Acura RSX, ILX and Honda EP3 Forum banner

DIY Taillight Gasket Replacement (Water in Trunk Fix)

213K views 350 replies 182 participants last post by  integra2k20 
#1 · (Edited)
This is for the 02-04 RSXs that drive around with a pool of water in their trunk.

Here’s the pool


We need to find out where the leak is.
Remove your carpet, foam board, spare tire, taillight access lid, (and plastic cover if you wish).

To take off the taillight access lids, just pull… very hard


I took off the plastic cover. You don’t have to but it’s quick and it makes the job a little bit easier.
There are only 4 snaps. Just pull and they’re out.


After removing the carpet, foam board, spare tire, and taillight access lid; run water down from the top of the hatch and let it flow through the taillight. Do this until you notice where the water is leaking through.


Here’s the problem


For most people, the problem is usually that their taillight gaskets are bad.

I ordered my new taillight gaskets from acuraoemparts
Part Number: 33502-S6M-A11
Their minimum quantity is 2 so you would pay $16.16 + shipping

These are the gaskets


First thing you need to do is remove your rear bumper
s2k_3.11 has a great DIY for removing your rear bumper here http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=542715


Now that the rear bumper is off, you can move inside the car
Turn the bulb sockets 45° counterclockwise to remove the bulb sockets. Pull the small plug at the end out.


Remove the mounting nuts. There are four 8mm nuts on the inside, 2 screws on the outside (you already took one out when you took off the rear bumper).
I also removed one of the mounting bracket nuts (10mm) to gain full access to the taillight.


 
See less See more
10
#325 ·
If you havent done this already do not recycle these in any way , also make sure every little bit of the old gasket is removed (where its glued) or it will leak again as I just completed this project and it leaked for that reason . Buy new seals , dont skimp . Rust > gasket for $
 
#326 ·
Rsx 2006 - NW Austin

Tail light gasket replacement is easy if you use super-long Phillips screw driver to remove screws from below the bumper. No need to remove the bumper. The screw driver is available from Home Depot for less than $20.

Also, make sure Acura provides the right gaskets. The dealership can get confused on the gasket part no.
 
#329 ·
It very well may be , I just followed the link to the DIY bumper replace, which I had to do in the end anyway because the rails right beneath my lights were rusted fast and both inner bolts snapped trying to get them off . Which if that happens to anyone here , no worries , tapping and adding a larger screw is no big deal .
 
#330 ·
I read a few pages,not the whole thing though. I need to do this. I have the gaskets already. As ghetto as this sounds(and I'm not really one for rigging shit like this) I'm also thinking about laying a piece of clear packing tape over the gap between the tail light and the frame rail and then spraying a light coating of clear flex seal over it to keep water from running behind the tail lights again. I just got the idea from reading some posts throughout this thread, I have to actually look at the car again and see if its even feasible with still letting the water have somewhere to go.
 
#335 ·
Did that last week. Couldn't reach the screws without removing the bumper. Also - a good idea is to check the metal bracket on which the taillight rests (and to which it is attached with those 2 screws). Mine were rusted through and I will have to buy them and remove the rear bumper again to replace it.
 
#347 · (Edited)
I got those gaskets a few months back and just installed them the other day. Mine still had the original gaskets which were stuck on the taillight. The Foam ripped when I removed it. They don't have adhesive, you just remove the old gaskets and replace them with these. They're much thicker and the holes lined up perfectly. I'd say they're a great buy.
 
#351 ·
This DIY is fantastic, thanks. Just did this and had a couple of recommendations:
1. I would definitely remove the rear bumper vs. doing the "really long screwdriver" tactic some suggested. the rear bumper is extremely easy to remove, maybe a 10 minute job. Having it totally off makes accessing the tail light bar much easier which seems necessary to get the lights fully out.
2. My old gaskets had some sort of adhesive on them and because they were so old, a lot of the foam was basically glued on to the taillight. I'd recommend cleaning it off with isopropyl alcohol to get all of the adhesive / old foam off so that the new gaskets make a tight seal
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top