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Trunk Seal Dilemma


Tdh

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So, when I drive around with the windows down, I get an exhaust smell in the cabin (Windows up, no smell).  After researching threads, and asking for advice it sounds like the trunk seal or adjustment of the trunk lid can be the culprit.

 

After completing the "climb in the trunk and have your wife shut you in trick", I could see that the trunk lid doesn't seal up completely along the very back edge (meaning, I can see light coming through when inside the trunk).  I've adjusted the latch so the trunk is as tight as possible but still it doesn't completely seal along the back edge.  

 

I ordered a new seal thinking that mine must be old and compressed.  To my dismay, the new seal (non OEM brand from Blunt) isn't as thick as the old seal currently on the car, so replacing will actually worsen my problem.

 

This is frustrating.  I can't drive the car with the windows down without smelling like an oil refinery afterward.  Is there a thicker brand of seal that I'm not aware of that's available.  

 

 

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If they are still available then BMW seals are the best. It has a more pronounced profile than the Uro brand seal.

 

What I did was get some self adhesive EPDM draft seal and run that around the inside of the trunk lid to match up with the seal on the opening. 

 

Have you tried easing the steel edge of the opening upwards? Sometimes the opening gets deformed and a bit of reshaping can help. 

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rtheriaque wrote:

Carbs: They're necessary and barely controlled fuel leaks that sometimes match the air passing through them.

My build blog:http://www.bmw2002faq.com/blog/163-simeons-blog/

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As others have said too, make sure you have a pretty exhaust tip that protrudes as far past your bumper as you can stand

 

Also buy some weatherstrip strip caulk (like white Twizzlers) and plug both holes from trunk into cabin where wires and fuel lines pass through

 

Start there. I had smell and non-tight new trunk seal and fixing other two things first helped alot

 

Randy

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1975 - 2366762 Born 7/75

See the whole restoration at:

http://www.rwwbmw2002.shutterfly.com

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If you have a squarelight or a '73 roundie with its extended bumpers, you should add a short length of pipe--3-4"--to your existing exhaust pipe to get it out from under the bumper.  Besides helping to direct exhaust away from that low pressure area caused by the vertical rear panel on an '02, it'll also keep your bumper from getting discolored (or in the case of chrome bumpers) rusting from the exhaust and moisture in it.  

 

You might also check the area way up in the front of the trunk where the parcel shelf, inner fender arch and front trunk wall join.  There is sometimes a gap left there from imperfect factory sealing that can allow fumes from the trunk to be drawn into the passenger compartment.

 

mike

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Also occurred to me that you should not ignore the front side ?

 

- Make sure you have the long rubber seal on the underside of your hood

 

- Ensure you have the two rubber seals at each end of the trunk latch rod

 

- Also make sure you have the three rubber drain tubes in the bottom of the cowel trough

 

- And finally make sure heater hose and fan box are sealed well the metal

 

Randy

1975 - 2366762 Born 7/75

See the whole restoration at:

http://www.rwwbmw2002.shutterfly.com

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"climb in the trunk and have your wife shut you in trick", I didn't know the husband was supposed to get in. I told the husband that I was getting in and I would tell him where I saw daylight. I wish I had known it was supposed to be the reverse. I see a do-over in my future.

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I've had this problem on 2 separate cars. Drove me nuts. My problem was in the front engine compartment seals. 

Something that worked for me to diagnose the problem: I went to the dollar store and bought about 6 auto air freshener trees. I opened them all up at the same time and threw them in the trunk. Took a nice drive for about 15 minutes at variable speeds. The smell didn't really penetrate the cabin much so I did the same thing under the cowl in the hood. Found out that was the problem real quick!

PS.  Buy a scent you can live with, When you open about 6 of those, it doesn't just disappear in a few minutes after you take them out!

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Here is something I did before I replaced my seals when I did the respray.  Go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and get some foam weatherstripping. The kind with the adhesive on one side and use it on the rear of the trunk lid where theee is a gap.  This may give you enough of a seal to stop most of the time chaise from coming inside.  Worked for me until I did the respray, then I got a new muffler and tip that extended out a bit more than the original tip. Then I rebuilt the engine so I no longer burn oil.  Now I do t have exhaust smell but the foam weatherstripping helped until I fixed all those other things.  

