I got tired of looking at my taillights always having moist in them like a cold beer sitting on the counter top getting warm. So I have removed the taillights off the car and I'm trying to find a way to seal the lights completely once the moist in the lenses goes away. Has anyone done this or anyone know a better way to seal the housing so the lights will not get moisture in them?
moist inside rear taillights
- Thread starter nsxrtd
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Usually the problem is the top seam between the red lenses and the back of the taillight assemblies. The lenses bow a little and it opens up the seam along the top. Since you have the taillights off, try running a bead of clear silicone sealant around the entire circumference of the seam between the lenses and the assemblies.
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Mine have moisture in them right now also. Some people have drilled smalled (1/8") holes in the lenses to allow a little air circulation to dry out the moisture. I have been resisting doing this, but the moisture keeps getting replaced because I am driving the car daily now.
I intend to try the clear silicone sealer when they finally are dried out - may have to wait until the summer.
Is it possible to separate the lense from the rear of the housing? Then you could dry them out and reassemble them, then add the sealer.
I intend to try the clear silicone sealer when they finally are dried out - may have to wait until the summer.
Is it possible to separate the lense from the rear of the housing? Then you could dry them out and reassemble them, then add the sealer.
sounds silly, but a leave blower...unplug the blubs, and just shoot the air in. Sounds silly again, but it works. Then seal em quicker
The tail lights are open to the trunk so any moisture in the trunk will condense on the inside if the lights. Most common problem is the gaskets are bad and are letting water into the trunk replacment of the gaskets is always a good first step.
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I recently had the taillight gaskets (between the car and the taillight assemblies) replaced. I have been hoping that the moisture inside the lenses would evaporate so I could seal the seams along the top of the taillights themselves, but so far no luck. Driving my car daily doesn't help.
Are you talking about the weather strip on the trunk? My car is a 91 and from taking off the lights, seems like everything is orig. Maybe its time for new rubbers. Also, I have noticed water collection on the front of the trunk by the shocks. Thanks.
I brought my lights to work today and unplugged all of the bulbs. I left the lights on the dashboard of my truck in the sun. The moist is slowly dissappearing. I will do it again tomorrow, hopefully it would be ready to seal on the third day.
No, the tail light gaskets, water by the struts is normal and not a problem. Anyways if you have the light off they should be reinstalled with new gaskets.
Has anyone got any pics of the "Drilling a Hole" method?
man - you don't need to drill any holes! that would be acceptable on a $250 84 civic - not an nsx! the source of the moisture needs to be addressed , From what I have seen many hondas have the problem of water in the trunk/taillights, I have fixed so many , it is almost always the taillight seals , on the nsx the lights themselves can sometimes "bow" in the center,as stated above , in this case you need to seal them by removing the trim piece held on by small phillips screws , then mask the area to avoid silicone getting on the lens spread a bead of sealant in the crack then peel off the tape before it dries and reinstall the trim piece
if your car is leaking elsewhere this is pretty rare ,unless your car was previously hit? or abused in some other abnormal way
hope this helps
Wil
ps. I have a nsx in the shop now which has one taillight that is "bowed" I am considering fixing it by putting it in the oven to heat it , then clamping it to straighten the lens and re-seal it all in one by heating the lens and the glue at the same time
if your car is leaking elsewhere this is pretty rare ,unless your car was previously hit? or abused in some other abnormal way
hope this helps
Wil
ps. I have a nsx in the shop now which has one taillight that is "bowed" I am considering fixing it by putting it in the oven to heat it , then clamping it to straighten the lens and re-seal it all in one by heating the lens and the glue at the same time
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I had the moisture inside the tail-light problem only once after washing the car. The water evaporated after a few days. I use a high pressure wand on the car and sometimes the touchless wash. It happened after using the touchless wash.
I had a great car-wash to use. It was a high pressure wand with hot water and the wand came off with a quick disconnect coupling. I liked having a garden hose stream of hot water. But somebody kept removing the wand so they clamped it on tight now. Maybe I was using all the hot water.
I had a great car-wash to use. It was a high pressure wand with hot water and the wand came off with a quick disconnect coupling. I liked having a garden hose stream of hot water. But somebody kept removing the wand so they clamped it on tight now. Maybe I was using all the hot water.
Please DO NOT drill holes on the bottom.
It's a simple fix.
1) Remove the tail light
2) Undo the bulbs
3) use a blowdry to dry out the moisture
4) use silicone/gasket maker inbetween the red lenses and the black rear housing of the tail lights, clean up any unwanted silicone and let dry.
5) install the tail-lights back on the car.
I just did this last weekend and have solved the problem.
Good luck.
Rahim
It's a simple fix.
1) Remove the tail light
2) Undo the bulbs
3) use a blowdry to dry out the moisture
4) use silicone/gasket maker inbetween the red lenses and the black rear housing of the tail lights, clean up any unwanted silicone and let dry.
5) install the tail-lights back on the car.
