okay, thanks for looking and helping in a advance. okay, i had just bought a mazda 1988 323, and I love it, but then there was trouble. there is a leak and the floorboard became soaked before I realized what was going on, then the rear lights wont turn on unless I touch the brakes so only the brakes lights turn on, I checked all the fuses and they all appeared fine,. so now im stuck, I cant find a wiring diagram for the fuse panel or any thing this year to save my life. please any help would be greatly appreaciated. Also i dont know if this helps but the dashboad lights have not turned on since i bought it. thank you

 

Sorry to hear of your car's problems. Food for thought.... While it sounds obvious that you have a leak some where allowing water inside, your two problems might be related, yet they might not be. It could be coincidental, but you'll need to figure that out. Leaks on 323s (or old cars in general) are common unfortunately (I still have one that I haven't pinpointed). I checked all the rubber seals around the doors for any damage (old, dried, cracked rubber) Second, it's common that in older cars that the door hinges wear down and gaps form at the door seals. Check the alignment of the doors and how well they shut or don't shut. Third, if the car has ever been in an accident, the metal rim (can't think of the name) which is the window seat when the window is totally closed can be bent out a teeny and can create a gap at the top for rain to get through. Fourth, if you have a model with a sunroof/moonroof, you should double check to see if the drain is plugged (the drain allows water that gets by the seal between the car body and the sunroof to drain down outside of the car rather than getting into the car). Fifth, and this is what I haven't done yet, is to check the seals around the front and rear windows. I heard that they have a new method of using ultrasound to check quickly for holes, but I don't know how accurate this is. I'm no expert on car glass.

As for your lights, I'm guessing that water may have gotten into your fusebox. Check for evidence of water marks. Also, the seal around the rear brake light assembly does go bad and you should disassemble it and buy new foam gaskets. Come to think of it, this was one of my leak spots. this might help you to pinpoint your brake light issue also. Good luck.

 

I would remove the door panel on the side where the leak is and make sure the plastic shield is in place and sealed all arround.....hope this helps ....what i did on my 323 was to leave the door panel off so i could observe any water
coming thru the plastic door shield....if necessary you can replace a torn
shield with new plastic.....tony