tools #8 deep socket small ratchet,,small knife, small screwdriver pocket size, alcohol and paper towel. gasket from home depot
1. remove small door access to tail light blubs
2 remove the 3 #8 nuts on the back side of the tail light
3 pull the tail light from the bottom wiggling as you pull it out.
4 disconnect the elect plug .
5 use knife or and little screwdriver to remove all old gasket,,
6 then clean with alcohol, also clean inside the car, where the light goes
7 place gasket onto the light opening, even with the body,, about 1/2" over ,,(toolong) at each end
8 now connect the wires and reinstall you may need your little screwdriver to get the light tabshe old gasket), (tabs that held t under the gasket
on bothe ends





most likely your gasket is falling apart do not remove the gasket on the inside of the tail light

no gasket is needed or used on the bottom of the tail light,,remove the gasket on the outer edge and clean good after old gasket is removed The gasket hanging is the one u remove and clean 3/4 of the taillight

 

the rest of the story.




tab to get light under gasket

 

I am a new owner of a Crossfire after looking around for one for a couple of years. We just picked up a 2004 manual transmission Crossfire in our price range. We are taking care of basic maintenance items and one thing we noticed was wetness in the trunk area. We pulled out the trunk pieces and were astonished to see 3-4 inches of water under all the plastic. Fortunately there was only light surface rust here and there that cleaned out easily. After popping out the plugs to let the water drain, I closed the trunk and had my wife spray the back down with a hose. I figured the water would come in through the trunk but it gushed in through the tail light seal. I did a search on this site because I could not find seals for Crossfire tail lights anywhere and was surprised that you had the only post on this subject. I used your method but I could only find the seal style you used in white or brown. The car is black so I needed to choose a different style. I used the double D style and split it in the middle to make two pieces. I applied it the same way you did and it worked out fine. No more water coming in. Many thanks for your post, dan...

 

Pretty Slick! Nice DIY Write-Up.

 

thanks, so cheap yet works better than new. jim

 

You know I just started searching for this on the internet for a rear taillight gasket seal and could find none but came upon this post. I will certainly be trying this method to fix the cracking rubber seal on the outside of the taillight on both sides. I have a 2004 xfire. Thanks for the write-up.

 

Took the time this afternoon to replace the gasket on the PS Taillight of my 2007 Coupe. Turned our fairly well with the so called 'hooks' that the OEM gasket attached to being a little difficult to get under the new gasket material. All-in-all, I'm satisfied with the result. Nice DIY from amx1397.






Might have to move the taillight assembly over a bit as I think it's too close to the body. Might cause it to crack sometime down the road.

 

Took the time to make a PDF of amx1397's original DIY Write-up. See attached file.

 

thanks dedwards , i am not good with the write up but can do the work, jim

 

Your welcome - Thanks for the DIY Write-up - Made the PDF simple to generate. I left out the part about removing the taillight assembly because I think it is straightforward if one follows a Service Manual and/or looks inside the trunk area. Small panel section to access the taillight is easy to remove. Dennis E.

 

Looks like I'm going to need to replace the taillight gasket on the DS soon. Starting to see a few gaps in the old gasket.

 

at least we now know what we need and how to install it
thanks to You and Me LOL << now U can repair the right (drivers side) on your car.
thanks again Dennis for your help on this wright up. hope it helps a lot of crossfire owners jim

 

I just need the weather to cooperate for a day or so so I can do this repair. Need to look at the Weatherseal material to see if it is still viable for the repair. Been a few years sitting in the garage.

 

I got to say thanks to both of you for the write up as it helped me. Wished it was the same for the headlights as I can see the rubber breaking down on those as well.

 

Got nice weather today so I worked on replacing the rubber seal on the DS taillight. Total repair went fairly well & took about an hour. Checked out the taillight function after putting the light assembly back in place. Everything works like before. I'll post pictures tomorrow.