Thread: SRT-6 Liftgate Leak On Spoiler Mounting Plate
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Old 01-13-2012, 06:49 PM
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onehundred80
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Default Re: SRT-6 Liftgate Leak On Spoiler Mounting Plate
I have tried a new approach to the leak problem; as I was not sure as to the thickness of the gap that the seal had to close up, I thought that a caulking cord that comes in strips that you tear off a roll would indicate the gap thickness all around when crushed.
The panel has an indentation all around that the OEM seal followed originally so I applied this seal in that area and bolted it all up again. I shall wait for warmer weather to run a hose over it and see if it leaks. I shall then replace it with a better seal.

I also intend to stop water getting into the top and bottom by using seals just below the surface of the panel.

Update
I replaced the caulking shown in the following photos with 1/8" x 3/8" closed cell adhesive backed tape that is used as a draught stopper in the home. I split this down the middle to make it 3/16" wide. I layed this in the same manner as the photos below.

There are various makes of the seal and some have larger bubbles in the rubber (Neoprene) you want the type with the very small hard to see bubbles in it as these are not so prone to get water in them. I tried one with large bubbles and allthough they said it was closed cell it filled with water anyway. This worked well when tested with water.

You can see that to get the slope from the top center of the seal to each side that the seal transitions from the top edge to the bottom of the panel. the slope leads the water to the sides of the panel. There is an indentation on the panel bottom and sides that the seal sits on.

I am going to put a seal along the top edge of the panel that is trapped between the glass, the hatch frame and the spoiler panel. I have not found the correct size rubber pipe with the correct softness that will fit. The idea for this is to keep the water away from the whole top part of the main seal, it will go from one side of the glass to the other, it may not fit for about 1" or so in from each side though. A drawing for this idea is at the bottom of the thread.







 
Last edited by onehundred80; 03-27-2012 at 04:08 PM.
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