looking at a car to buy, 88 firebird. when i open the rear hatch, i can hear water moving around in it, WTF! never seen this on a third gen before, but i guess it got in somehow.

i could not find any threads on this, so, ANYONE dealt with this? whats involved with the fix, drain holes, pulling panels?

the car has other issues as well, so im on the fence about buying it.

 

Assuming there is no indication that the rear hatch seal is failed.

I would bet that there is cancer around the drip rails, which allows water to enter above the door.

This cancer can be hard to see if the headliner is in place. You can see it from outside the car if you shine a flashlight into the gap between the drip rail, and the flange that holds the door seal onto the body.

See https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...rail-rust.html

Water can make its way to the rear of the car while the car was driven in the rain, or simply if the car was parked on an incline that allowed the water coming in through the drip rail cancer to cascade toward the rear of the car.

 

My '87 IROC leaked through the bolt holes of the spoiler. The sealant around the bolt holes had decayed from age. Had to pull the spoiler and reseal with silicone around each bolt/hole, all at once IIRC. Used a lot and wiped up the excess.

But could also be the seal between glass and hatch steel, though I'm not certain that water would end up inside the hatch structure.

Is it inside the spoiler?

My two guesses and my two cents.

 

Remove interior plastic n drill a tiny hole where you hear water...

 

im going to remove the spoiler and check the bolt holes. on a good note, the spoiler is a fiberglass replacement and looks to be in good shape. (dont think any water is in the spoiler itself , but you never know).
ill also pull the plastic upper panel inside the hatch and look for a place to install a small drain hole.(thanks gumby)
i dont see any rust issues on or under the hatch, and hopefully its something simple like the bolt holes. id hate to remove and reseal the panel and glass.