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EXT: how to avoid water buildup in your taillights

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    EXT: how to avoid water buildup in your taillights

    don't you hate it when after a rain or a wash water seems to enter your taillights despite having no known cracks AND good gaskets? if not taken care of there will be a nice little puddle in there which will be prone to bulb failure or even short circuits, not to mention ugly condensation and MOLD! well here is a quick little fix that has worked for me for the past few months.

    tools needed:
    -drill with multi-sized bits (uni-bit preferred)
    -silicone sealant
    -deep socket 8mm

    in the beginning i would apply silicone sealant to the whole taillight where i would assume water could enter (around the edges) yet water still managed to leak through. as dumbfounded as i was i found a little area in the backside that water seems to collect then push inside.

    all you need to do is remove the taillights using your 8mm deep socket and take a look. if you see some sort of calcium buildup or mold around an area be concerned. both sides of my lights were visible around the signal bulb (92-93 taillights) which is the lowest part of the lense.

    since the signal bulb had another subhousing, i saw this as a prime spot of the water to enter. a quick application of silicone sealant around the area should suffice. so if the passage is now blocked, where else would the water travel? well i drilled a hole in an area where i believe water can still pool up. the hole can drain that water. that is all folks!

    here is a pic of the finished product. note the drilled hole placement. passenger side lense shown.


    NOTE: this may not be applicable to some cases. i found this to work on my car and just wanted to share this little info. i'm not responsible for your actions so take care kids!



    just to give you more insight, besides having missing reflectors and an extra rear reflector here is the difference between JDM and USDM taillights from the backside. again this is for 92-93 models.

    due to the RHD configuration the wiring is backwards. notice the brake light sensors (which trigger the "brake lamp" icon in your gauge cluster if a bulb is out) on the JDM unit (black and brown boxes) are switched around on the USDM unit. note most of the USDM boxes are also brown and black from the factory. mine are clear after i replaced them however they are still OEM honda. all you have to do is switch the wiring and sensors between the USDM and JDM to make it work on your car.

    1cor10:31
    - 92 LX coupe
    - 96 EX wagon (sold)

    #2
    Cool idea man, but what is the difference between how the JDM lights work compared to the USDM light? I mean they still look the same right?
    (RIP)1993 LX Sedan
    Frost White Crew Member #36

    JDM Beating Stick Owner #1
    My (old) Ride

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      #3
      Very nice and well written.
      HondaFan81 For Sale Parts (LOW PRICES ON EVERYTHING)

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        #4
        Originally posted by Spartan1987
        Cool idea man, but what is the difference between how the JDM lights work compared to the USDM light? I mean they still look the same right?
        to answer your question accordSiR and i clarified it in his member's ride thread. to quote him:
        Originally posted by Accord SiR
        the jdm taillights have 3 strip reflectors instead 2 like the usdm and it omits the side reflectors as well.
        1cor10:31
        - 92 LX coupe
        - 96 EX wagon (sold)

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          #5
          Hey timmy, how about headlights? My 1 piece always fog up when I wash my car or heavy rain. I taped the upper part where the front cover and rear meet but it doesnt help, so I took the tape off.

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            #6
            if that pic is true then I have the JDM ones. btw Im going to try that



            93 Accord LX Sedan (sold)
            01 Civic LX Sedan (sold)-93 Accord EX Wagon (totaled)
            93 Accord SE Sedan (sold)-92 Accord EX Sedan (sold)
            93 Accord SE Coupe (sold)-97 Accord SiR Wagon (sold)


            95 Accord LX Wagon (CURRENT)-05 Impreza WRX Sedan (CURRENT)-02 Ram 1500 (CURRENT)-20 VW Jetta (CURRENT)

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              #7
              when i got my red & clear tails ive notice that thier was no silicone sealant at all compared to my original oem tails. so using my oem tails as a guide, i aplyed silicone to the mating surface and any holes that water may go through and so far no water has been seen in my red & clear tails as of yet.
              my daily driver. (AOM June 2010)

              "she may not look like much, but she's got it were it counts kid. Made a lot of special modifications myself."
              MR page

              http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=76111

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                #8
                i know someone will need this soon. bump for the rainy season!
                1cor10:31
                - 92 LX coupe
                - 96 EX wagon (sold)

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                  #9
                  hmm I might try this


                  Originally posted by Juice21
                  thnx pimpette, your car inspired me to go lower
                  Originally posted by GameChewer
                  Shiit i heard that, you heard the queen!

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