DC4_Dad

So, like the title says... I'm getting water in the back of my Integra, underneath the carpet, where the spare tire sits. It must have been getting water in there for a long time because when I bought the car, I had to throw away the jack it was so rusted and corroded. I stuck towels in there to help soak up the moisture but it kept coming back. Anyone know where all this water is coming from?

TheRealTegger

Usually the taillight gaskets. This has been covered zillions of times.

DC4_Dad

Can I get replacement gaskets? I'm guessing the only place to get them would be from the dealership?

B_Swapped93

they're cheap even at the dealership...but does your car have a sunroof?. I don't drive mine in the rain but when I first bought it had a puddle in the back. I have an Rs so no sun roof but the rear hatch trim/seal is a place to watch out for.

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

Its likely your taillight gaskets. Dealership is the only source for these unless you're hungry for a DIY...

Buy a couple rolls of craft foam and cut your own gaskets using your old ones as a template. You can find them @ Walmart in the crafts section or your local arts/crafts store.

Lastly, you can always try getting your old gasket and spraying a quick layer of silicone spray over them. Let them air dry and see if they expand back out.

DC4_Dad

Cool, thanks guys. I don't have a sunroof on my Integra as it is an LS, but I've never had any issues with it so far. And my rear hatch seal/trim is fine also, because everything on top of the carpet is dry, it's only underneath where the spare tire is stored that it gets wet.

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

Thats exactly where the water leaks into the spare tire compartment from. Taillight gasket.

DC4_Dad

I previously put some of that liquid gasket around the top edges because that's where I thought it was coming from also. Thanks for your help, I'll definitely replace those gaskets!

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

Water can still find its way in from the sides. Also, If you applied liquid gasket on the top edge and the gasket sealed against the body of the car, water may still have leaked in from the other side of the gasket opening where it meets the light assembly itself.

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

I know this topic has been covered a million times, but i have a RS integra as well... I replaced the tail light gaskets YEARS ago and it never seemed to fix my issue, but the more I think about it my hatch trim/seal piece is in pretty bad shape.

So in the second quote, are you saying that even with new gaskets water can still get in from the sides? Are you saying to put liquid gasket on both sides of the gasket?

I would LOVE for somebody to actually do a write-up with pictures and product used and them say their issue has been resolved... who's down?

DC4_Dad

That would be great it someone did so.

TheRealTegger

If it's the hatch RS, another culprit is the spot-weld seam under the black trim on the roof. It eventually cracks right where it starts to dip down into the hatch aperture and allows water to drip down the C-pillar.

Crack in sealer as-discovered. Didn't look like anything could actually get in there, but it did:


Crack (actually the panel-gap) with sealer removed:


Taillight removed from housing, but with old, rotten gasket still in place:


The new gaskets were very soft and about a half-inch thick (no pics, sorry). You find out why so soft/thick when you remove the taillight: the surface the gasket sits on is very roughly finished. It's obvious that Honda knew nobody would care what it looked like under there.
Also note how skinny the upper sealing surfaces are; that's the main problem:


I wish I had taken more detailed pics. I could have done this writeup (but wrong gen for this thread, I know...). I had every leak imaginable in my '91 'Teg, and fixed every one.

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

Man.. Thank you for the post. I really wish you were around my area.. I'd have you help me out.

What was your procedure for finding out exactly where it was coming in at? I've heard of people sitting in the car with the panels out and having someone spray it

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

I was referrring to the OP using liquid gasket on the top edges of the old oem taillight gasket in hopes of sealing the leak. When the gasket is worn out it can leak from anywhere along the surface it seals, making it difficult to determine exactly where the leak is.

Using a liquid gasket for a situation like this wouldn't be ideal because of the way the OEM gasket seals the surface. The foam gasket seal is shaped once the taillight is tightened down to the body of the car. The exact characteristics of the body opening and light assembly are now embedded in the foam and cannot be reset. Being exposed to water and drying back out causes the foam to shrink a bit, much like clothing does when you wash it for the first time. Add in the months of summer where the foam is heated against the metal of the body, then going back to its wet weather duties, the gasket will naturally give up at some point.

