'95 Seville Tailight Question

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I have a '95 Seville SLS which has a problem with one of the rear tailights accumulating
moisture in the tailight / backup light housing.

The inside is "fogged" with beads of water on it.  This seems to be a common problem
with these as I've seen others with it.

Questions:

-- How do you dry it out?
-- How do you seal it up to prevent this problem from reoccuring?

Thanks,

Mike

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Come on fellows!  Somebody out there in Cadillac land must have an idea on this.
Can I hear from one of you former technicians that frequent this forum?  Any advice
welcome.

Mike

[TJ Hopland]

I got an 05 that started doing that after a minor accident.  I cant find any signs of any sort of damage.  I was thinking of taking it apart and letting it dry then maybe putting one of those little 'do not eat' packets in there to be sure all the moisture is out and see if it does it again.  problem is I only notice it and think about it when I am on my way out somewhere, if I saw it when I got home there is a better chance I would remember to fix it. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The only way condensation is going to get in there is if the lamp socket is open to the elements, or there is a crack, or a joint has come loose.

The best way to find out if there is a suspect joint is to pull it out, fill it woith water, and see where it is leaking out, apart from the lamp hole.

Bruce.

[Eric S. Maypother #15104]

Another thing, maybe drill a little hole in the bottom so the moisture can come out. I sell used tail lights, some have small drain holes, some don't so it wouldn't hurt to have 1.

[David King (kz78hy)]

My vote is to get the lamp dry, inside and out.

How about warming it up.  Assuming it is removed from the car.
If the lamp is warmed to around 140F or so, and you identified where the breach was, apply some sealant to that area and allow to cool in a dry place.  I would do this with the lamp socket hole plugged well, so the cavity is sealed.  During the cooling process, the sealant should be drawn in by the vacuum created.

Just crazy thinking on my part.  A lot like canning green beans.

David