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Joined: May 2003
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OP
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Water got into my tail light several months ago. I have emptied it several times since but water keeps getting in and so the taillight either shorts out or burns out. I tried to seal it today with weatherstripping and i'm waiting to see if it will hold the water out. My question is that the taillight lights up now but it blinks fast like it is burned out. Could the relay have gotten messed up by it shorting or would it be something else?
Thanks,
Mike
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,693
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Check your front turn signal bulbs.
Almost always blinking fast is from a burned out bulb in that circuit.
Jim Johnson
98 SVT
03 Escape Limited
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Joined: May 2003
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My front turn signal works fine. That is why i was wondering why it was still blinking fast.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,319
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Bulbs are dual filament. Try your emergency flashers or brake lights to ensure the signal/stop filament is in fact OK in the rear bulb.
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 163,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 163,000km
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Joined: May 2003
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both the front and back were blinking fast last time i checked. I'll check again just to make sure but yesterday the front and back were blinking fast but the one with water was a good bit dimmer.
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Joined: Mar 2002
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That being the case then I would check the rear bulb socket for corrosion on the terminals. If present you may be able to scratch the corrosion off using a straightened paperclip (make sure headlight switch is off and key out). Sometimes hooking the terminals (with the paperclip bent to a small 'L' shape) and stretching them outwards a little will provide additional contact pressure on bulb terminals, solving problem.
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 163,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 163,000km
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 186
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CEG\'er
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Horsey was trying to say that the rear bulb is like to bulbs in one: one filament (or bulb) for turn signal and another for brake. Have someone stand behind your car while you press on the brake pedal to ensure that the filament for the brake is lighting up. Mine blew the other day. The brake light worked but the turn signal did not and I had turbo blinky! 
'99 SE Sport, Duratec ATX(I'm lazy)
No mods, still love it!
I have speed mud! 
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Joined: May 2003
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Originally posted by catabong:
Water got into my tail light several months ago. I have emptied it several times since but water keeps getting in and so the taillight either shorts out or burns out. I tried to seal it today with weatherstripping and i'm waiting to see if it will hold the water out.
Same thing happened here, the problem was that the RTV seal between the red lens and the black plastic case went blotto near the top of the assy.
What I did was remove the tail light assy from the car and got the thin, runny windshield RTV sealant and ran a bead around the joint of the lens and case, where the old sealant had failed. Then I put a vacuum cleaner hose on the hole, where the bulb socket plugs in, for about 15 seconds to suck the stuff into any cracks that led into the inside of the tail light. Finally, before it cures too much, smooth out the bead with your finger to flatten it out. Set it down in a position where the RTV won't sag and let it cure overnite and then reinstall in vehicle. If you reinstall it before it completely cures and plug the socket back in, pressure can build up inside the tail light and cause the RTV to be forced out of the joint and you'd be back where you started.
With all the really rainy weather we've had here in Eastern PA in the past week or so, I've had no re-incursion of water into the tail light since the fix. 
Kurt
'95 Contour SE, MTX, Champagne
'03 EB Expedition, Med Wedgewood Blue
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