jaylew Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 Hey guys, I am wondering if I am the only one with this quirk. After every rain, I go to open the hatch of my car, and I get dripped on by water that had settled in the license plate lights, but spills out as the hatch opens. Can anyone confirm this happens to them too or please tell me there isn't a clogged drain somewhere??? I don't see any signs of rust in the area, nor do I see any signs of water ingress to the inside. (insert joke about changing the license plate light fluid here) Thank you for any help! Wagon is LIFE! - 265,000 miles and climbing Unofficial Build (Restoration) Thread Steering Rack Rebuild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takotruckin Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 My left reverse light does the same thing after heavy rains. I haven’t tried looking into why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 unscrew the plastic lens covers and see if the rubber seals around them are still intact/good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 FWIW, couple months back I removed the right tail light, let it dry out in the sun for a couple day's. Then I used clear RTV, silicone sealant to run a small bead around the whole tail light. It has been dry every since. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylew Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 I will try removing the license plate light cover to see if there is anything there. I don't have any issues with the tail lights. Solving this (if there is anything needing solving, might just be a quirk that i have to live with) and cleaning the sun roof drains as a precautionary measure are the only two water related projects I have for this car. I have had water ingress in my 96 outback and that was not fun to track down and fix. Figured I would head everything off at the pass with this car Thank you Wagon is LIFE! - 265,000 miles and climbing Unofficial Build (Restoration) Thread Steering Rack Rebuild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relative4 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Seems to me the most likely route would be through the weatherstrip at the bottom of the window. How's that look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 I will try removing the license plate light cover to see if there is anything there. I don't have any issues with the tail lights. Solving this (if there is anything needing solving, might just be a quirk that i have to live with) and cleaning the sun roof drains as a precautionary measure are the only two water related projects I have for this car. I have had water ingress in my 96 outback and that was not fun to track down and fix. Figured I would head everything off at the pass with this car Thank you having water leak into my 98 and 00 GT wagon's is the main reason my 2005 is a Limited not a Un-Limited. The sunroof leaks suck. Have to keep blowing out the drains. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Yup, had the same issue when I first got mine... the passenger A pillar would mysteriously get wet when it rained, I cleaned out probably 5lbs of silt that had accumulated in the sill, blocking the drain... Anyway, I also had similar issues with one of the license plate lights getting condensation, it was due to the clear cover not sealing properly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylew Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 So you're saying the clear cover over the license plate light is not sealing? weather stripping at the bottom of the window looks fine but everything looks fine to the naked eye. Might have to take he hatch trim off the inside to see if it is worse than i thought though i feel like it is a of minor issue that is causing my problems And since the topic of sun roof drains is brought up...where are the drains located and how easy is it to get to? I heard the best way is to sneak some piano wire down the drains as a snake. Wagon is LIFE! - 265,000 miles and climbing Unofficial Build (Restoration) Thread Steering Rack Rebuild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 So you're saying the clear cover over the license plate light is not sealing? weather stripping at the bottom of the window looks fine but everything looks fine to the naked eye. Might have to take he hatch trim off the inside to see if it is worse than i thought though i feel like it is a of minor issue that is causing my problems And since the topic of sun roof drains is brought up...where are the drains located and how easy is it to get to? I heard the best way is to sneak some piano wire down the drains as a snake. The clear cover is just secured with 2 philips head screws, it's not too surprising that they can get loose with time. The sunroof drains are located behind the front mudguards, by the door sill. You need to take off the splash guards to see it. Don't be surprised to find tons of muck in there clogging the drain outlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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