Sealing 3rd brake light help

[daniel3507]

im going to try and seal up the 3rd brake light this week with some silicone but im not sure where to seal it and havent been able to find a post that answered my question. do you seal it where the black plastic part meets the cab, or where the light meets the black plastic part?

 

[pacodiablo]

If you want to keep water from coming in the cab, you seal where the light meets the cab. Just put the silicone on the old foam gasket.

Before you do this, remember that silicone is tough stuff and will not come off of paint easily. You will also have to redo the silicone the next time you change the light bulb.

A brand new light is only around $40.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

stay away from silicone. i used butyl on mine and that was bad enough.

id definitely recomend buying a new light.

 

[daniel3507]

new light it is. i didnt even consider that an option. just assumed it would still leak.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the new light will have a new foam seal on it that WONT be all crushed down from years of being bolted to the cab

 

[exbass94]

A new light won't do crap. It has the same crappy foam gasket that will leak in no time. My 2006 Ranger already started leaking last year. I'd hardly call that "years of it being crushed." You'll be replacing that light every 3 years. I bought a new LED light that will never burn out, and therefore, will never have to remove ever again. I haven't had to use any silicone on it, but if it starts leaking, I will put silicone on it like I did with my original light.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

leds do burn out

i didnt mess with the brake light on my truck until this year. it turns out it wasnt even the brake light that was letting water in. so my 16-year-old gasket works just dandy.

maybe you had a bad light

 

[daniel3507]

where was the water coming from if it wasnt the light?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the top rear passenger cab seam. i have a thread about it somewhere...

 

[IRKillroy]

oh, yeah... you damn near took all your interior out to un-fvck that.

how'd that go?

as for silicone, if you choose to use it, know that no heat, or chemical will ever remove it... and when you do it, get a caulk seam tool from the bathroom dept of your housing goods store so the bead will be smooth and uniform all the way around the light, and will kinda look factory/nice.

also, clear yellows with time, so black is an option too.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

until i can sand/seal/repaint the seam, ive put black tape (layed down as nicely as black tape can be layed down) covering the seam and the truck hasnt leaked at all so far (its been a few weeks).

my passenger seat is still in the kitchen yes ive got a little trailer trash in my blood