Leaking again!!!

[STrac4me]

I love my Sport Trac......but the 3rd break/cargo light sucks! I have tried several things to stop it from leaking.....I bought 3M gasket materal; that did not work. I used old faithful.....silicone; worked for about a year, but started leaking again today.

I removed the light today when I got home from work.....this time I used a full tube of silicone. The truck is still under warranty, but from what I have read it is a waste of time to carry it in for this problem because they are not successful either. I am letting it cure over night in the garage with pressure on it, so hopefully this time it will last a bit longer. All I know is if I have to remove the light again....I will have a tough time removing it with all the silicone. Yes.....I did get a little on the paint, but got it off with a little alcohol.

If this doesn't work....I have a friend that runs a body shop....maybe he can figure out something to stop this.......OK I am better now.....hopefully the light will be too; they are calling for rain again on Saturday and I have to work.

[GSU4x4]

I had that issue around 35k miles, I took mine in because it was under warranty and they fixed it and replaced my headliner since it was water stained. I haven't had an issue yet, I'm now at 65k miles. I was going to do the silicone because I had to on my old Ford Ranger (same issue), but I wanted to wait until after the warranty because I filled it with silicone. Hope it works for ya!

[swetrid]

They have a updated 3rd brake lamp assembly for this concern, very common problem on Explorer and F-150.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by swetrid

They have a updated 3rd brake lamp assembly for this concern, very common problem on Explorer and F-150.

What is the part number?

[STrac4me]

Originally Posted by swetrid

They have a updated 3rd brake lamp assembly for this concern, very common problem on Explorer and F-150.

Well....it leaked today, even using a whole tube of silicone. I called the Ford dealership to see it this is covered on my extended warranty, but I was informed the premium extented warranty will not cover this problem. The service guy told me that "this is a well known problem and Ford has a replacement 3rd break light with gasket set to replace the OEM". He transfered me to parts and it cost $91, but I have a coupon for $10 off. If I can fix this for $81....it will be well worth the money. I am going to pick it up on Monday.....I will give an update on how it works.

[STrac4me]

Well.....I bought the new 3rd break/cargo light assemble today. It came with the new gasket and light assembly. It was $96, but I had a coupon for $10 off. So, when I got home I started removing the existing light. This is where the trouble started.....when I removed the light with all the silicone I put on it.....it removed paint as well; enough that the new light will not cover the area which is all the way down to bare metal. I called a friend of mine that has a body shop and he wanted to see the problem area. He suggested using Rustoleum Hammer acrylic spray paint. I found a pretty close color match; maybe slightly lighter. The light will be covering all the area exept a very small spot on both top corners. I cleaned for hours, taped/paper covering the rear of the cab, and painted one coat. I will let it dry and give it a second coat. I will let everything set over night and hopefully put it all back together tomorrow.

Lesson learned.....don't use a whole tube of silicone on the 3rd break light or it can be more trouble than you want. Time will tell.

[STrac4me]

Well.....I removed the tape today. The color match was not the greatest; it was a little light compared to my OEM color (Dark Stone Metalic). It would have probably been better if I had sprayed it black vice what ever color I used last night. I decided to go ahead and put the truck back together. The new style light/gasket assembly looked and installed good. I may remove it again later and spray it again.....but who knows.

Now we have to wait for a rain to check and see if it leaks or not!

[BigV]

Just spray the piss out of it with a hose.

[STrac4me]

Originally Posted by BigV

Just spray the piss out of it with a hose.

Won't have to.....70% chance of rain tomorrow. Everything has been back together for 3 days, so hopefully everything is good to go. We will see....

[hughes022]

Well....how did the new assembly hold up? Any leaks this go around?

[STrac4me]

Originally Posted by hughes022

Well....how did the new assembly hold up? Any leaks this go around?

I have been in two big rains both parked and driving without any leaks. So far So good. The gasket on the new assembly was twice as thick as the original and appeared to be wider. Maybe they got it right this time.

[hughes022]

Good to hear!

I wonder if getting an aftermarket light would do anything...or if it uses the factory gasket. I was looking into getting an led light for up top, but I'm not sure if it comes with it's own gasket or if it uses the original from the factory

[STrac4me]

Originally Posted by hughes022

Good to hear!

I wonder if getting an aftermarket light would do anything...or if it uses the factory gasket. I was looking into getting an led light for up top, but I'm not sure if it comes with it's own gasket or if it uses the original from the factory

I don't know....never looked into aftermarket lights. I washed the truck today and it passed the leak test again. I think this one is going to be good to go.

[GreenMando]

So far my brake light has not leaked. My wife's '08 Escape has leaked each year, last Monday was the most recent. She has had problems with drain tubes on the sun roof and the pan under the windshield.

If my brake light starts to leak I have a different idea. Silicone lube. I use it on rubber seals for scuba diving. It is a silicone based lube that helps rubber seals mate up in camera and light housings. I have kept water out of cameras and lights at 100 feet under sea successfully for 20 years of diving.

[GreenMando]

There I go. Just said it is not leaking and I found water in the tray over the sub woofer, the wife points up at the headliner and points out a drop clinging to the fabric.

I will try the silicone lube when I unload it.

[STrac4me]

Originally Posted by GreenMando

There I go. Just said it is not leaking and I found water in the tray over the sub woofer, the wife points up at the headliner and points out a drop clinging to the fabric.

I will try the silicone lube when I unload it.

I would stay away from silicone sealant....I am not sure about the lube, but the tube style sealant that will set up (gel) will remove the paint if you have to remove it again. The first time I used silicone it lasted a year then started to leak again. The second time it leaked right away, but I used a lot more that time and removed paint when I replaced the 3rd break light. To me it is worth the $100 to buy a new light/gasket kit from Ford.

You can do what you want, but just saying....

[GreenMando]

The lube never dries and stays sticky like a oil base lube does.
As I said all scuba gear uses it as it does not wash away or dry up.
I have even saved old dried up seals by rolling them in my fingers with the silicone lube. Most of the seals are silicone and not rubber now days.

[fire rider]

When screwing the light back in you need to put pressure on the light, (push it downward) with one hand while turning the screws. There should be a round rubber washer which encircles each screw.
If these rubber washers aren't present this is where the majority of the leakage problem lies.
If you crush them too much they're useless also so go gentle till it's seated firmly then add a squirt of silicone onto each screw head.
Should be good to go..!

[tls4every1]

I just got my '07 ST Limited last Friday and was in a huge thunder storm in Jeff City on Saturday and noticed water dripping from the headliner. I wrote it off to horizontal rain and wind as there are no stains or any visible damage suggesting this has been a problem in the vehicle. That being said i guess I will remove mine and inspect it and try moding some type of new gasket to beef up the seal.

[captainjack]

Bought an 07 ST in Sept. 2011. My first repair was a small leak at the third brake light. Cleaned the gasket and body, coated the gasket with silicone grease and nine months later have had no further leakage.