I have been fighting leaks in the tailgate area of my '86 245 since last winter. I think that I've found them. Here is the list:

1. Leak into the "toolbox" storage area was either through the pinchweld under the tailgate behind the bumper or through the holes where the trim piece, which fits between top of the bumper and the body, clips into the body. I placed black plastic tape along the joint between the body and the bumper and the leak stopped. I sealed between the trim and the body with silicone sealer. I got under the car and sealed any rust on the pinchweld with POR 15, sealed any visible gaps in the pinchweld with silicone sealer, and sprayed rubber undercoating over the pinchweld. I don't know if one or both of these areas leaked but all is dry now.

2. Leak around the tailgate rubber seal (I). When I got the wagon, the tailgate was not centered and it rattled. I recentered it and the rattle was fixed but now the seal leaked. I think the seal is old and too stiff to seal the new position. Water works its way under the seal, runs down the inside edge of the tailgate opening and goes two places. Some seemed to seep under the screws which hold the aluminum trim on the bottom of the opening. I sealed these with 3M Strip Caulk. I also adjusted the latch to make the tailgate fit tighter. This stopped the leak at the screws.

3. Leak around tailgate (II). Water would get under the rubber tailgate seal and run down and collect at the bottom between the seal and the tailgate opening. There are small drain holes in the bottom of the tailgate. As the level of water rose, the water would go through those drain holes into the tailgate. Then when the tailgate was lifted, the water would run into the tailgate. I sealed those drainholes with plastic tape and the water stopped getting into the tailgate.

This is where I am in the ongoing saga of the tailgate leaks. I really need a new rubber seal but I don't yet know how to replace the seal. For now, I plan to tape a 1/8inch dowel to the tailgate opening where the rubber seal meets the opening at each bottom corner. This should leave a small gap between the seal and the body so that the leaking water can run out the bottom.