VTecS2K87

I recently purchased a 02 S2000 with 60k miles on it. The car is in beautiful condition but after washing it one day I did notice the trunk smelled rather musty. I immediately tore out the trunk liner to find a small amount of water in the bottom. No rust had started and I made sure to dry everything out as best I could. After removing the liner I jumped on s2ki to research the possible causes and one by one I inspected the areas of concern. I see no signs of water getting in around the trunk vent behind the bumper which seems to be common and when I tested the drains for the soft top the water drained perfectly fine through the tubes in the rear wheel wells. After saturating the car multiple times I come to find out there is water getting in from around the fuel filler neck. I don't know if this is normal or not but there is no gasket of any kind sealing the area around the filler neck to the body of the car. In the two pictures below you can see the area where water can infiltrate and it's not just in one spot but there is a gap around the entire neck.





Once the water has entered the trunk area it runs down the neck and follows the path outlined in the picture below and ends up collecting in the bottom of the trunk. Can others confirm if there should be some sort of seal around the filler neck? The gap I see is significant, approx. 1/16" wide and is consistent around the outside of the neck. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

pmptx

I would just cut some gasket material put it between the backing plate and the body panel or the neck and the panel, and that should seal it up.

TardiS2K

I just tore off my bumper and did the complete repair of that vent because it was leaking for me. IMO, it was very easy and pretty interesting, definitely worth doing even if it hasn't started leaking (yet). I can't vouch for sealing the vent from the inside of the trunk without taking off the bumper, I feel like it would work itself loose again. Might as well do it the right way the first time and take off the bumper.

Considering both leaks require pulling the liner out, I'd fix them both while I was in there. I used some gasket-in-a-tube stuff (don't have it or I'd check the actual name) to fix the vent. I'd probably try and run a line of it around the inside and outside leaking areas in your first two pictures. Make sure to resoak the area after it dries.

franky

there should be a gasket there. Put some sealants on it and it should fix your leaking problem.

VTecS2K87

There is a gasket around the flange that bolts to the body. However as you can see in picture 2 the weld that connects the neck to the flange is not continuous and therefore allows for water to enter the trunk. My only option seems to be either silicone or use plumber's putty where there is no weld to seal it off. This doesn't seem right and I feel that Honda should have welded around the entire neck. Can anyone confirm if this is how they are all welded or is it just mine? Did the factory screw up?

realblag

It is very unlikely Honda made your filler neck different from any others(welding) and everyone elses is not leaking, so stopping the leak should be as easy as replacing the gasket. Majestic sells it for less than $4. The difference in your car may be that the quarter panel was repaired of replaced due to damamge before you got the car. If the old gasket was damaged but reused or installed incorrectly, then a leak could occur. I would replace the gasket first and then worry about using sealant if the leak doesn't stop.

zeroptzero

Your fuel filler neck looks normal, start by tightening down the fuel filler nuts that are around the fuel cap, there is a gasket there but if the nuts are loose it can let in water.