I did not have any water intrusion on my 2014 Crew. That said, I wanted to check the third brake light seal to see if there could be a problem since this is a very common issue with all years of Ram trucks.

Glad I did!
In the pic you will see the 2014 Ram oem third brake light and seal. Note on the seal how far water migrated across it. Water was not getting through yet but it was only a matter of time.


I highly recommend this fix for ALL new Ram trucks as soon as you get them home.
All you are doing is removing the oem seal and resealing it with a thicker more dense seal. The "Frost King" Weather foam 3/8" wide-- 5/16 thick will do the trick and purchased at any home improvement store.

Remove the old oem seal and clean up the area with some rubbing alcohol.



Start applying the seal at the bottom middle of the light. (This is important because you dont want the seal seam to be on the top of the light where all the water runs.)

Apply the seal exactly where the oem seal sat and work it around the light. Be careful not to stretch the seal as you apply it. Cut the seal so it butts against where you started at the bottom middle.

Note how much thicker the seal is than the oem.


That should be all that is required but if you are like me you want a extra layer of protection. This is easy to do.
I took another seal (gray in color) that is similar in thickness to the oem seal but thinner than the black seal and ran it around the top and sides of the brake light just at the edge of the light. This is a extra layer of protection that funnels the water around the top and sides so it runs off before it even touches the inner black seal.



Note how the gray seal closed the top and side gaps completely where it meets the metal painted surface.


Installation was easy. I pushed the light against the truck as I screwed them in. I could feel the new seal compress as I tightened the two Philip head screws. You can instantly tell that the third brake light is sealed significantly. Easy mod to do and will save you worrying about water leaking inside your truck.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Great write up! I'll have to inspect my cab brake light out.

 

Nicely done sir! This will work on any year truck too.

 

Hmm, now I have to check my '09 1500.

Better check my dads '09 2500 too, he tied his orange LED plow light wiring into his cargo light wiring.

He never uses the cargo light, so this worked great as we didn't have to drill any holes, run wire, or mount a switch.

But with wiring going through where it seals, I better check it ASAP.

Nice write up, thanks for the heads up and info on material for sealing.

HB

 

This is one of those items you wonder why Ram doesn't have a TSB on. Its such a simple fix but easily avoidable if the manufacturer would step up to a better gasket.


FYI: here is the seal I used.

 

I just noticed in your original post, the seal was 5/16 thick, that pic shows a seal with 7/16's thickness. You might want to switch out the pic. I picked up the 5/16's seal and it was a perfect fit even on my aftermarket LED brake/cargo light.

 

I had a pretty bad leak after a heavy rain two months ago. I did the flowable silcone fix and have had no problems since.

 

I used a silicone base too. Made a nice bead around the light and pressed it firmly in until the silicone fill all the gaps. Sealed up perfect and this way doesn't have a gap along the top to allow water to sit and eventually rot the seal.

 

Great write up, not sure why this is a mystery to dodge/ram after all these years.
As far as the silicone goes, it works well but you may need to re-apply after removal, I like the weatherstrip fix better.