View Poll Results: How are your center tailights looking?
Dry as a bone, always have been
37
58.73%
A little dewey, from time to time
21
33.33%
Leaky as a sieve, I think I need an Ark
5
7.94%
Voters: 63. You may not vote on this poll
water leak in rear taillight assembly
03-25-2015, 12:30 PM
#31
Rennlist Member
Just so I am clear (since I recently bought a new reflector), you take out the black breather hose, remove the white insert and then put the black breather hose back in place?
You know I am not sure. I would be interested to hear from MY993 if that fixed his problem.
Thanks, Frank
You know I am not sure. I would be interested to hear from MY993 if that fixed his problem.
Thanks, Frank
I believe the fixture needs to breath to relieve moisture. The tail lenses are warmed by the exhaust system so a good solution may be to drill a small hole at 6 o'clock on the lenses bulb bayonet socket and in that way any heated moisture that would otherwise condense back onto the lens will gass-out of the hole instead. Trying to completely seal somthing in such a wet / temperature changing/ constant vibration & movement environment may not be a successful approach in the long run. If you look at the design of the overall housing it seems the engineers intended the entire housing to breathe.
Andy :-)
Andy :-)
I think what has happened in my case is my seal along the top of the lense has failed and water is getting in in my case from my last car wash.
The sealant Porsche use is unevenly applied and I can see where it is really thin towards the middle of the lense.
I'm beginning to think the vents are for pressure relief only from fluctuating temperature of air inside the lense (from exhaust like Andy mentions or even going from a cold garage to a hot afternoon parking lot in the sun) and have minimum value in allowing moisture in or out of the system. I think you may as well leave the 'white inserts' in - I am going to. My opinion is the solution is to buy a new lense or to do skidans diy previously posted in this thread. I will pm him and ask him to give us an update on how well it lasted. Since the insides of my lenses still look clean I am going to do a 'poor mans' version of his diy and just silicone the joint without dissambly. I'll bump this thread if I get more moisture, if not it's fixed.
I would be interested to hear from 993MY if his has stayed moisture free with the plugs removed or if it came back. His case is the enigma in this, but just judging from how long it is taking mine to dry out with the sockets open, I just don't see the vents ever drying it out completely on their own, inserts or not. I don't think they are meant to handle the amount of moisture a failed seal is going to allow in from either car wash or driving in the rain.
03-26-2015, 02:30 PM
#32
Instructor
After five years, my rear light assembly DIY (below) has held up perfectly - no condensation whatsoever. That said, my 993 is a Sunday driver that is always garaged and does not spend much time in the wet...
"Cool - can you elaborate on the disassembly process? Last time I had it out, I could not see how."
I removed the unit from the car and disconnected the lights. The lens is glued to the housing with a type of black sealant. I started the removal process by softening the sealant by heating it with a hair dryer. I then inserted a narrow, fine flat head scewdriver between the lens and the housing and worked my way around to break the seal.
I believe there are two tabs on the top edge of the lens that snap into slots in the housing. You can see them by examining the edge of the housing. You have to work the sealant around them carefully with the screwdriver and lift the slot off the tab. It can be done without breaking anything. When you have loosened the integrity of the old sealant and unhooked the tabs, the lens will separate from the housing.
While I had the two pieces apart, I gave the inside a good cleaning. The rectangular area of the housing behind the Porsche lettering is painted metallic grey. The finish on mine was somewhat dull so I masked the area and spray painted it. I was relieved to find that the sockets for the back-up lights showed no signs of rust or corrosion.
When I was finished scraping off as much of the old sealant as possible (with particular attention to the area of the tabs), I put about a 3/8 inch (5 mm) bead of GE Silicone II (100% Silicone, clear) all the way around the lip of the housing and reinstalled the lens. The tabs snapped in place and held everything together in the correct position while the silicone hardened. No mess or leakage. I have not had any condensation since.
This is not a difficult DIY but it does require some care and patience.
