Water in Lariat mirror turn signal

[RedlandRanger]

I wonder if anyone else has seen this. I washed my truck today and when drying it, I noticed the passenger mirror turn signal had some water in it:

Has anyone else noticed this on their truck? Is it something I should be concerned about? I've seen cars with moisture in taillights before. The drivers side is dry - it is just the passenger side that has a bit of moisture in it.

Thanks

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[joeb427]

Condensation.
New vehicle. I'd bring it into Ford service to look at while it's wet and make an appt for the fix..

Put in a couple of amber LEDs on both mirrors while it's open and there.

 

[Sarge104]

First question I would ask has there been any disassembly of the mirror before this occurrence? Normally with incandescent lights having a bit of moisture will not affect operation but continued moisture can be detrimental to the contacts between bulb and pigtail. Putting some non-conductive grease (dielectric) will go a long way to having long, trouble free operation.

I've not taken my mirror apart so I do not know the sealing that is around that turn signal yet, I'm assuming it is just plastic to plastic. So normal driving may cause gaps to form. If there is not already some type of sealant around the lens, and you want to try and keep it dry inside, you might want to try some clear silicone around the lens and at the pigtail. It will help with sealing against moisture and vibration.

 

[RedlandRanger]

First question I would ask has there been any disassembly of the mirror before this occurrence? Normally with incandescent lights having a bit of moisture will not affect operation but continued moisture can be detrimental to the contacts between bulb and pigtail. Putting some non-conductive grease (dielectric) will go a long way to having long, trouble free operation.

I've not taken my mirror apart so I do not know the sealing that is around that turn signal yet, I'm assuming it is just plastic to plastic. So normal driving may cause gaps to form. If there is not already some type of sealant around the lens, and you want to try and keep it dry inside, you might want to try some clear silicone around the lens and at the pigtail. It will help with sealing against moisture and vibration.

Nope, I haven't touched the mirrors at all.

This being Oregon and all, it will be wet and damp for the majority of the fall and winter so I guess I should probably get it fixed under warranty.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Nope, I haven't touched the mirrors at all.

This being Oregon and all, it will be wet and damp for the majority of the fall and winter so I guess I should probably get it fixed under warranty.

Hi,

This should not happen. Get this fixed under warranty.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Company Retired

 

[mike]

I wonder if anyone else has seen this. I washed my truck today and when drying it, I noticed the passenger mirror turn signal had some water in it:

Has anyone else noticed this on their truck? Is it something I should be concerned about? I've seen cars with moisture in taillights before. The drivers side is dry - it is just the passenger side that has a bit of moisture in it.

Thanks

Those mirrors come apart SO easy so I am not surprised there is water. That plastic lense is sort of sealed with a very thin and inconsistent layer of some kind of sealant.

The mirrors come apart (thankfully) and go together very easily. The first time I was backing out of my tight under-house parking area(at 5am) and just barely hit the protruding clear plastic lense on the 4x4 post at very slow crawling and it came apart. So thats how I know how easy it comes apart. I have since worked out the spacing and alignment and now miss the post by 3"

You could take it apart and seal it properly.. or have the dealer do it.

 

[joeb427]

I had my dealer install the LEDs in the side mirrors blinker bulb swap. I was there and saw the mechanic didn't take the plastic back part above off. He took the mirror off and went through the front to change the bulb. When I asked why he said they go according to Alldata book they follow to do repairs. Maybe that thin sealant is the reason.

 

[RedlandRanger]

You guys are making me wonder whether I should just do it myself or take it in. Taking it in for such a small thing is kind of a PITA, but I do think it should get fixed. I may wait a while to see if anything else crops up that needs addressed before taking it in. Summer is here and it should be relatively dry - by fall I will definitely want it fixed though.

I am curious if anyone else has seen this in their Lariat - no one has responded, so either no one has seen it, or they haven't noticed it.

If I do end up fixing it myself, I think I can probably use the postings about replacing the side mirror lights with LEDs to figure out how to get it off. I may end up doing that as well when I do this - those lights do seem kind of weak - at least in daylight.

