# Leaking tailights



## SentraBoy (Jun 19, 2002)

I have leaking rear tailights on the '94 B13...

Any suggestions how to fix the problem, they leak so bad that I get water in the spare tire well.

Thanks,


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## Raul (Sep 12, 2002)

First off, all taillights are in the rear.  Sorry, I just couldn't resist -- my kids hate it when I do that.

If I didn't have anything substantive to offer, I would not have bothered yanking your chain.  

I had this prob with my 91 several years ago. Lights are held in by some nuts inside the trunk. Unplug bulb connections, remove nuts and remove light assembly. You may have to work them a little since they have cauking on them.

Now that you have them out, you should be able to see where they were not making contact with the body. I used a product from Permatex (the non hardening gooey one) and it worked fine. I have seen suggestions to use silicone, I suggest against that, you are not trying to fix it to the body, just caulk it.

Figure out how you can clean the excess (mineral spirits, alcohol, I don't know); often when you put too much on, it will squeeze out when you tighten the nuts.

Good luck.


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## Irons (Jul 10, 2002)

My 91 and the (current car) 93 both did/do the same thing. I'll probably fix mine over the spring here. Please post how it went and what you did.


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## Pretty White (May 6, 2002)

Go to a auto paint supply store and ask them for a product called "Dum Dum". They know what it is. Then take the trunk lining out and hose down the trunk from the outside and look to see where the water is leaking from. Or just take the taillights off and reseal them with extra "dum dum". I don't remember the technical name for it, thats just what they call it in the bodyshops. They will know what you are talking about.


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## XtremE (Apr 30, 2002)

dry out the tailight completely and seal it around between the body and tail light with sylicone


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## Guest (May 7, 2003)

*leaking tailights*

my trunk was leaking so bad that i had to drain the spare tire area after every rain...i went to a hardware store and bought some of that silicone in a tube, it is clear and costs like $5.00, then i ran like three or four beads of it around the lights where they meet the body of the car...you'll see that there is a gap there...it is almost a lock that that's the problem...ever since then, NO LEAKS...and we've had some bad storms...you just might want to air that bad boy out, i know it smells like something died in there...good luck...
bonnie


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Don't use silicone, like Raul said, you'll essentially glue the damn things to the car with that, which will cause you grief should you decide to paint the car and want to remove the taillights, or if you bust a taillight and need to replace it. I've done the leak fix twice on both B13's and I used a rope of 3M Window Weld, you can get it at the parts store. It's better than the stuff they used OEM because it's not as sticky and soft. If when you pull the lights out to reseal them, you by chance get some of the stuff on the paint, use a rag and some zippo fluid or naptha to get it off. Bug and tar remover would likely work as well. Put a rope of the window weld around the light and put it back it and push on it really hard being careful not to crack the taillight. Put the nuts on and snug them down really good. The previous owner before me did like Bonnie did and used some black caulk on the top of the light where the gap is. So now I have to garf up my paint to remove it.


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## dry (Oct 21, 2002)

mine leaks but I just drilled a hole thru the floor of my trunk so it will drain out.


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## AVERAGE (Aug 9, 2002)

i dont know abut the b14, but on a b12 the water will eventually find its way up front (yes, it happens) and thats all i need is for water to get in the ecu. dryboy, i think u may have made matters worse. what happens when u finally decide to fix it ? oh and bunk, i know the feeling , before i figured out the problem the rain had long ago ruined that stock board that covered the spare so i put a piece of mdf back there which has seen quite a bit of water and smells like an old mans toenail


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## Guest (May 7, 2003)

i took my lights out last week without a problem, just added another bead when i needed to put them back on...
average, did you replace the board or just leave it off...mine was all warped and nasty...
bonnie


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## SentraBoy (Jun 19, 2002)

*Fu*king lights*

OK guys,

I bumped this post back up!!!

I had a body Shop fix the lights in May. They were ok till today.

I went to a Car Wash and noticed there leaking again. 

WTF they were fixed only 3 months ago.

???Should I buy new tailights or What???


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Did they remove them and reseal them? If they didn't and did that halfassed mehtod of just putting a bead of caulk along the top edge of the light on the outside then that's why they still leak, the water can still get in that way. Run a hose over the trunk and see if you can find where the water is coming in at, your rubber trunk seal could be part of the problem, although I doubt it.


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## SentraBoy (Jun 19, 2002)

The water is coming from the corners closest to the quarter panels.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Well, then I'm guessing they didn't remove them and reseal them. Buy a roll of that 3M window weld and take them out and reseal them yourself. It'll cost you ~$12 and take you an hour or so. When mine leaked in my XE, I had algae growing in the wheel well. I had to make a new spare tire well cover out of masonite and use an algicide/fungicide to clean the metal after I pulled the plugs and got the water out.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

On my 94 Sentra beater, I just did the silicone thing too. Worked like a hot damn and lasted 4 years. Just don't plan on removing the lights easily.


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## sentrasersr20de (Jun 1, 2003)

Leaking rear Tail Lights? Tail Lights dont leak any thing unless you first put some thing into them. Your tail lights are funneling water not leaking. My 91 Sentra trunk leaks too. I just removed every thing from the trunk and removed one of the plug holes in the bottom to let the water out. It sure is gonna suck when I need to change a flat tire though.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

sentrasersr20de said:


> *Leaking rear Tail Lights? Tail Lights dont leak any thing unless you first put some thing into them. Your tail lights are funneling water not leaking. My 91 Sentra trunk leaks too. I just removed every thing from the trunk and removed one of the plug holes in the bottom to let the water out. It sure is gonna suck when I need to change a flat tire though. *


That's smart. Rather than solve the problem, just add other problems. Great solution.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

LOL! Everybody knows that the tailights don't leak, it's the seal around them that allows water to leak into the trunk. I don't understand why people do shit the hard way, it's not that hard to reseal them and not expensive. Oh well, it's probably just like when people ask how to add a tach, I tell them where the OEM tach wire is and instead they go drilling a hole into their firewall and running a chincy piece of wire, hacking into their coil wiring. You can only try to help people but if they won't help themselves....


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## sentra_d (Oct 7, 2003)

*Taillights on the Sentras cause leaks*

I see I'm not the only one with the leak in the trunk caused by water getting in through/around the taillights.

Do *all* the Sentras have this problem? C'mon Nissan! Get it together! First I had to fix a leak in the rear windshield and now I have to deal with this! :lame: 

I just bought some Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant (by Permatex) to fix the leak coming in through/around the taillights. The clear Flowable Silicone Windshield & Glass Sealer (also from Permatex) worked perfectly to fix the rear windshield leak; I'm hoping for the area around the taillights, the Black Silicone will do the trick fast and easy and all for only $3.59!!!  

Unless, by a show of votes, you guys think something else should be used...


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