Wet trunk and Moisture inside right tail light

[mmuniz]

I'd like some advice concerning rain getting into my trunk. I cannot figure out where it's entering the car. The seal around the top of the trunk door looks new.

There is also some moisture in the right tail light. I bought the car in late September and it looks new. I received an 85 point inspection from the local Acura dealer and also took it by my friend's body shop for a look over. He said the paint was original.

Any advice on how to troubleshoot this?

Thanks,

Mario

 

[xane ze]

i had the same problem with my car. not only did the tail lights have moisture, they would fill up with 1 - 2 inches of water. pretty funny looking, but not good for the electrical stuff. when i found out how expensive it would be to replace the tail light assembly i decided to try something first on my own. after taking off the 3 tail light pieces (with the help of the service manual) i siliconed all edges except for the drain hole on the bottom side. since then absolutely no water or moisture in the lenses and no wet liner either. good luck

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Xane Ze

 

[mmuniz]

Thanks for the advice. How complicated is it to complete? Also, how long did it take you in hours? Are any special tools required?

Thanks,

Mario

 

[xane ze]

it isn't very difficult at all, infact you may only need a new gasket but the only way to tell is by checking. it did take a couple of hours since i had to wait for the silicone to get dry enough before reinstalling. you shouldn't need any specialty tools, just a ratchet and an extension. this link will show you how to take everything apart:
http://www.burgoyne.com/pages/ezell/taillights.gif

good luck.

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Xane Ze

 

[LJSB]

I fix leaks like this all the time and I find this technique works best. Leaks in the trunk area are almost never from the weatherstrip around the trunk lid. Take out the trunk liners on the rear body panel and the quarters. Take a garden hose with no spray attachment and turn it on enough just to get a nice even flow (not too fast or strong- you don't want it to go over the trunk lip into the cargo area) Now with the lid open let the water run gently down the channels to the side of the trunk opening. Do one side at a time. Let the water run down over the tail lamps too. Bend over and look inside the trunk especially around the tail lamp. In a minute or so if you have a leak, it will reveal itself. Most of the time it is the seal around the tail lamp. I strongly suggest getting a new gasket from the dealer if at all possible and avoid the silicone treatment. It tends to look sloppy, non-correct and makes it a real task if you ever need to R&I the lamp in the future.
When I do this I place the hose in the rear trunk channel and let it fill and cascade down both sides at once. Start with a dry trunk/rear body panel.

 

[xane ze]

I strongly suggest getting a new gasket from the dealer if at all possible and avoid the silicone treatment. It tends to look sloppy, non-correct and makes it a real task if you ever need to R&I the lamp in the future.
[/B][/QUOTE]

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this statement is mostly correct. yes, you should first try the gasket like i too mentioned. i tried the gasket first and water was still filling up in the lense of the taillights. as far as the sloppy look of the silicone fix, that's probably 95% correct for non - NSX owners. if you treat your car like most of us do, you will take the needed time for a clean job. i'm sure if you were to look at mine there would be no visible indication that silicone was used. as far as the future R&I, the use of hot (almost boiling) water will soften the silicone enough to pull it right apart. same process is used to soften the adhesive when changing the acura decal in the center piece.



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Xane Ze

 

[xane ze]

well of course hot water will burn the skin. but we're not talking about removing silicone from our feet. you take the light assembly off first. i'm not recommending pouring the water on the car, but dipping the assembly in a large pot of water. just out of curiosity have you worked on a NSX tail light assembly before? i'm not a collision repair expert like you but i have done extensive repairs and mods on 3 separate NSX's. i'm not saying your wrong, and maybe i'm not 100% right, but i've done quit a bit and have yet to burn my feet, or any other part of my body. thanks for the advice though.

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Xane Ze

 

[xane ze]

this is the article where i learn how to seperate the lense. i'm sure there's more than one right way to do so. i was once told that the heat gun or lamp might melt the lense similar to when you leave a cd case in the sun and it become warped. i'm guessing it depends more on the experience of the person using a heat gun or lamp.
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/nsx_connect/

Then click: >> DIY's
>> continue
>> DIY-04

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Xane Ze

 

[mmuniz]

Thanks to both of you for the help! I was going to mess with the problem but it's been raining cats and dogs since about 10am here in San Antonio.

I'll let you know how it comes out.

Mario

 

[xane ze]

oh, i almost forgot:
veniet pax vestra, pax vestra revertetur ad vos, Pax huic domui, Pax vobis, Gratia vobis et pax, Gratia misericordia et pax, Pax tecum, Dominus vobiscum, Pax omnibus, Pax tecum

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Xane Ze

 

[xane ze]

pbassjo, why did you delete those 2 posts?

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Xane Ze

 

[BB]

I would recommend against trying to separate the tailight assemblies unless you are very confident in your skills. I have pulled these things apart multiple times using a heat gun and it was a miserable experience each time. If you are not very careful you can easily damage the plastic or twist/warp it out of shape while trying to get the two glued pieces of plastic apart.

In my case, I was able to successfully pull it apart and reseal. But the end result looked less than professional: I had slightly deformed the plastic in several places. It bothered me so much I ended up purchasing a used assembly in excellent condition for only $100. Well worth it considering the countless hours I had spent messing with those taillights.

Also just because there is water in your taillights & trunk, don't assume the taillights are at fault. I have observed if you get exessive water vapor in your trunk, it can enter the breathing holes on the back of the taillight assemblies, then later appear as water inside the taillights. I'm pretty sure this was the problem in my case. (I had been storing an wet car cover in the trunk.)

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

I went the tailight route, espacially coz i drive my NSX al year in raniy Holland.
I tried to dry the tailight, but the result was far from professional. In the end i just bought a new one from the dealer (i was suprised with the price, only USD 350).
Now 6 months later, there is again moisture inside the new one..............

Bollocks

 

[Roy]

When I purchased my NSX the center section had a small bit of water and a great deal of water vapor in that section. Later, after washing the car the left taillight had water standing at the bottom of the taillight assembly. Upon further examination I found that the light sockets for both right and left taillights were corroded. I purchased the wiring assemblies for both right and left taillights and for the trunk itself. While I had the taillight assemblies out of the car I did drill (2) 1/8-inch “weep” holes directly in the bottom of the assemblies. Those holes are not visible when the assemblies were installed back in the car. To be safe, I also sprayed WD-40 into the sockets and then used low pressure air and blew all excessive lubricant out of the sockets. I fully expect that some moisture will still get in, but it will be able drain and will not corrode the electrical parts. I also had the same problem and used the same technique on my Honda Accord. Seems to be a Honda trait due to their taillight design.