CADplans
Elite Member
I have dealt with the 3rd brake light leak on 3 Chevrolet trucks, and I have seen posts where this problem exists on Ford and RAM trucks also,,
(Probably Toyota, Nissan, and whomever else has a 3rd light?)
Well I decided to try to fix the issue on a 1st gen Colorado, it was my daughters daily driver, until she parked it, and bought a car.
I was debating using a bead of silicone, or trying one of the $3 foam gaskets that would stick to the light.
I was looking for cleaning supplies at Walmart, and found the perfect gasket in the Home Improvement section.
The gasket is SILICONE! and it has a lifetime warranty, so it should not harden.
The Gasket is "D" shaped, with a 3M type tape adhesive on the flat surface of the "D".
This is the package as you will find it at Walmart.
The gasket is white, I hope you like that color,,
I used a plastic putty knife, and removed the old hard dried up gasket (what a joke of a gasket)
then, I used WD40 on a rag to remove the remainder of the gasket adhesive.
The new gasket is so easy to work with, it literally went on as easy to contour around the corners as rolled up Playdough.
I am no professional, and this was my first attempt at installing this type gasket ever.
When I tightened the two screws that hold the light, I guess I compressed the gasket about 20%,, that seemed plenty.
The gasket starts, and ends at the center of the bottom of the light. (Yes, I did also invert the light)
Here is a closeup of the gasket, showing how nicely it installed, I am VERY happy with the appearance.
I waited for three rainstorms before I decided to post showing my gasket install.
One of the storms was over 2 inches of rain in 30 minutes. NO LEAKS!!
My daughter had believed that the rear window was the leak, she never tried to fix it.
The headliner was covered in black (I assume mold) so , My wife and I replaced the headliner after the light was fixed.
The headliner fabric cost $34 at a local fabric shop, plus a $10 can of Super 77 spray adhesive.
We recovered the visors with the same headliner fabric (gray color)
I am convinced that this is the PERFECT fix for the water leaking in at the brake light.
Perfect because,, it only cost $5,
Perfect because,, it was really easy to install
Perfect because,, the material is silicone, and should outlast the truck
Perfect because,, for $5, you get enough material to do at least 8 lights!! (If you mess up, redo it, you got the material)
Perfect because,, this material and technique will work on many types of 3rd brake lights, other than the Colorado.
Fix your brake light now, before more damage occurs from water leaking in!!
(Probably Toyota, Nissan, and whomever else has a 3rd light?)
Well I decided to try to fix the issue on a 1st gen Colorado, it was my daughters daily driver, until she parked it, and bought a car.
I was debating using a bead of silicone, or trying one of the $3 foam gaskets that would stick to the light.
I was looking for cleaning supplies at Walmart, and found the perfect gasket in the Home Improvement section.
The gasket is SILICONE! and it has a lifetime warranty, so it should not harden.
The Gasket is "D" shaped, with a 3M type tape adhesive on the flat surface of the "D".
This is the package as you will find it at Walmart.
The gasket is white, I hope you like that color,,
I used a plastic putty knife, and removed the old hard dried up gasket (what a joke of a gasket)
then, I used WD40 on a rag to remove the remainder of the gasket adhesive.
The new gasket is so easy to work with, it literally went on as easy to contour around the corners as rolled up Playdough.
I am no professional, and this was my first attempt at installing this type gasket ever.
When I tightened the two screws that hold the light, I guess I compressed the gasket about 20%,, that seemed plenty.
The gasket starts, and ends at the center of the bottom of the light. (Yes, I did also invert the light)
Here is a closeup of the gasket, showing how nicely it installed, I am VERY happy with the appearance.
I waited for three rainstorms before I decided to post showing my gasket install.
One of the storms was over 2 inches of rain in 30 minutes. NO LEAKS!!
My daughter had believed that the rear window was the leak, she never tried to fix it.
The headliner was covered in black (I assume mold) so , My wife and I replaced the headliner after the light was fixed.
The headliner fabric cost $34 at a local fabric shop, plus a $10 can of Super 77 spray adhesive.
We recovered the visors with the same headliner fabric (gray color)
I am convinced that this is the PERFECT fix for the water leaking in at the brake light.
Perfect because,, it only cost $5,
Perfect because,, it was really easy to install
Perfect because,, the material is silicone, and should outlast the truck
Perfect because,, for $5, you get enough material to do at least 8 lights!! (If you mess up, redo it, you got the material)
Perfect because,, this material and technique will work on many types of 3rd brake lights, other than the Colorado.
Fix your brake light now, before more damage occurs from water leaking in!!