I removed the unit from the car and disconnected the lights. The lens is glued to the housing with a type of black sealant. I started the removal process by softening the sealant by heating it with a hair dryer. I then inserted a narrow, fine flat head scewdriver between the lens and the housing and worked my way around to break the seal.
I believe there are two tabs on the top edge of the lens that snap into slots in the housing. You can see them by examining the edge of the housing. You have to work the sealant around them carefully with the screwdriver and lift the slot off the tab. It can be done without breaking anything. When you have loosened the integrity of the old sealant and unhooked the tabs, the lens will separate from the housing.
While I had the two pieces apart, I gave the inside a good cleaning. The rectangular area of the housing behind the Porsche lettering is painted metallic grey. The finish on mine was somewhat dull so I masked the area and spray painted it. I was relieved to find that the sockets for the back-up lights showed no signs of rust or corrosion.
When I was finished scraping off as much of the old sealant as possible (with particular attention to the area of the tabs), I put about a 3/8 inch (5 mm) bead of GE Silicone II (100% Silicone, clear) all the way around the lip of the housing and reinstalled the lens. The tabs snapped in place and held everything together in the correct position while the silicone hardened. No mess or leakage. I have not had any condensation since.
This is not a difficult DIY but it does require some care and patience.
04-27-2015, 07:47 PM
#34
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The backup lens are actually stained on mine, I remember seeing droplets inside. They are now dry but I will need to open the assembly. I wish there would be pictures of it opened.
If I actually have the time before the sunny season is here (in Quebec that is) I will post some.
If I actually have the time before the sunny season is here (in Quebec that is) I will post some.
09-16-2016, 10:56 AM
#36
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My original reflector was perfectly dry, but the plastic was looking a bit hazy with age. That haziness always bugged me, and in my eyes, made the whole rear end look shabby.
I bought a brand new reflector and was happy that the plastic was super shiny again. But during my first wash I noticed water wicking up into the lens from the bottom seam. No high pressure washing either, just a hose and spray nozzle.
My whole lens interior has been covered in condensation droplets for months, even with weeks between washes. It will not dry out.
So I removed the reflector to inspect, and there is NO sealing at all between the red plastic and the black frame. In fact, there's a 1-2mm gap between them which allows you to see directly through the seam and into the reflector from below. In other words, the red plastic acts more like a screen than a sealed lens unit.
At first I thought this was an intentional design and would promote air circulation and drying, but it clearly doesn't allow drying at all.
I'm returning it to Porsche for a new one. If the next one is also not sealed, I will seal it before mounting it and exposing it to any water.
And regarding the "white plug", I agree that should remain in place. I think that's intended to accommodate for pressure changes for the "sealed" unit, but not meant to provide active circulation of air through the sealed lens.
I bought a brand new reflector and was happy that the plastic was super shiny again. But during my first wash I noticed water wicking up into the lens from the bottom seam. No high pressure washing either, just a hose and spray nozzle.
My whole lens interior has been covered in condensation droplets for months, even with weeks between washes. It will not dry out.
So I removed the reflector to inspect, and there is NO sealing at all between the red plastic and the black frame. In fact, there's a 1-2mm gap between them which allows you to see directly through the seam and into the reflector from below. In other words, the red plastic acts more like a screen than a sealed lens unit.
At first I thought this was an intentional design and would promote air circulation and drying, but it clearly doesn't allow drying at all.
I'm returning it to Porsche for a new one. If the next one is also not sealed, I will seal it before mounting it and exposing it to any water.
And regarding the "white plug", I agree that should remain in place. I think that's intended to accommodate for pressure changes for the "sealed" unit, but not meant to provide active circulation of air through the sealed lens.
09-16-2016, 10:06 PM
#37
Snowbird, I went through 3 different NEW reflectors from the dealership and the first two leaked from the reverse light area. I guess the seals there were defective. When I was going to pick up the second one, I filled it up with a cup of water with the parts guy there so we could watch it leak together.
I believe there is a vent on the back of the reflector.
Third time was the charm for me.
I believe there is a vent on the back of the reflector.
Third time was the charm for me.
