Last night I installed the Hi-Five light kit on my 2003 CC per the install guide on this forum (the instructions that come with the kit are pretty weak). I did use a rubber sealant compound in the screw holes. I also included the upside down "T's." Finally, I put some of that rubbery sealant on the inside of the cab where I could see the screws and wires.

To test for leaks, I sprayed the lights with a pretty good spray/stream of water. It wasn't completely concentrated, it was more of a hard spray. There was absolutely no water inside the cab. However, the light housings were obviously holding water. I could push up on the gasket with my finger and the water would come out. Other's on this site have claimed to test with very hard sprays and had no problems.

On the way into work this morning, I stopped by the dealer lot. The seals on the OEM lights seem much more secure than mine. Mine you can actually create a small crack between the truck and seal by pushing up on the seal. On the dealer lot, the seals were very tight.

Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem? I did not make an effort to orient the T's in any special manner, although I did notice the bottoms had an opening to one side. I don't think the rubber compound is the problem (i.e. making the T posts higher) because on one light I actuallly put that compound up in the recess part of the T's. The screws are as tight as I feel comfortable tightening them. I am scared I'll strip them out if I go any tighter.

Even after a light rain last night, the outside lights had a little water in them.

Help, Please! Edited by: tundracamper

You might try taking out the T post on one of the lights and then reinstall it with uniform touque on all screws. It may just take a little experimintation with the trial and eror method.


Engineer Bill

That may be worth trying provided I'm careful and don't break the lights! I was really surprised how tight (clamped down) the gasket on the OEM lights felt compared to my Hi-Five. Perhaps the T-Posts are just a little too tall. (Again, I'm assuming it doesn't matter whether the opening at the bottom faces in our out - althoug I did notice some ribs on one side of each T. I wonder what those are for?) I also wonder if water is leaking into the housing from the top of the screws.

I just know from my travel trailer lights that water inside a light leads to mold growth.

I'm pretty certain the T's are causing your problem. I noticed that with the T's in place, my lamps did not fit snugly to the roof. I thought about cutting them (the T's) off, but decided instead to leave them out. If you are careful not to tighten the screws to the point of cracking the lens then it shouldn't be a problem.


I doubt water is getting in thru the screw holes, but I dabbed a little silicone on mine just for good measure - can't hurt.

You are correct! I removed the T's this weekend. Without putting much stress on the lenses, I was able to clamp down quite a bit more on the gasket. Thanks for the suggestion.

On the way into work this morning, I stopped by the dealer lot. The seals on the OEM lights seem much more secure than mine. Mine you can actually create a small crack between the truck and seal by pushing up on the seal. On the dealer lot, the seals were very tight.






Tundra,


So are you saying there IS a difference in the HI-Fives and the OEM lights.


I am ready to order a set but will go OEM if there is a difference.





Thanks,


Nathan

I put a set of Pacer lights on a truck saterday and then installed oem lights on my truck, only diff I could see is the wiring. Lights are identical.

So are you saying there IS a difference in the HI-Fives and the OEM lights.





Yes, about $200 difference depending on your source!

To me, the Hi-Five look identical to the OEM. I was surprised at how well they are built for $70. There are some plastic T's that mount upside down in the screw holes for the lights. I presume these braces are to keep you from breaking the lights if you tighten down too much on the screws. In my case, these braces made it where I couldn't get the gasket to seal well. So, I removed them and the install is now perfect. They do include some little silver screw inserts that appear to go in square holes. Since others have stated the trucks with OEM cab lights secure secure into square holes in the cab, I presume you could even replace the OEM lights with these - something to consider if you bust one!