Just bought an '04 with 53k miles. The right tail light had this issue. I got the dealer down to
a price and they wanted $300 more to fix the tail light. I decided, based on this DIY, to try
this on my own. Great DIY, btw. Ordered the seal and pulled the light. I thought it was just
condensation but it was 1/3 full of water. Drained the water and it's drying now. I found the
leading edge of the light to be leaking water. This is the corner that wraps around the right
side. I was able to drain the water out by rotating the light to drain the water out of this
flaw. Will replace the seal with the new one and find some way to seal the flaw. Hopefully
this fixes the problem.

 

So just for entertainments sake, here's what happens if your really lazy like me and you put off removing your tail light for a long time...and then it snows...a lot.

Pictures aren't the best but I think you can tell that is solid ice. Congratulations Mazda, your tail lights still work when frozen, maybe next time we can just design them to not fill up with water, and the doors too mkay? Consider it weight savings.

 

wow lol

 

Thanks so much for the detailed notes, and especially the pictures. My husband is not a DIY guy, but my daughter's boyfriend is, so he has agreed to tackle this issue on the next warm, dry day! I can't wait!

 

OMG makes me feel a LOT better about mine :-)

Question - is it possible to disassemble the unit? There is some mold growth on the inside of the clear plastic of one unit.

BTW have JUST noticed (after three months of ownership) that the previous owners have drilled into the clear bottom part of one side and it still has problems!

Once again thanks ArrghhX-8 for cheering me up!

 

Gentle bump....

TIA
Steve

 

^ It is possible, but I believe it requires baking your headlights and prying it apart, and resealing it with silicon. Google for more info. I wouldn't do this though.

In your situation, I would just remove headlight + bulbs, clean the gasket, and swoosh some vinegar or rubbing alcohol inside the light. Let it set in there for several hours until the mold has been dissolved. You can also use a flexible cleaning brush through the middle bulb opening to scrape off any remaining mold. Dry out headlight for a day or so, then use a thick line of black RTV silicon on both sides of the gasket, then re-install.

 

Many Thanks to NYCGPS for a 'fool' proof how to guide for tail light removal.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to remove the outer clear plastic from the tail light so you can access the mirror panels that surround the bulb housing.

Reason is ask is, I got my '04 2nd hand and have found that the eegit that worked on the tail light last not only drilled a drain hole but resealed the gasket with double sided tape! (I wish I was making this up). Needless to say this didn't make a water tight seal (shock, horror!) and there are what I believe to be calcium carbonate or some other rain filth deposits on the mirror pannels that I'm trying to clean.

I don't know if he also glued the clear outer casing onto the light box or if it comes sealed as standard from Mazda.

I really don't want to start trying to prise it off with a screwdriver or pallet knife and gash and crack the whole unit, all because the eegit before half-assed the original water drain and reseal.

Any help or info is most appreciated

-The Profiteer

 

I need some clarification. I assume when you are talking about gaskets, you're talking about the gasketing around the outside of the whole tail light assembly, right? So, this would keep rain water outside, so it cannot get inside the light assembly.
But, there's also the sockets where the bulbs plug in. On my '04, there's no hint of a gasket at all on the sockets which plug into the tail light assembly. So, any water which gets through between the light assy and the car body can easily get inside the light assy. Is there supposed to be gaskets on these light bulb sockets.
Finally, somebody mentioned "cracks" in the tail light assy, which might be responsible for the water/condensation getting inside the tail light assy. Does anybody really know how the water is penetrating this tail light assy? It's hard to fix if you don't know the root cause of the problem.

 

Remove the two 10mm bolts and pull the lights out, then you will see the gaskets.

They fail quite often and your can make your own, or they make thicker replacement ones you can order

Tail Light Gasket Repair Kit

 

Thanks,Carbon8. I took the tail light assys out, dried them out, and then thickened up the existing gasket with a thin layer of caulking. I let the caulking dry before re-installing so that the tail light assemblies aren't "glued" to the car. They've been on the car for two weeks and so far I don't see any moisture inside. But with our current freezing temperatures in the Great White North, it might not be a fair test yet.

 

I did this last weekend. Bought the gasket from RotaryFX. I used a hair dryer aimed in each hole in the tail light assembly for about 5 minutes apiece. Dried it up with no water spots. Even removing the tail light was fairly easy. I drew the holes and noted which wires mated up and which bulbs belonged where.
A week later, even after a huge rainstorm, no water or condensation in my tail light (fingers crossed).

 

I am working on my tail lights as well, for my RX8 Serie II
The issue is that my right one got a lot of dust, and I am not able to remove it even with several wash of distilled water.
Also it is very difficult to remove any remaining water in it, and I have to let the lights several days in the sun to get all the water out.

Any idea how I can proceed ? I see 4 screws inside, I dont know if this can help me to drain more water and access the dust on the bottom