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Water In Tail Lights

Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: r-pod Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins
Forum Description: Have a warranty or service experience to share?
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=660
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 1:28pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.0 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Water In Tail Lights
Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Subject: Water In Tail Lights
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2009 at 11:22am
Well I was having coffee and looking at my POD and notice the rear tail light.


Of course the part and maintaince Guy isn't in on Saturday, so I have to wait till Monday.  But this can't be good.  The sales guy said I could unscrew the cover to drain it, but it stuck on pretty good and can't see any leaks, but of course there is one.  I'll wait for Monday.  I'm only 2 miles from the dealer.  I can hook up and just pull it to them and let them mess with it.

Has to be fix soon, so I can go to the Texas Round UP.
Lee

I'll keep you all posted.  Check out your lights.


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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/



Replies:
Posted By: TerryM
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2009 at 11:31am
My drivers side had water drops in it also.

Terry


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2009 at 4:17am
The dealer replaced the tail light.  The repair / pars guys was real busy so I didn't ask to much about it.  I'll be back this week hopefully for Risers and I talk more about it with him.

LeeClap


-------------
Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: VenturaTom
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2010 at 8:26am
After our last trip, when we got ready to leave the campground we did a quick and routine check of light functions on the R-Pod to confirm brake lights etc.  We found that the left tail light of the Pod was out completely though the right (and my truck) were OK.  After getting home and sitting in our driveway I noticed after one of our infrequent rains here in SoCal that the right light now has condenstation in it.

I appears that the tail light on our Pod (and others?) is a product from Command Electronics Inc (#003-6019R)  from Schoolcraft Michigan.  The website (1st below) lists the part.  It retails for about $20.  Looking at the light, the internal surface is more like a circuit board with the LEDs attached than a light fixture, which seems like it would make the unit much more vulnerable to shorts due to the presence of water.  A design flaw??

Has anyone had problems with this?  My truck checks out, now I need to bring the whole thing back to the dealer we purchased it from for "warranty" service.  At the dealer they do not stock the part, and prelim discussion indicates it may be a 3+ week wait for Forest River to ship it out (per the Service Manager).  I indicated I would pay for faster shipping but was told it would be in the ballpark of $100 bucks to ship that way.  Both the standard shipping times and that sort of premium for 2nd day UPS or similar is outrageous.  The guy who checked my truck wiring mentioned that other R-Pods had this problem....and that they ought to stock the part (which they don't).

I plan to call FR about this, but was curious if anyone else has had this problem.

I've listed two other links below, each takes you to a very nice schematic of the light itself and the gasket for it.

http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-lights.html - http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-lights.html

http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-light_files/003-6019rProductInfo.pdf - http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-light_files/003-6019rProductInfo.pdf

http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-light_files/140-68ProductInfo.pdf - http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-light_files/140-68ProductInfo.pdf

Tom


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2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab
Cummins 5.7L Turbo-Diesel
R-Pod 177 Owner

Former VW Camper then Tent/Dirt Camper


Posted By: VenturaTom
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2010 at 1:29am
Well....time to close out my tail light story.

Day came to take the 177 in to the dealer (they had checked my truck connections and all was well there), and when I went hook up and haul it in...I found my problem!

On our last trip I was not nearly careful enough with my power cable connection between my S-10 and the Pod....it must have dragged on the pavement Shocked as was almost cut (sanded?) in half!  I'm lucky I still had the brake controller working and did not short out anything (that I know of yet) on Pod or truck!

Had to go to our dealer anyway, and while not a warranty repair it wasn't too bad a bill really.  Chalk one up to the trailering learning curve I guess!  The service crew did put in a cable slightly shorter and that should help.  I'll also be more careful too!  

Along the way I had some minor issues with some of the service staff at the dealer, but a brief conversation with the dealership General Manager and the Service Manager took care of that.  I mention this not just because there was an issue, or because I'm unhappy with them (I'm not), but because they took care of things promptly as they should.  Handshake That is what matters in the end, problem found, problem fixed.

I'm gonna keep an eye on them lights though, don't like that condensation in a sealed lamp fixture. 


-------------
2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab
Cummins 5.7L Turbo-Diesel
R-Pod 177 Owner

Former VW Camper then Tent/Dirt Camper


Posted By: sylviablue
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2010 at 9:18am
If the light covers are removable maybe we should put some silicone sealant around them to prevent water.  I'll check ours when we see it next month.

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In the end there's just a song comes cryin up the night



Posted By: clevispin
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2010 at 10:30am
I didn't notice this thread when it started last fall. probably because I didn't notice the water in my driver's side tail light until a couple weeks ago. I tried to just unscrew it and drain, but like someone else observed, it is stuck on there pretty tight.