Once the taillight assembly is removed after years of use, the gasket will never be able to re-seal perfectly. It would be extremely difficult to re-seat the light in exactly the position it was initially. Reusing the gasket will attempt to make a new impression on an old foam surface that isn't uniform due to the imprint left from the original seal.

Even using liquid gasket on both the taillight assembly and the opening of the car wouldn't be ideal because there's no guarantee the gasket will stay exactly in place after the light is tightened down. The gasket may distort or shift as the liquid gasket is trying to form a seal on either side. After its dried and you discover the leak still exists, now you're left with the task of seperating the seal you've created, cleaning up leftover traces of sealant without altering or scraping the light assembly or body panel, and purchasing gaskets for your taillights.

Based on the information the OP has posted, with new gaskets the problem should be resolved. This is assuming the leak originated from there.

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

Good info on your post.




The DC2 seam is at the upper edge where the quarter panel and hatch opening meet. Seam sealer is applied after the pieces are joined and then painted after they've cured. The rubber trim on the roof and windshields are technically there to protect the seams from exposure to the elements and drying out. The seam and/or seam sealer usually doesn't crack or break open unless tampered or altered by a rear end collision, repair, or something of the sort. Definitely something to look into if the complete history of the vehicle is unknown.

TheRealTegger

The technique varied depending on where the leak was, and I tried different methods until the leaks were found. All investigations and solutions took weeks or months to work out, since water can travel a misleading distance before it becomes visible.

Rear roof leak:
This leak started out very small, just a few drops on the interior C-pillar trim, but got steadily worse until it was running down the side of the interior.
It took me months, off and on, to find the crack in the sealer, which was NOT obvious until I pulled everything apart to get a better look. I had to remove all the pillar trim and the headliner, plus unbolt the hatch and lift it partially out of the way.

Water turned out to be too-high viscosity and low-pressure to serve as a test-fluid for checking to see if the crack was the culprit, so I tried aerosol brake cleaner. The thin-viscosity and high-pressure of the aerosol fluid were just right for confirming that the crack was the culprit.

Taillight leak:
Lots of time and investigation here as well, until I pulled off the rear trim and found water streaks on the steel and corrosion in the bulb sockets.

A garden hose was used to run a thin stream of water continually into the channel between the quarter panel and the gasket, so that it would run under the black shield on top of taillight housing.

Cowl leak:
I had to rip apart the entire assembly on the right side -- all the blower components and all the cowl components, before I found 1) the usual little "condoms" had split, and 2) there was rust perforation around the blower intake.

TheRealTegger

My car fit none of the above. But a crack opened up in the sealer just the same. I used the really-runny silicone to seal this crack.

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

These 2 actions probably caused your seam leak. When you unbolted the hatch and lifted it partially out of the way, where did it go exactly? Also if you were looking for a water leak around the rear roof section, ran water along the crack, and came to the conclusion that water isnt leaking through that seam, why would you need to try brake parts cleaner as a test fluid? Brake parts cleaner will dry up and harden the flexible seal made by the seam sealer. After that, the force on that seam caused by reinstallation or simply opening the hatch again could crack the now hardened sealer without much effort.

Do you remember the brand silicone you used? How runny is this silicone? All the silicone I've seen resembles a toothpaste like consistency.

TheRealTegger

Stays open on its own.

Unbolted it at the hinges and propped it up with a piece of wood just enough to gain access to the seam area. You can see this in the photos. Left the latch closed so the hatch wouldn't try to slide off.

Yes. Those struts don't last forever. I replaced the originals with NOS.

That seam has been subject to absolutely NO shock or stress of any kind, other than normal opening and closing of the hatch. No accidents, no nothing. That's all original paint there.

I think GE. From Home Depot. Runny like pancake syrup. It's sold specifically for applications like this, where access is difficult or cracks tiny.

DC4_Dad

Thanks for all the info guys.

fcm

Also check the pressure release "flap" on drivers side below power ant., #23 on EnjoyTheRideDC2 post, that was the problem with my 94 RS. 4