On my 1985 300TD Wagon, I took off my right hand tail light as the turning signal stopped working. First time I did this. Unscrewing the slotted bolts inside the corner of the hatch/trunk loosened it up and when I popped it off, water came gushing out, all together with floaties and dead insects. The terminal plate that holds the bulbs in place was very corroded naturally, not sure how long the waters been there. I cleaned things up and found it was a wire completely corroded and not the bulb. I dont know why water is getting in. I see there are vent like holes along the roof trim that seem like they lead direclty down the to to the compartment where the lights are. Is this supposed to be plugged up somehow? It seems as if it will keep coming in and building up. Any thoughts?

How much water are we talking about? A pint? or much less? And to be clear water coing out from behind the taillight housing and not out of the taillight itself?

I'm guessing that something is clogged and not letting things drain properly. I would investigate below the tail light housing to see what's causing the water to pool. Seems very strange to me that there'd be that much water back there..

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

Probably a little less than a pint. The taillight was filled up to about halfway with water. the bottom bulb was completely immersed in water. the compartment itself was also filled thereby letting the water into the light assembly.
it doesnt look as if there are any drain holes in the compartment. It seems th water should drain out somewhere else within the body of the rear window trim. Either that or those vents should be plugged up completely?

There should be a seal around the light assembly to keep water out.
Not sure if the TD is like the D, but my 300D has a rubber seal that fits into a groove. the assembly is installed from the trunk side, with 4 or 5 little bolts holding it in tight.

The part the bulbs attach to installs in from the trunk side, and held in with 2 thumb screws.

I assume the TD is the same.

It is the seal leaking or you have a crack in the plastic lense.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

My 81 240 leaked through both the outer seal and small hairline cracks in the lens itself.

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

If you was your Car with a Hose avoid directing the stream of Water at any of your lights.
On old Cars the water pressure from a Hose will push past the ageing rubber seals.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Actually the seal on the lights was still in good condition and in fact sealed so well that it wouldn't let water out of it. The compartment seemed to be a small aquarium for I dont know how long. No cracks in the plastic part or the seals. This is what boggles me a bit.

The cracks in my lens were very thin, almost unnoticeable. They looked more like discoloration than a crack

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

+1

I had to replace my passengers tail light because of that recently. The cracks were right where 2 different colors meet. Very hard to see until I removed it and took the tail light apart.

Fix it now before water starts to get into the car and starts rusting things out.

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AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

Get some clear tail lamp lenses, then add a few goldfish. Don't forget to feed them.

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'98 E300 turbodiesel

I slolved a problem like you state on 2 vehicles at work by drilling an 1/16 hole in the lowest part of the light housing. That allowed the water to drain out if any got inside.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I just posted last night about a fast blinker issue and realized that my rear tail light was filled with water. I came up on this thread on a search and half way through reading this I was thinking of drilling a hole too.

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1985 300TD Turbo Diesel Wagon
273,000 miles

There is supposed to be a factory-drilled hole already in the bottom of the lense.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them