Moisture in rear brake light unit.

[kenjiMR]

Ok, I've got another problem that has been bugging me for over a month now. The center rear plastic peice that says ACURA on it has moisture all over the inside of it. Has anyone had this problem before? If so, how did you remove it. I was told that I could drill 2 tiny holes at the bottom of the plastic and it will evaporate out. Is this a good idea?

 

[jackmac]

Hey Ken,
Don't worry about it....I have been having that problem too. I don;t think it will be a good idea to drill 2 holes...just leave it alone....I think a lot of ppl experience the same problem
Jack

 

[Edo]

This thread came up a while ago and many many people attested to having the same problem. I too have that moisture problem, it just goes away if you dont drive it in the rain for a while.

 

[DocL]

You can open the unit up, remove the "ACURA" sticker, and then reseal it with marine grade silicone.

 

[kenjiMR]

Dr.Lane, I really want to do that.
But I've talked to people who have and were told how much a pain in the butt it was. So, I'm not sure if I want to do that yet.
I've had the moisture in there for like 1 1/2 months now, its really bugging the crap out of me. I don't think it will go away over time...

 

[BB]

I've never had any problems with the middle ACURA section clouding up. But I have had numerious problems with both the left/right taillights filling up with moisture.

My first reaction was to attempt to provide a better seal to keep moisture out, but I discovered doing the opposite actually works better.

Both the taillights have numerious holes in the back of them, allowing airflow between the trunk and the taillight assembly. I was getting moisture in my lights because of a car cover that was occationally slightly damp. (Never wet, just a slight amount of dew that falls in the late evening).

I found if I always kept the car cover in the trunk in a plastic garbage bag and drove the car more frequently, the moisture in the taillights would go away.

These holes in the back of the taillights are the only easy way for the moisture to escape. Since I don't believe the middle ACURA section has any holes on its backside, the idea of making some holes is probably not a bad idea.

 

[kenjiMR]

I'm going to drill 2 1mm size hole on the bottom of the unit... worst case, I'll have 2 tiny holes and still moisture inside, then maybe that'll give me the excuse to get Japanese spec brake light panels.

 

[Kinan]

I had the same problem with mine and solved it w/o drilling any holes.
First, put your kitchen oven on some low temp like 150F and bake all of the moisture out of it over night. Do this with the factory vent hole facing upwards and the NSX type facing down
Place it on a folded towel on the oven rack to keep from scratching.
Shake it once in a while to make sure all of the water is out.

After its dry, get an airhose set low pressure and CAREFULLY (You will see the lenses start to expand a little) blow air into the factory vent hole in back (surrounded by foam ring) while listening for hissing air escaping from the leak. Seal the now found leak with a thin bead of silicone compound.
Haven't had it leak in over a month.

 

[Chris W]

Kinan,
The reason you probably haven't had a leak in over a month is because it hasn't rained in California for at least that long.

I don't mean to sound like "Negative Nelly" but the only way to truly seal the lense is to completely disassemble it and seal it entirely with silicone at the joint where the two pieces come together and around the hole that the trunk lock goes through.

Your advise about using an airhose into the lense to listen for leaks only suggests that the biggest source for moisture to enter the lense is at the place where you are able to spray air into the lense. You will need to have the lense apart in order to properly seal this part of the lense. Otherwise, you might as well buy some airtime on cable TV because you'll have you lense piece in the oven so much you'll be able to start your own cooking show with your main dish beign the NSX Lense Casserole

I can speak from experience that this will work. I don't have a garage and my NSX sits outside with just a car cover on it and after sealing both taillight lenses and center piece I haven't had a moisture problem since.

My $.02.

 

[dagobah]

I am considering drilling the holes, and didn't see these specified anywhere when I searched:

1) For anyone who drilled the two 1mm holes in the bottom of the light, did you have any problems with the lens cracking? WHere along the base do you recommend drilling, I don't to hit the bulb lenses. I was concerned that the lens would crack all over when penetrated by the drill bit, like a lot of plastic has ben know to do.

2) Also, did you drill them on the car, or remove the light assembly first? Obviously the latter is more work required, but didn't want to damage the car if they needed to be removed for drilling.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ryneen]

My entire right brake lamp assembly had water in it and it was fogged up for weeks. I simply removed the entir brake light assembly and drilled 3 holes along the bottom (side facing directly down). The water drained out and continues to be dry and fog free even in the rain. It simply drains on it's own now. It's very easy to do.