2013 Dodge Durango, 3.8L V6, 90,000 miles.

The Dodge Durango has a pool of water trapped inside a taillight. A rubber seal is loose, allowing rain water to flow in. Time to drain the water out and re-seal it, before it starts shorting out the tail light bulbs.

Can you see the water line? White arrow points to water level. I thought about just leaving it alone and adding a little rubber duckie. The easy cheat fix would be to just drill a little hole in the bottom to allow it to drain. But nah, I'm going to fix it right.



A youtube video said if I unscrew this nut on the side of the liftgate, the water will drain out. Well, some of it did, but not where I expected it. And it didn't get all of it. So, now I've got more work to do...



In order to remove the tail light assembly, I have to first remove the entire interior panel on the rear liftgate. And that's a PITA.



The interior panel. It's held in place with those yellow and green snap fasteners. They just pop out. But do it carefully so you don't break them. Invest in the panel clip removal tool, for $5.



Now you can see the back side of the tail light. If you just need to change a bulb, this is where you stop. I've unplugged the bulb from the taillight, which you can see dangling loose. But I need to remove the tail light, and this gives me access to the nuts which hold the tail light assembly in place.

I miss the old days when tail light bulbs could be changed by just reaching inside the trunk. Now we don't even have trunks.



Nuts removed. Tail light now lifts out. More water dribbling out. Rotate the bulb base to pop it out of the tail light lens. The lens assembly is now free.



Tail light removed. Last of the water to be poured out. Pry the lid open a bit to make a crack and let air in, and let it sit in the sun for an hour to dry out all the moisture inside. Then put a bead of sealant along the edge of the lens where it has come loose. Put a weight on top to hold the front and back together while the sealant dries.



Reverse everything to put the car back together. Check the lights to make sure they work correctly. Done! That saves me hundreds of dollars that a mechanic would have charged, and it cost me just $8 for a tube of silicon sealant. The next big rain storm is coming, for the final test. Or you can run a garden hose over it. Fingers crossed.



The tail light has survived additional rainstorms without filling with water, so I'm calling this job successful!

- John Rich, Katy, Texas