[Jewelz1161]

Okay, I'm unsure if anyone has had this problem before, or if this technically even belongs in the tech section, but as the title says, no matter what I do, water finds a way into the light lenses. They are only a couple months old (this happened even when they were brand new from AM) and I have no idea what to do to stop this from happening, mostly because I don't know how it is happening in the first place.

If anyone has had this problem and solved it somehow, chiming in the solution would be great. Thanks!

 

[Urambo Tauro]

I replaced mine last year, but they don't seem to be showing any signs of leakage. FWIW, they came from LMR, but they look like the same part no matter which site you buy them from.

I think it might come down to the gaskets. I've read that some owners remove the gasket and put a thicker piece in there. What have you tried so far?

 

[Jewelz1161]

I replaced mine last year, but they don't seem to be showing any signs of leakage. FWIW, they came from LMR, but they look like the same part no matter which site you buy them from.

I think it might come down to the gaskets. I've read that some owners remove the gasket and put a thicker piece in there. What have you tried so far?

I have tried taking them off, switching them around, I even put a small bead of silicone around the outer edge of the cylinder that goes into the trunk, but nothing is working. I might try the thicker gasket, but because I was constantly messing with them, one actually broke (I used superglue as a temporary fix) because for whatever reason, the holes in the lenses do not line up perfectly with the holes in the trunk. So after ordering yet another pair, I will try a better gasket.

Any ideas on what/where to find something that will work better in the original gaskets place?

 

[Urambo Tauro]

I can't seem to find it now, but do I remember seeing a thread where someone fixed the problem by making a more robust homemade gasket from some kind of bulk material. And that worked for them.

But I'm trying to visualize how water could be getting in the lens. Looking at it, you'd think that as long as the lens itself was intact, the socket that the bulb goes into would do the sealing. But the socket shouldn't even be exposed to water in the first place. That whole trunk area should remain dry.

Could it be condensation, and not a leak after all?

 

[Jewelz1161]

But I'm trying to visualize how water could be getting in the lens. Looking at it, you'd think that as long as the lens itself was intact, the socket that the bulb goes into would do the sealing. But the socket shouldn't even be exposed to water in the first place. That whole trunk area should remain dry.

Could it be condensation, and not a leak after all?

Your thoughts are exactly mine. I have tried to figure it out before how water would somehow find its way into there, but basically nothing comes to mind besides a faulty lens itself letting water in from in between the cylinder part that goes into the trunk lid to the exposed part of the lens itself, if that makes sense (which is why I tried silicone around there).

I would have to say it's a leak. Its not just a small amount of water, but enough to fill the bottom of the lens, and then reach the LED's I have and cause them to rust, giving a very odd appearance to the color of my license plate when it is lit up lol.

The even more odd thing is that if I remember correctly, they filled with a little bit of water after it had rained but before I even drove the car around (eliminating the possibility that water splashing up from driving was somehow getting up into the lens). This made me think my trunk might be leaking onto the rubber socket and into the lens, but as far as I can tell, it is not, all everywhere inside my trunk is always dry. The rubber sockets are in a somewhat questionable condition, but I don't know if that's the problem, or even where or how to replace them, if I even can.

This is the whole reason why I made this post, to see if anyone has experienced similar problems. One other thing that I'll include, but I dont know if it matters, the holes for the lens screws in the trunk do have a spot where the paint has chipped off the fiberglass, and where the fiberglass does look very thin, but that brings us back to our original thoughts that even with that, water should have no place to enter still.

 

[Urambo Tauro]

That's puzzling. I hope that someone else has had this problem and will chime in soon.

Yeah, that does sound like too much water to blame condensation for. We're supposed to be getting some rain over the next few days; maybe that will help reveal a leak...

If you'd like to replace those sockets, all you have to do is cut the wires and splice the new ones in. They're not expensive: Mustang License Light & Side Marker Bulb Socket with Wiring Pigtail (79-04)

 

[AlloyPony]

My passenger headlight was wet inside (common issue). So I sealed it all the way around with aquarium sealer, pulled the bulbs and dried the moisture with a hair dryer, and reinstalled. No more issues.... until I walked to the rear of the car one day and noticed the driver's side reverse light has moisture in it now. Ford's supplier for lighting was horrible. How in the world does water get into the reverse lights? And once it's in there, why can't it get out? About the only thing you can do is seal up the light bulb housing best you can regardless of which light it is that has water in it on your car, and dry the existing moisture thoroughly before putting a new bulb in. Good luck.