Thanks for the input.

 

[SubVet]

You guys are making me wonder whether I should just do it myself or take it in. Taking it in for such a small thing is kind of a PITA, but I do think it should get fixed. I may wait a while to see if anything else crops up that needs addressed before taking it in. Summer is here and it should be relatively dry - by fall I will definitely want it fixed though.

I am curious if anyone else has seen this in their Lariat - no one has responded, so either no one has seen it, or they haven't noticed it.

If I do end up fixing it myself, I think I can probably use the postings about replacing the side mirror lights with LEDs to figure out how to get it off. I may end up doing that as well when I do this - those lights do seem kind of weak - at least in daylight.

Thanks for the input.

interesting. I took both covers off to put in LEDs So far I haven't seen anything leaking or filling up with water. Probably look for it going forward. I took the chrome covers off as well as the lamp housing,

So far no water. You can do this yourself. If I find water in mine I will remove and reseal the lamp housing.

 

[Fjsteven]

Fellow Lariat owner. Power wash it every couple of weeks. No water in signal yet.

 

[Willcuts93]

You guys are making me wonder whether I should just do it myself or take it in. Taking it in for such a small thing is kind of a PITA, but I do think it should get fixed. I may wait a while to see if anything else crops up that needs addressed before taking it in. Summer is here and it should be relatively dry - by fall I will definitely want it fixed though.

I am curious if anyone else has seen this in their Lariat - no one has responded, so either no one has seen it, or they haven't noticed it.

If I do end up fixing it myself, I think I can probably use the postings about replacing the side mirror lights with LEDs to figure out how to get it off. I may end up doing that as well when I do this - those lights do seem kind of weak - at least in daylight.

Thanks for the input.

I happen to know a guy at Canby Ford who would happily toss some LED bulbs in there while replacing the housing under warranty. If you specify what side while scheduling the appointment the housing can be preordered and ready to go. Probably take longer to do the paperwork than to do the repair.

 

[RedlandRanger]

After following the hints in this thread:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/exterior-light-bulb-replacement.1998/page-2

I was able to successfully remove the mirror cover and then the light assembly - I used air to blow out most of the water and then left it in the sunlight for an hour or so to make sure it was dry. Then I applied some sealer around the light - as @mike said earlier in this thread, the sealant in these fixtures/lenses is pretty wimpy. I think I saw where there was an opening in the edge of the light, but when I blew it out you could see water escaping around a bunch of the edges. I put a bit of sealant all the way around the lens so hopefully I won't have any more trouble. I will keep an eye on if for a while to make sure.

Here is a picture showing where I think it was leaking:

That is the reason I LOVE this forum. You guys just saved me the hassle of taking this in to the dealer. Drop it off on my way to work, wait for the shuttle to take me to work, then wait for the call, and then wait for the shuttle driver to come and get me from work. A big pain for such a little problem. Thank you!

 

[RedlandRanger]

I happen to know a guy at Canby Ford who would happily toss some LED bulbs in there while replacing the housing under warranty. If you specify what side while scheduling the appointment the housing can be preordered and ready to go. Probably take longer to do the paperwork than to do the repair.

DOH!!! I just got done fixing it myself..... Now I wish I had waited a bit! Thanks for the offer! If something else comes up I will be sure and talk to you first.

 

[Willcuts93]

DOH!!! I just got done fixing it myself..... Now I wish I had waited a bit! Thanks for the offer! If something else comes up I will be sure and talk to you first.

Haha. Well If you want the slight risk of broken plastic tabs, such as the ones in the mirror cap, to be on someone else I'm your guy.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I happen to know a guy at Canby Ford who would happily toss some LED bulbs in there while replacing the housing under warranty. If you specify what side while scheduling the appointment the housing can be preordered and ready to go. Probably take longer to do the paperwork than to do the repair.

Does this guy you know at Canby Ford still think he can do this? I washed my truck yesterday and it is still leaking, so I guess my "fix" didn't really work - I must have missed something. Time for the pros to fix it right.

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