I just did this last weekend and have solved the problem.
Good luck.
Rahim
Dont have any pictures but I did--7 years ago on my original lens, drilled holes on 1 of my 03 tail lens and to this date....no fogging, condensation or any issues. I'll drill holes if my other lens fogs up :biggrin:. Its an easy and sure solution.
Simple-pop out the tail lens and drill 2-3 small holes @ the bottom, no blow dryer, no glue, no silicon, no ovens, no mess :biggrin:
the right tail lens had moisture problems...lets see if anyone can find the holes :biggrin:..
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Thanks for all the tips. I have bought some weather strips and foam strips from a hardware store. I got some silicone and I'm about to do this project on the weekend. I have removed the old gaskets since they are very old. I cleaned the housing by using dust blowers for keyboards.
Why not use the original Acura tail lens gasket set ( see picture). I would think they work best on your application. let us know the out come...good luck :smile:
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Absolutely correct! Nice post Angus!
I cringe when I see or hear of people drilling holes in their tail lamps. It doesn't repair the underlying problem it just removes the symptoms. Over time this moisture can go unnoticed and gather between the linings and the walls of your trunk. It can corrode electrical connections, and cause problems in any electronic devices you may have in there.
Find the problem and repair that.
One more note to add to what Angus posted.
Another common source of water/moisture in the tail lamps and/or trunk
is from having a damp towel or other damp items in the trunk. The floor gets real hot from the muffler and evaporates the water. The vapor then can get into the tail laps via the tail lamp vents. This will happen even with new gaskets and the top of the lens resealed.
I have seen this go on and on with customers because the water can accumulate, actually precipitate on the cooler inside surface of the trunk or other panels.
It then drips or runs back down onto the floor and the cycle repeats itself until the moisture and moisture source is removed from the trunk.
Just by taking out the water source, say the damp towels, removing the liners and drying all the surfaces and letting it sit with the trunk open until it is nice and dry may solve your problem.
If you use a chamois or towel to dry your car and want to keep or transport it in the trunk I suggest a sealed container like a zip lock bag.
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My lights are old and I'd rather save the gasket money for an 04 tail light upgrade in the future like yours spartan2-3. They look really nice and more modern. The gaskets are $54 each for the long ones (inner) and $34 each for the small ones (outer). This is priced from my local acura dealership. I think dali has it for $84 a set. Thanks
My center and right lenses leaked and fogged up. I can't take the car through a car wash without water entering the lenses. No water ever reached the trunk.
So I decided to fix the problem once and for all.
Removing the right taillight is a royal pain. Have to remove the CD changer to reach 3 of the bolts for the tail light.
Once I got the lens out - it had more water in it than I thought. It wasn't going to evaporate easily. So I drilled a small hole (1/16 inch?) in the lower left corner of the lamp and about a 1/4 cup of water quickly drained out.
Then I sealed the lenses with silicone. Hopefully it is done now.
So I decided to fix the problem once and for all.
Removing the right taillight is a royal pain. Have to remove the CD changer to reach 3 of the bolts for the tail light.
Once I got the lens out - it had more water in it than I thought. It wasn't going to evaporate easily. So I drilled a small hole (1/16 inch?) in the lower left corner of the lamp and about a 1/4 cup of water quickly drained out.
Then I sealed the lenses with silicone. Hopefully it is done now.
Greetings
You can take a helium tank used to blow up balloons, attach a plastic hose to the outlet, shim down the hose, put the hose inside the light fixture and blow dry gas through the lens. Then, change the gaskets. You cannot use air, unless you run it through a moisture trap. Nitrogen works even better and is cheaper. Putting sealant around the lenses will make an irregular surface to mate to the gasket.
Cheers,
Martin
You can take a helium tank used to blow up balloons, attach a plastic hose to the outlet, shim down the hose, put the hose inside the light fixture and blow dry gas through the lens. Then, change the gaskets. You cannot use air, unless you run it through a moisture trap. Nitrogen works even better and is cheaper. Putting sealant around the lenses will make an irregular surface to mate to the gasket.
Cheers,
Martin
Here's what I've done. I removed the old gaskets. I siliconed around the red lens and the black plastic. It got a little messy and I used masking tape to cover on the red lenses. I also found some small hairline cracks on the black housing where it starts to curve by the turn signals. I siliconed that area too. Then I bought weather foam strips from city mill and followed the same shape as the original gaskets around the black housing. I reinstalled the lights back to the car. I can see the foam strips getting squeezed and pressed on the metal of the car. So far there isn't any moist in it. It rained once, it has been cold at night here and it is also damp in the morning, there are no signs of moisture in the taillights. My car has been parked outside lately with a cover. The roof, hood and spoiler would get moisture but not inside the taillights. SO far so good. By the way I spent less than 20 bucks. I still want an 05 light. Thanks for all the input.
Ummm.........errrrrrrrrrrrrrr......hmmmmmmmmmmm........uhhhhhhhhhh....
Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut!
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