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newbie help- 2000 outback w/ water in tail lights

hi all-

i posted a week or so ago here on the oil seal thread, my first time. now i have a legitamte concern. just as an intro, i recently bought a

2000 outback wagon with 61,000 miles to replace a 92 pathfinder that was rear ended.

i bought the subaru privately and everything checked out mechanically, all service records, paid 10 grand , everything looks good........ except........ neither my mechanic nor i noticed that there was water leaking into the back right tail light. not just condensation on the lens, but a noticeable build up. the bulb socket showed light to medium rust which indicated that water had settled there for some time. and the lower part of the lens cover has a 1/2 inch of water that i can't remove, it's in sealed chamber with no discernable way of exit ( or adding goldfish)

i don't know if a new lens cover will stop this from happening. is it leaking in from the tailgate channel? has anyone had this, seen this, or heard about it?

help !!!!!!

thanks

Reply to
morris
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snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net (morris) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

I ran into something similar in my '81 Toyota Celica (on both sides!). I fixed it by removing the taillight assemblies from the car and running clear silicone sealer over all the seams. No more water!

- Snuffy -

Reply to
Mike Bender

Hi I had the same problem on my outback...2001. It is a known problem with the seal of the tail lights...I replaced mine 3 times under warranty.

Try the dealer and see where that takes you...Not sure if it will help if your the original owner or not..

let me know what happens...

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Reply to
Nono_baddog

I have a 2001 Outback VDC and encountered the same problem 2 years ago. Was addressed under warranty. If I recall correctly, the entire assembly was replaced and it was fairly expensive. Had to work closely with the dealer on it though. Did not sound like something they usually took care off under warranty.

Reply to
Paul Chan

Along similar lines...

I had a 89 Mercury Tracer (think- Mazda 323, assembled in Mexico.) I used it for 5 years without problems, then gave it to my retired dad. He drove very little. Grocery store, once, rarely twice a week.

The car developed a lake in the spare tire compartment. Dad passed on, the car was sold to friends who used it regularly, No lake.

The car also developed the fish tank in the tail light phenomenon.

My solution?

Pliers. Large nail. Propane torch. Get nail red hot. Melt hole near bottom of fish tank. Crude but effective.

Reply to
P T

replaced the right lower lens yesterday. 125+ tax at mookaki in scranton pa. everythng looks good so far through the nasty easy coast rains. i though about siliconing everything but felt better about just buying a new one to see if it was the lens/cover or something else.

unfortunately, the left side is showing condensation on the "SUBARU' bar, i had a fair amount of water dripping out when i opened the tailgate this morning. it could be the ridiculously heavy rains but still. the drainholes are fine.

this is really starting to piss me off !!!!!!!! :-( :-( :-(

Reply to
morris

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