a decline?
This has happened to me twice in bad weather, the gutters just quickly fill with water and can't run out the back of the car & just leaks through the rubber seal which isn't air tight!

Had to dry the car out twice, last time when I was working on the car and it started to rain and had to go out and get the front end higher in the middle of a storm.