Melquiades

iTrader: (1)

My right 2003 tailight (on my '01 Max) has turned into an aquarium. I can't tell where the water's coming from, but after washing / raining, I get about an inch of H2O in the lower corner. It seeps in from behind the chrome plastic.
The seals all seem good - I have a helluva time getting the water out.
I'm 99% sure that it's not coming in from the seal between the clear plexi and the gray backing.
The trunk's bone dry, so it's not a matter of the seal between the body and the lights.
Can it be coming in from wherethe bolts are attached to the lights? (I've lost the gaskets, but have applied that black sticky rope goo from Nissan around the bolts)
I've read old posts in which people suggested drilling a small hole in the most Southerly part of the tails, being careful to drill only the exterior gray backing, and not through the chrome stuff.
I'd like to stop the water at its source, but barring that, I have no problem with drilling. Or, could I silicone the entire upper outer seal to prevent water from getting behind the lights in the first place? I've never thought about nor inspected how water drains from other cars, but Nissan's method of using the tails as downspouts seems a bit strange.
Any ideas / suggestions?
Thanks

awsker

iTrader: (6)

Stick a couple of gold fish in there......j/k

Melquiades

iTrader: (1)

Come on awsker - that'd look silly.
For aesthetic and functional purposes, I'd only want one goldfish, for the amber lens. Then I could cram a red beta in the red lens.
But what about the back-up lens? Should I get one of those almost-invisible tetras, or leave it empty as an artistic statement denouncing the very act of going backwards, encouraging a forward momentum with which we can meet the future with a positive determination to philosophically, socially, and intellectually elevate mankind?
That's a puzzler.