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Another thing to look at, and this is somewhat obscure, is your fuel tank filler neck. Over time they become cracked and let fumes into the trunk- which not too surprisingly smell like exhaust fumes. If you haven't replaced this recently, squeeze it to see if there are any cracks or leaks. If your tank cap seals properly, you should be able to squeeze the filler neck and have it not collapse (as if air were escaping). I had this problem with my 02 when I first bought it, and was convinced that I had an exhaust leak into the car.

Chris B.

'73 ex-Malaga

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On 6/12/2018 at 2:02 PM, Tdh said:

After completing the "climb in the trunk and have your wife shut you in trick", I could see that the trunk lid doesn't seal up completely along the very back edge (meaning, I can see light coming through when inside the trunk). 

 

On 6/12/2018 at 2:10 PM, Simeon said:

Have you tried easing the steel edge of the opening upwards? Sometimes the opening gets deformed and a bit of reshaping can help. 

 

This was the problem on my car.  People lean on the edge of the trunk and the metal/seal gets bent down. 

It is easy to bend it back up.

     DISCLAIMER 

I now disagree with some of the timing advice I have given in the past.  I misinterpreted the distributor curves in the Blue Book. 

I've switched from using ported-vacuum to manifold, with better results. 

I apologize for spreading misinformation.  

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On 6/12/2018 at 4:45 PM, worzella said:

As others have said too, make sure you have a pretty exhaust tip that protrudes as far past your bumper as you can stand

 

 

On 6/12/2018 at 8:49 PM, mike said:

...should add a short length of pipe--3-4"--to your existing exhaust pipe to get it out from under the bumper.  Besides helping to direct exhaust away from that low pressure area caused by the vertical rear panel on an '02...

 

+1

73 Inka Tii #2762958

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  • 6 months later...

Resurrecting this thread.  I have the same problem. Its a newly restored base '02 which still needed some work when i bought it a year ago.  Most recently, my mechanic adjusted the rear exhaust and moved it forward so that the hanger and hook could align properly and not be loose.  In the first picture which was taken 6 months ago, you can appreciate how far back the exhaust can was out of alignment, the rubber hanger was about an inch back from where it's supposed to be.  In the next series of pictures, they are from sunday, and the chrome tip looks nicely under the bumper.  The problem is ever since this fix a month ago (moving it forward), the fumes inside the cabin are life threatening to say the least. There were no fumes before the rear exhaust muffler was adjusted forward   I also did the dollar test on the trunk to test the seals and they are not sealing at all.  So, I think its a combination of the rear exhaust muffler having been moved forward, and the rear trunk rubber seals not working properly.  I ordered new O.E. BMW trunk seal from Blunt as well as a new chrome tip.  My question is, how easy or difficult it is to swap the chrome tip rearward, and how is ti attached.  Also, what glue is used for the trunk rubber seal.  I am hoping that the O.E. new seal is more pronounced than the one i have right now, which i am not sure if its O.E. or aftermarket (URO).  It seems that the current chrome tip has plenty of life left and maybe i can still re-use it if its easy to remove, and move back on its tip without damaging.  But by looks only, it sure looks nice where it is, as you can see in these pictures.  thanks for your help.  love this forum and people.

 

 

 

 

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Edited by chago997
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Exhaust tips are often only secured by internal spring steel ‘teeth’ that bite into the exhaust underneath. You will probably find that it will twist off slightly if you want to extend the clearance at the rear. 

 

The BMW seal stands more proud than the Uro seal. I fitted that and, like the door seals, I regret it. I added a secondary seal of self adhesive EPDM draft excluder seal around the bottom of the trunk where it meets the seal. Also, check that the edge of the opening hasn’t been deflected downwards away from the seal. If so, it can be bent back up again slightly. 

rtheriaque wrote:

Carbs: They're necessary and barely controlled fuel leaks that sometimes match the air passing through them.

My build blog:http://www.bmw2002faq.com/blog/163-simeons-blog/

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