So, it goes on the list along with a few other warranty items.

If we ever get rid of winter enough to uncover the pod, maybe I can actually take the thing in.

Tom


Posted By: penny-podding
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2010 at 8:09am
We had this problem, too. Water in the driver's side tail light. Still under warranty and the dealer fixed it without a problem. 

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The Penny-Pod is on the road!
Penny & Russell
R-Pod 172
2006 Ford Expedition - Darth Vedar!


Posted By: Nellie
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2010 at 8:02pm
Getting ready for my pod's first debut in a campground this weekend and while getting some of the packing done I too noticed water in the rear tail light.  I am just curious to know how they "fixed" it for you guys or did they actually replace the light.........it looks like quite a bit of electronic bits in there........


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2010 at 8:50pm
As far as I know they, took the old one off and put a new one one.  Covered under warranty.  I pickup up clear silicone and went over the other one just to make sure nothing got in.  (put some on the back window too, my know everything child said I did a ugly job, but I countered yeah but no leaks)  I get better with practice.

LeeClap

 quite a bit of electronic bits in there........I think they just undo the three screws and replace the whole thing,


-------------
Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 12:11am
The water in the tail-light seem to be a hit & miss issue. For the time Astro has been "outside" in the rain since last October we surely would have seen some water in one of them by now. So far so good !


Posted By: sylviablue
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 8:04pm
We had water in ours but the dealer gave us new ones.  I installed them and put extra sealant around them.

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In the end there's just a song comes cryin up the night



Posted By: Mik
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2010 at 10:08pm

On our second trip with our new 172 last week the right tail light quit working partially. The rear light function still works without trouble but the break light and the side indicator function does not work anymore. Anyone here with a similar experience?



Posted By: clevispin
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 2:54pm
Weather has warmed up enough that I uncovered my pod and took another look at the tail light. Remove three phillips screws, and it is still stuck quite agressively to the fiberglass tailer shell. I had to take a box knife and slit the silicon sealer, then pry it off with a screwdriver.

That leaves you with a tailight assembly that is a red outer piece and a black inner piece. The seal betweeen them is the problem, and the reason it seems to be hit or miss to all of us is that sometimes the silicon they use to seal the assembly to the trailer also seals the two pieces of the assembly ... or not, depending on how messy they got.

In any case, it's a replace, not repair. But it's easy ... far easier and cheaper than hooking up the pod and driving it 50 miles to the dealer at 11 miles per gallon vs 36 miles per gallon in my little comuter car !!

Tom


Posted By: Jerome
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2010 at 9:07pm
Originally posted by penny-podding penny-podding wrote:

We had this problem, too. Water in the driver's side tail light. Still under warranty and the dealer fixed it without a problem. 

Same here... 177 and water in the light on the driver's side... unscrewed it, purged the water and will get if fixed next trip to the dealer.


-------------
Jerome
r-pod 177 (July 2010) Tundra 2007 Long Bed


Posted By: DessertPod
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2017 at 3:05pm
I too found my back left tail light filled with water.  Also, my inverter started shorting and blowing fuses before even being turned on.  Do you think the problem is related?


Desertpod


Posted By: Lark
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 9:30am
Check out my previous post on taillights.  both of mine failed do to a heavy strip of mastic on the back side causing them to over heat.  I replaced them, used clear silicon them and they work fine.  the water may be coming fro a leak around the window or spoiler.

Lark  R-179


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Lark


Posted By: DessertPod
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2017 at 9:45am
oh, thats what that stuff i peeled off was.  i ordered a new tail light from Command for $20 + 5 for shipping.  Go with silicon when replacing?   Can i still get the tail light off with silicon on it?  Thanks.


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2017 at 8:54am
Originally posted by DessertPod DessertPod wrote:

I too found my back left tail light filled with water.  Also, my inverter started shorting and blowing fuses before even being turned on.  Do you think the problem is related?


Desertpod


Inverter? or converter. Your pod has a converter from FR, an inverter would be an add on you did.

The running light system is not, in any way, hooked or connected to the Pod's internal 12v system.


-------------
Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: DessertPod
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2017 at 9:35am
yea, its an inverter that i have wired off the main ground and a fused terminal.  worked great forever for over a year and then started blowing the fuse.  maybe the inverter shorted out.  its weird, it blows the fuse without even turning inverter on.  anyway, thanks for your help.


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2017 at 10:28am
Then my guess would be the inverter itself. Try hooking it up to another battery/12v source. Is it blowing it's fuse, or the fuse at the panel, for the circuit you added?


-------------
Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Ron 184
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2018 at 9:11am
I 180 had water in it plus some lights out. Called dealership brought it in and they replaced lights under warranty. Since no than no water or burned out leds


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R Woodward



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