Had a Funk in My Trunk

[AHudson]

This Saturday, I spent the entire day with my 'new' NSX, a 97 in Kaiser. I had every intention of detailing the exterior/interior but when I opened the trunk to remove the mat, I was met with a pretty stale odor.

Seems my trunk had been leaking a little, the mat was water stained at the extreme edge, and the wadding mat under the tool kit was fouled. Light surface corrosion on the tire pump was all the evidence of moisture I needed.

Noticed the taillights also had condensation. So, there went my plans, and I dismantled the trunk.

1. Noted the catch was set 'high' (BOTH shims in place) and was loose enough on the right to cause some leakage.
2. Pulled a shim, adjusted the 'stop' on the right. Trunk clicks firmly now.
3. Pulled all the soft trim, carpet, tools, weather stip.
4. Shampooed the carpet. It was unbelievably filthy. Probably lots of road dust had crept in over the years too.
5. Cleaned the entire metal trunk floor with Simple Green. Soaped it up, rinsed, dried.
6. Let all the trim dry in the sun for several hours.
7. Left the trunk up for several hours.
8. Replaced my rust staples in the velcro AND the very crumbly pull tab rivet.
9. Pulled the tailllights out, pulled all the bulbs, let them dry outside. Lucky me, the sun did the trick.
10. Filled obvious 'gap' in taillight trim with black exterior window sealant.
12 Reassembled all.

Now, in case anyone wonders, my trunk smells nice, looks fresh and doesn't leak. Might want to pull up your carpet and check your own.

 

[USAFguy22]

I have the same exact issue with mine, fogged tail lamps, wet interior, and funk. Ill give this a try:biggrin:

 

[AHudson]

I have the same exact issue with mine, fogged tail lamps, wet interior, and funk. Ill give this a try:biggrin:

These cars are built to such tolerances and gaps, I was sort of surprised to have this issue at all. One tail lamp had been wet so long that a brake light socket was pretty corroded.

That's all cleaned up now, works fine. Could've turned into a more expensive, more dangerous condition.

Admittedly, not the most rewarding project, but hey, it's one improvement checked off the list.

 

[Honcho]

This is actually a common problem with the NSX. It shares the same tailight gasket/unit scheme with the CRX lol. Not the best design, which is surprising for Honda. In fact, the very first "issue" I confronted as a new owner was the funk in the trunk. My trunk was full of 3 inches of water after a rainstorm. My fix and the issue in general are described here:

http://nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118270&highlight=trunk

It's basically what you did.

 

[AHudson]

Wow Honcho, thanks for that. I may be the worst 'searcher' on the entire Prime site. Had made a weak effort to find something similar, ended up going my own mistake-laden 'wonder what this is holding in' route.

Anyway, my gaskets 'seemed' fine (rained on the car yesterday, guess I'll find out!) Seemed to me that the trunk seal was the issue. The gap at the top of the lights was an obvious entry for the condensation.

Thanks again for the link, very helpful.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

I had the exact same funk smell problem as well, but my solution was to take the dead hooker out of the trunk. :smile:

 

[Track Addict]

Thanks! I will have to check my trunk once I take the cover off.

 

[AHudson]

I had the exact same funk smell problem as well, but my solution was to take the dead hooker out of the trunk. :smile:

Oh yeah, that'll do it every time!

Thanks! I will have to check my trunk.

...for the hooker?

 

[minsbang]

Try this:

Leave a few bowls, filled halfway with vinegar. It'll absorb the smell. Do this for a day or two. Your trunk will smell like vinegar for some time but it'll go away.

Next, sprinkle baking soda for a day or two and let it sit.

repeat the steps until the odor is gone.

I hope this helps.

 

[Meeyatch1]

The musty smell....yep...well done on getting it fixed.

 

[Formula93]

I just bought my 93 last week and the one thing I noticed was some condensation in the taillights. Looks like this might be the first thing I do with the car.

Thanks for the info!