[XdirtX]

i have 98 outback legacy that drips rain water into the hatch every time it rains. ive checked the rubber stripping around the the glass and it seem to be fine.
i have a plastic cargo mat the catches most of it, but the spare tire bay will also fill up with water too.
could i drill a small hole in the bottom of it to drip it without damaging anything else?
anyone ever run into this problem?

 

[cardoc]

Does it have a moon/sun roof? Maybe look at the seals and drains if you do.

If not, try cleaning the door seal and metal mating surfaces good, then spray WD-40 on a towel and rub it into the seal to soften it up. Sometimes works to swell it back up so it will set against the metal better.

Otherwise, new seal on the hatch.

Drilling a hole will let the water out, but it will also allow for rust to form on the bare metal exposed in drilling. Then the hole gets bigger. You could just take the spare out and remove the drain plug.

 

[jogosub]

I had similar problem on my 2010 Forester. I found several holes in the spare tire well that were covered by rubber plugs (from the factory). I've used one to run trailer hitch wiring harness and another one for water drainage. If you change tire in winter, tire covered with snow, that water melts and it has to drain somewhere. You can find one way rubber plugs on the website (in different sizes) that allow water to drain out but no water gets back in. Or, put a kitchen sink scrubbing mesh (some sponges have one side covered with it) over that hole; it allows water to drain out and no water comes back in. Lot of places on car body are desinged in such way: water comes in and water drains out. Actually, I have seen that mesh in spare tire wells on late model VW in that area.

 

[gbhrps]

Water will get in around the tail lights on the body as well as the tailgate lights, if the seals have dried out.

Get inside the rear of the car with a flashlight and the tailgate closed, while someone outside runs a water hose with a mid stream of water along the bottom of the tailgate , slowly, from one side to the other. Then have them slowly rise up one side till just about the top, and then from the other side up to the top as well.

If its the tail lights or the tailgate seal, you'll find the culprit. And as was previously mentioned, if you have a sunroof, one of your rear drain tubes may be plugged or may have split or come off the side rail. All of these conditions will allow water into the rear tire well. Good Luck!

 

[XdirtX]

right on, thanks for the info.
no sun/moon roof on mine.
im going to try the flashlight and hose trick. then rubber drain plugs at the bottom of spare tire well are a nice and helpful feature to ride the water out tho.