99 300M Spare Tire well damp/condensation?

Might it be a leak - from below or from above - rather than condensation? I don't recall reading any posts about a condensation problem in the trunk of the 300M on the 300M Club forums

. You might so a search there. Also, join in over there. Certainly there are other questions you might have about your M. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

One thing to be careful of (I discovered it the hard way with my Intrepid!) is to watch if you park 'uphill'. If your vehicle has a curved front lip on the trunk, parking 'uphill' makes the curve a 'cup' that holds water. If you have a sufficiently steep driveway, you can actually FILL that cup and water may leak at the weather strip.

I put an antenna on my trunk for HAM radio, and it didn't seal at the weather-strip. One day I pulled out of the driveway on a hot summer day and heard sloshing. I opened the trunk and my spare tire well was FULL to the brim, soaking and ruining the cover board! The spacesaver space and jack were nothing but a solid block of rust and a rubber donut!

I re-routed my antenna wire to the front corner of the trunk, then came in through a hole and in through a wire grommet. Moving the entry point to the corner put the access point 'above the water line'. Even still, it never sealed well again until after I had multiple sessions in the trunk and worked on it. What eventually worked was this 'rubber softener' I got from VW that I massaged onto the weather stripping after warming it with a hair dryer. But even then, it wasn't perfect if I let water stand in it.

Mike

Well!

That's probably what it is..we have probably a 15 degree incline on our driveway...you've probably nailed it with that reply.

Maybe I need to start backing it in.

Thanks, Mike

Pressurize the inside of the vehicle by setting the AC/Heater to outside air, instrument panel outlets, and blower on high. Close all windows, doors and deck lid. If air can be felt escaping from the quarter panel to outer wheel house panel seam(s) , force sealer back into the seam and let dry. Clean all dirt and water from seam before applying sealer

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Pressurize the inside of the vehicle by setting the AC/Heater to outside air, instrument panel outlets, and blower on high. Close all windows, doors and deck lid. If air can be felt escaping from the quarter panel to outer wheel house panel seam(s) , force sealer back into the seam and let dry. Clean all dirt and water from seam before applying sealer

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Not sure if the design is the same, but the 97 Neon (and other similar years) was notorious for water in the trunk well. Problem was a gasket, but not the one you may suspect. The gasket behind the taillight assemblies became brittle and cracked over time. The design of the trunk lid channel was such that it transported water right onto the taillight gasket. Water drained right from the taillight opening into the spare tire well. Another lesser known culprit was the small louvered vents that were used to prevent pressurization of the passenger compartment. With the fans on, air has to have somewhere to go.You had to look from underneath the car to see them as they actually vented into the area between the inner and outer body panels. If you pulled the carpeting up from the sides of the trunk well, you could see them. Sometimes they would leak. I think they put them way down there so there would be no audible air movement noise.

I've already had one time this winter where the inside of my car has been frosted on the inside of the windows as well...I guess that must be the reason for it with the moisture in the trunk area.

I guess I've got my work cut out to track this one down..thanks for the info!

Mike

Water used to leak into the trunk of my 300M every time I took the car to a particular car wash.