Help! Solve the mystery!

[pyemaster]

Alright fellas,

When it rains, I've a drip in from above the tailgate window into my boot. So far, so normal. It's a bit annoying, and I'd like to find the source of the ingress.

So today I took the top centre rear plastic cover off which houses the boot light above the tailgate, and found, in the driver's side, the end of a mysterious wire, which had been cut off, and left dangling. The drips of water are coming right off the end of it.

Because it emerges from between two metal skins, I can't see the other end, and there's nothing in the outside which seems anything to do with it.

So my question, what the hell is it?! Anyone know? Is this original or aftermarket? If the latter, anyone know how I can get to its source? It sort of disappears up into the roof metalwork above the rear tailgate.





Help!

Owen

[marcdtr]

TV aerial cables or speaker cables

[pyemaster]

Hmmm, can't see an external TV antenna mount or anything, and there would be nowhere for a speaker to sit up there? If it was running internally to the battery through the bulkhead, why is it channelling rain water? There doesn't appear to be any breach on the roof. The only points I could imagine that it might be coming in are the spoiler mounts, but they appear dry on the underside of the mounting bolts so I don't think that's it?

Owen

[pyemaster]

Anyone else come across this before?

Owen

[BioHazard]

High level brake light in spoiler. Some just fitted on rear wiper unit.

[pyemaster]

Yeah the feed for that is still live as the brake light works, and it's fed in up top on the passenger side. I've no idea what was on the end of this cut cable, but I'm not sure if / how I can trace it back to find out where it's getting water onto it as it goes up between skins it looks like...

Owen

[Karma Supra]

Could be anything, its obviously some bodge fitted by a previous owner.

Might be for roof lights or something and had been run up through a seal causing the water ingress.. but that's just a guess..

[POPEYE]

right, your only way is to trace it with a mini mag light and a mirror and removing trim as req, long as it's not live just snip and tape it, the waters another matter, could be the rear wiper, wiper docking rubber, spoiler if you have one,
trial and error I'm afraid

[pyemaster]

Thanks chaps, little update.

Took rear trim off, didn't give much away, removed the rear wiper bracketry inside to see if that gave anything up, removed rear spoiler and inspected mounting brackets, and removed wiper arm locater bracket, ALL to no avail.

The wire just dangles down 10mm and disappears up into the rear roof area between two skins.

None of the external mounting points through the external roof skin show anything, all dry matter in and around the mounting bolts for the rear spoiler, and I'm none the wiser.

The two skins inside are welded so can't see where the wire goes, and the gap is probably only 3mm wide so can't get a mirror in there.

Infuriating! It will drip like clockwork in the rain, but I've no idea why it's there, where it goes and how it's channelling water when there are no obvious breaches where water could come inside.

Running out of ideas?!

Owen

[Growler]

Can you get a better pic of the make up of the cable showing the cores which might help identify possible uses

[Dobbslc]

Your leak is probably somewhere else but the water will run down the outside of that wire.
Sunroof?
It looks like speaker wire so try finding the other end at the front of the head lining maybe by the A pillars.
Does your rear wash wipe work OK?