H2O Leak in Cargo Area

I recently noticed the carpet in my cargo area is damp (both passanger and driver).
A while back I noticed some serious water in my passangers foot well, I located the hose, and it was plugged up with leaves. I unclogged it, that solved the problem. So my question is:
1) is there the same type of drains in the rear, and if sdo where are the hoses
2) IF not, what could be another source of the leak (common leaky spots?)
and what is the best method for sealing them up

I did search, and didnt come up with Much

Thanks

hmm have u gone underneath the truck and looked above the muffler?? another spot is above the gas tank. there are no drain hoses in the cargo area that I know of. best bet would be to take the trim off and lift the carpet, it would help in drying the carpet anyways.

rock hard said:

hmm have u gone underneath the truck and looked above the muffler?? another spot is above the gas tank. there are no drain hoses in the cargo area that I know of. best bet would be to take the trim off and lift the carpet, it would help in drying the carpet anyways.

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Thanks for the input
I did look under the car and wasn't able to see any hoses, maybe another set of eyes would help. Another thing I have since noticed is that the weather stripping around the rear hatch is packed with dirt, pineneedles, etc. I am going to clean it either way, but any thoughts if that might back up a drain somewhere?

Don't know what year you have....
There is the gasket around the tailhatch opening.
Also, there are two holes(3/16" dia.) in the cargo area floor that are there to secure rings (for cargo straps). If you don't have the d-rings installed, water may sneak in that way.

Mine often leaks when the seal area fills up with debris and leafs and such. try cleaning that out and walla problem solved, I flooded the vehicle w/water and could see it on the rear window on the inside...cleaned it out and no prob, of course it is full again now, so back at I go.

Thanks for the help guys....
Sorry, I didnt mention '96 XJ Sport, 4.0
I do have the D-ring tie down anchors in the cargo area, I also checked all the rubber drain plugs and they all seem to be sealing tight. Pulled off the weather stripping around the rear hatch and blew out the debris with compressed air. Hope that does it. There seems to be a black "gooey" sealant or adhesive w/ the weather stripping. Anyone think I should re-apply a coat or is as is?


Thanks again

Well I think I found the problem. Upon cleaning the weatherstripping, there is a huge tear going right through the heart of the strip, at the very top near the roof line. So the new question is:
Is a dealer the best place to get this part or does anyone know of a website that may have it to avoid dealer prices?

Should be able to just go to NAPA or auto zone and get the generic stuff. just bring your old (or a piece of it) in with you to match it up... it's just a straight piece of stripping.
no need for a custom piece.

Oldspool said:

Well I think I found the problem. Upon cleaning the weatherstripping, there is a huge tear going right through the heart of the strip, at the very top near the roof line. So the new question is:
Is a dealer the best place to get this part or does anyone know of a website that may have it to avoid dealer prices?

Click to expand...

I thought I would bring this thread up again as I have a leak in my rear driver’s side cargo area of my 90 XJ Limited 4 door.

The leak is slow and recent and it is only near the edge pictured. The water collects only near the corner trim piece. There are no other wet spots.



I pulled trim pieces in the area affected and could not find the source underneath the interior trim pieces. The seals look great around the liftgate. There is no rust under the interior trim pieces. There is no water near the secure rings.

I pulled the liftgate trim pieces too but I could not find anything except the rear trim piece has been loose for sometime. In fact the foam ring for the speaker had slide down (I assume over time) and prevented the liftgate trim piece from attaching properly which required the liftgate to be slammed closed. (The liftgate closes nicely now once I got it back together correctly)

I cleaned out the track above the seal near the liftgate hinges and I also cleaned the drain holes in the liftgate out.

Now it seems I have made it worse. Is there something I have missed? Could the window seal be the problem?

Seeing as you are from a salt zone ( former Plymouthian,lived next tdoor to Gellars) do yourself a favor and pull your carpet and let that the thing dry out. I'd clean up the floor pans and wheel wells and paint them with a rust inhibitor (Zero Rust, POR-15 etc.), then use bedliner on top of that. You can then put the carpet back if you must, once you found the leak.

Another area to check is around the tail light. Make sure the gasket is sealing all the way around it.