How to seal leaky taillamps

[g6civcx]

Problem: Every S13 I have seen had some sort of surface rust on the trunk panel. This is due to water leak, and the most common cause is the taillamps. Fastbacks are especially susceptible to this, but I've also seen coupes with this problem as well.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak1.JPG

Solution: You can tell if your taillamps are leaking by removing the interior trim panel and looking at the inside of the lamps. Soak the rear end with a garden hose for a few seconds and check inside the lamps. Most likely water is coming in through the butyl seal that goes around the lamp assembly. Water leak can also short out your light bulbs as well.

What you need to do is get new butyl seal from the dealer. Part number B6553-89965. This is a universal kit for most Nissan taillamps. You will need 2 sets to do both taillamps. They retail for about $20 apiece. You can save yourself a few bucks if you get butyl tape sealer from your local auto parts store. They come in various sizes. Get the size that's slightly smaller the thickness of your pinky.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak2.JPG

Every S13 fastback owner needs to do this because the seals go bad after about 8-10 years, sooner if you do not garage your car. It's also applicable to most other Nissan vehicles as well.

Tools:
* rubber mallet to tap out the taillamps if they get stuck
* a putty knife or gasket scraper of some sort
* 8mm deep well socket and ratchet. You may also use a wrench.
* some sort of adhesive remover. I used 3M Adhesive, Wax, and Tar Remover.
* silicone sealant to seal up the bolts.
* some rags to clean up the inevitable mess.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak3.JPG

It should take you about 2 hours. The most frustrating part will be cleaning the old sealant material off of your taillamps and chassis. The rest is fairly simple.

1. Go ahead and remove your interior trim panels so that you can access the lights. You can see where the bolts holding the lights on are starting to rust due to leak. I used silicone sealant to seal them up.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak4.JPG

2. For the hatch, it's easier if you remove the center assembly that houses the backup lamps. These may be leaking as well so you'll want to apply a little silicone on the bolts to seal out water. Each side is held on by 3 nuts. Undo these and unclip the wire harness. Repeat for the other side.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak5.JPG

3. Gently slide the center panel out. You may have to tap the bolts lightly with the rubber mallet. Go ahead and inspect the seal around the lamps. Usually these don't leak too much. Mine was okay.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak6.JPG

4. Unclip the bulb assembly from the taillamp. Squeeze the clip at the bottom and slide it out. There are 2 per side. I already removed the inner ones. The outter one is dangling here as you can see.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak7.JPG

5. Undo the 4 nuts holding the lens assembly onto the chassis. They are circled in red below. The 4th one is off-camera.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak8.JPG

6. Once those nuts are out, gently tap the bolts with a rubber mallet if necessary and gently slide the taillamps assembly out. Do the same for the other side.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak9.JPG

7. Here comes the messy part. What you need to do is clean off all the old sealant materials and prep the surface for the new seal. Use whatever adhesive remover you like. It will get a little messy. The top one has been cleaned and the bottom one has not. Also clean out the body panel and clean off dirt/debris/sealant. You can see where the seal has dry rotted. This was letting water into the car.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak10.JPG

8. Butyl sealant is hard to work with when cold. You will want to hit it with a heat gun for a few minutes to heat it up. It will become more pliable and putty-like. Then you just cut it up and line the perimeter of the lamp like so.
http://g6civcx.angryhosting.com/S13/Tech/LeakyTaillamps/leak11.JPG

9. It's also a good idea to give the retaining bolts a dab of silicone to help them stop leak. Follow the instructions that come with your silicone.

10. Reinstall the taillamps. Remember to install the sides first and then the center unit. It will go in more easily. When you tighten the nut, you may want to give the lens a little push to help seal them up as you're tightening the nuts. Make sure they sit flush with the body panel. Plug in all the harnesses and make sure all your bulbs work properly.

11. Let it cure for about 24 hours. If it's particularly cold where you are, allow it more time.

You can test it by hitting the rear end with a garden hose again. If you did it right the lights shouldn't leak any more. Go have a beer :)

[punxva]

very nice write up +1 rep for you :), btw where in VA u located?

[Ricks15]

Well done this is something I need to do, Im sure the process is the same if I want to change the weather stripping by where my doors and windows are at.

[mrmephistopheles]

copying into FAQ/Archive.

[projectRDM]

Well done this is something I need to do, Im sure the process is the same if I want to change the weather stripping by where my doors and windows are at.

Not hardly. There is no butyl seal around door/window openings. If they're leaking, replace the weatherstrip.

