98 S70: Water in driverside tail light, how do I fix it?

Post by **utilityaudio** » 18 Nov 2018, 18:10

Hi folks,
I have a ‘98 S70, with water in the Driver’s side tail light, it may have started as early as the spring (first time the dashboard indicated a bulb needed replaced), but recently (last two weeks) it’s been extra rainy, and things have gotten weird.

When applying the brakes, my instrument pannel left turn indicator is very faintly lit, if the left turn signal is on it stops working when brakes are applied, and the Bulb replacement light blinks as the turn signal turns off.

So, the water is causing a short, and I know that’s bad.

If I use some flexible tubing and suck the water out of the lens, the short doesn’t happen. But, as I said, it’s been rainy, and this is only a temporary fix.

What should I do to fix this?

Thank you for your time!

Post by **rspi** » 18 Nov 2018, 18:17

Replace the light assembly.

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 18 Nov 2018, 19:34

The seals for the light have failed and are letting water in (obviously). You might be able to get a new seal, or seal it up with some silicone. Or as rspi suggested, replace the light assembly. If you don't want to buy new, easy to grab from a junkyard or find on ebay.

Post by **utilityaudio** » 18 Nov 2018, 20:18

WhatAmIDoing wrote: ↑18 Nov 2018, 19:34 The seals for the light have failed and are letting water in (obviously). You might be able to get a new seal, or seal it up with some silicone. Or as rspi suggested, replace the light assembly. If you don't want to buy new, easy to grab from a junkyard or find on ebay.

Thanks, I’ll try gently taking the lens assembly out and seeing if there’s anything obvious I can smoosh some RTV on. New lenses from eEuroparts are ~$120 shipped, and the outer surface of this lens looks fine.
Found a vid on youtube (oddly enough, not a RobertDIY vid) going over the removal process, seems pretty straight forward.

Post by **abscate** » 19 Nov 2018, 04:55

I think I still have a tail light from my 99 parts car in Classifieds. I drive BOSTON to pHL weekly so can save shipping too.

Post by **rguzz** » 20 Nov 2018, 16:16

120 bucks is a lot. 35 bucks from salvage. If using sealer hit the 4 corners hard and clean well, I expect it's the corners where the leak(s) are. Might get it done for a few bucks. Seal well around the bolt insert areas. Don't over tighten or you will crack the housing.