Nearly new bulb for the left rear turn signal inop this AM. Had a spare package of bulbs so I pulled the lens while waiting for kid pickup at school. Holy Crap!!! There was a Super Big Gulp's worth of water in that housing! The freakin' bulb was working completely submerged (until it popped, that is) LOL.

Taking a look at the lens made the problem obvious -- the glued seam at the top of the lens (backup lens area) has opened up so lots of water draining off the hatch is going in there. Passenger side is opening up as well.

Is this a known problem? If so, was the design modified in later years to fix it? I need to hit the salvage yards looking for new lenses pronto.

 

just fill the seams with silicone problem solved

 

Yeah, I guess I could do that, but what about the algae growing in the left lens? Maybe some Clorox first! I'll post a pic tomorrow to show what I'm dealing with.

 

I think putting goldfish in the tail lights would be a nice touch!
Try the bleach in a hidden spot first to make sure it won't turn the lens milky.
And yep, schmootz the gaps closed with clear silicone, don't buy new housings.

 

that would be sweeeeeeeeeeet lol

lol

 

Is it worth drilling a drainage hole in the bottom, for good measure?

 

A 1/16" hole at the lowest spot will allow the housing to drain out, and you won't have to disassemble anything, except if it has to be cleaned out. Don't worry about the water coming in from the hole; if you drive in water that deep, you will have much bigger problems to worry about.

 

Believe it or not, each tail light assembly already has *3* holes in the backplate. One is at the top for ventilation and two are at the extreme bottom edge for drainage. Condensation, I guess...

I pulled my left lens again this AM after another night of light rain. There was over an inch of water in the housing.

Both of the existing drainholes (1/8") were clogged with pond scum. I blasted the inside of the assembly with a garden hose and used a drill bit to chase the existing holes.

I'll post some pics of this mess a little later this eve.

 

Might wanna install some mini sump pumps inside your housings!