[g6civcx]

Thanks for all the praise. I think this article will help slow down the number of S13s we lose to rust :) I think we should all thank R240NA as well. Most of the things I'm struggling with on my car he has already been through and was able to provide me with his insights.

I'm located in Northern VA. If you don't already know, hop on over to the local 240 board at midatlantic240sx.com.

The weatherstriping around your front door ledge is a little different. They use rubber strips that seal up against the door and window glass. You can seal them up with butyl sealant, but the glass guy told me the best way was to replace the strip as a whole. He also said it will also help if you soak it in silicone once a month. I'm not sure what this means but I'll find out next time I talk to him.

If you're talking about your rear side windows then you need to replace the whole glass assembly. I had this problem before and you have to get a new quarter glass because it contains the mounts to bolt up to your body panel. If you get a junkyard glass, they will most likely cut off the mounts and your car will leak because you can't bolt the glass in.

[Boost Monkey]

i actually did this about 2 months ago and it works like a charm. i bought some 3M butyl tape from NAPA auto parts for $14 (enough to do about 2 cars).

a VERY HELPFUL TIP when doing this is to keep a bucket of water by you and when removing the old stuff...keep your hands and the rubber constantly wet. the butyl rubber will not stick to your hands. if you dont keep your hands wet, good luck getting that gooey crap off after you are done.

[projectRDM]

Any kind of solvent (SEM brand is best) will dissolve the excess remnants if the butyl off the chassis and your skin pretty easily, you just need to wash it quickly before your skin dries out.

[TheTimanator]

sweet! I need to do this soon. My hatch has always leaked but it hasn't caused any rust to form....it's just makes the car smell all funky after it rains. Now if I can get the hatch to stop rattling I'll be set on that end of things!

[[email protected]]

Great post!

The OEM stuff is best too IMHO...

OEM SEALER (http://performancenissanparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=766)

[g6civcx]

I actually got mine from Performance Nissan. I found it in the OEM catalogue though.

[[email protected]]

I couldnt see my dealer code on those but could barely make out "Tony" on the label :)

Yeah, our factory parts web site is same thing...

Its a few cents cheaper on the OEM parts web site...

www.performancenissanfactoryparts.com

I try to keep both sites with the same pricing... but just say your a Zilvia.net member and Ill take care of that...

[xkamikazestormx]

sweet! I need to do this soon. My hatch has always leaked but it hasn't caused any rust to form....it's just makes the car smell all funky after it rains. Now if I can get the hatch to stop rattling I'll be set on that end of things!

my car leaked from the same spot but no rust! like he said .. smells funky though.

i just replaced my seals the same time i put my koukis on.

[g6civcx]

I couldnt see my dealer code on those but could barely make out "Tony" on the label :)

Yeah, our factory parts web site is same thing...

Its a few cents cheaper on the OEM parts web site...

www.performancenissanfactoryparts.com

I try to keep both sites with the same pricing... but just say your a Zilvia.net member and Ill take care of that...

Those came from order 13180802. I know I drive you guys nuts because I usually order new nuts and bolts, and I know most people don't do that. They just want the bling bling stuff and don't really bother to swap out nuts and bolts like I do. But thanks for stocking my orders.

[[email protected]]

Doesnt drive me nuts!

Tony handles the "trademotion" orders (the OEM parts web site)...

Feel free to email me with anything you may need, Ill be sure to take care of you....

[OdessaS13]

is therer major difference between oem tape and the stuff from napa in terms of deterioration. 14$ napa compared to $32 perf.nissan or $40 from dealer. im doing it this week, it showers every week in sf and yes car does get that humid smell overnight. its not major and no rust but i prefer to stop the leaking before it starts problems.

[[email protected]]

The OEM stuff isnt really a Tape...

Its more like a silicone goo that is in one large roll...

[AuburnRyan]

This sealant is better than silicone because...?

I imagine it's more pliable thus forming a seal once you install them onthe car?

Thanks for the post g6Civcx! Excellenent!

[g6civcx]

This sealant is better than silicone because...?

I imagine it's more pliable thus forming a seal once you install them onthe car?

Thanks for the post g6Civcx! Excellenent!

Hey, thanks for the praise. I used silicone to seal up the holes for the bolts, but silicone wouldn't be up for the job simply because you have to use so much of it. So I think the butyl sealant is better for the job. Silicone is too pliable out of the tube and after it dries it's way too hard. Butyl can be heated up to make it pliable, and seals when it cools down.