When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey everyone
I have a 2003 and I'm very familiar with all of the flooding issues and have been able to fixed them all but the front passenger side one. I'm pretty positive the tube has become disconnected from the exit just like the
driver side does. The problem is I have no idea how to gain access to it to fix it. So currently it just drains into the inside of wheel-well which causes it to run down the inside and then back into the
car in one of the holes by the floor fuse box area.
Just wondering has anyone had any success changing or reconnecting this tube?
Hey everyone
I have a 2003 and I'm very familiar with all of the flooding issues and have been able to fixed them all but the front passenger side one. I'm pretty positive the tube has become disconnected from the exit just like the
driver side does. The problem is I have no idea how to gain access to it to fix it. So currently it just drains into the inside of wheel-well which causes it to run down the inside and then back into the
car in one of the holes by the floor fuse box area.
Just wondering has anyone had any success changing or reconnecting this tube?
I imagine it's similar to the CL's, in which case, I remember that specific drain tube being a pain in the ass to get to when it came disconnected during my 6 speed swap and removing the dash and dealing with the harnesses.
It's right up against the wall of the car, in-between the dash where the fuse box is. You'll need to move the harness out of the way, which might require disconnecting the plugs. Unless you have small hands and gangly fingers that can fit in there to grab it, which requires some good dexterity and a good 'minds eye's, it's rather tough slipping into place. I personally cut my hand up a lot working that area dealing with this and the harness alone. I think I ultimately ended up using some really long pliers to slip it back on.
Definitely the hardest one of the bunch.
Last edited by Thefireball; 01-27-2024 at 04:41 PM.
Thanks!
I was just trying it out to see what I can find. I feel like I can't even see the end of the drain tube deep in there. 😬 It's crazy tight in there behind the fuse box opening. I'll try again in the morning when I'm fresh but wasn't looking good for the home team.
I would def imagine it's the same as the CL. I didn't take off the dash or glove compartment.
Just so I'm on the same pager tho..you can not actually see the exit connection from within the car wall? and I have to use just feeling when trying to reconnect it? Because the exit connection is actually in the empty cavity space? Where the water is currently leaking into.
Thanks!
I was just trying it out to see what I can find. I feel like I can't even see the end of the drain tube deep in there. 😬 It's crazy tight in there behind the fuse box opening. I'll try again in the morning when I'm fresh but wasn't looking good for the home team.
I would def imagine it's the same as the CL. I didn't take off the dash or glove compartment.
Just so I'm on the same pager tho..you can not actually see the exit connection from within the car wall? and I have to use just feeling when trying to reconnect it? Because the exit connection is actually in the empty cavity space? Where the water is currently leaking into.
It's been about a year since I did it, so I can't remember off the top of my head what it looks like. I'd need to go and look again. But it should be visible if you move enough of the harness out of the way.
There may be a simpler way to do it, but that's just how I did it. To help give yourself some more room, you could remove the passenger side fuse box. It's held in place with one clip, which slides off, and a single bolt, as well as disconnecting all of the plugs associated with it. It'll pull out towards the driver's side. It might seem intimidating at first, but really, the hardest part is just disconnecting all of the plugs. But after that, it's easy stuff. All of the plugs can't be confused either, as each slot is specific to it's plug shape. So no need to worry about confusing placement.
Now this won't necessarily give you the room to get to the drain in general, but it will give you more space to move the harness out of the way, and maybe more room to work with hands/tools.
did you post a video about it on IG? I thought I saw someone else with the same problem recently, If I read correctly you have to remove the headliner to get to it properly? probably the last thing on my car that I would want to touch, soft, fragile and difficult to replace.
No I didn't post on IG about it but would def be interested in the post if it happens to cross your feed again can you please send it my way? The headliner side is all good. It's the part that comes out on the bottom side of the car
It's the floor board area. I just finished trying to mess with it all day and no progress to speak of sadly. I tried to take a picture to help show but it's SO damn dark in that area flash didn't help at all
That does look like a difficult place to get to...
From the CL Helms FSM.
Looks like this picture only shows the driver side front but not the passenger also. I haven't been able to find any that shows the passenger side hose for some reason. 🤔
Looks like this picture only shows the driver side front but not the passenger also. I haven't been able to find any that shows the passenger side hose for some reason. 🤔
Yes, the factory service manual is peculiar like that.
As you know, the yellow highlight indicates the tube passage within the A pillar. As it travels down to that blue highlight, there appears to be some kind of opening?
If you remove that bolt (yellow arrow) & move that electric box assembly up (red arrow), perhaps there is an opening that makes the tube more visable?
Yes, the factory service manual is peculiar like that.
As you know, the yellow highlight indicates the tube passage within the A pillar. As it travels down to that blue highlight, there appears to be some kind of opening?
If you remove that bolt (yellow arrow) & move that electric box assembly up (red arrow), perhaps there is an opening that makes the tube more visable?
I checked and sadly no access hole is behind it.
As it's quite a ways lower than the end of where the exit tube would be.
My assumption is that the tube is disconnected right about the blue area as that is where the exit for it would be underneath the car. It travels down inside of the cavity space and re-enters back into the car in that little hole at the bottom.
^
The forum member below found the information in 'bold'.
It appears some Acura Master Tech obtained access through the passenger side wheel well?
Originally Posted by MOfoSlayer
I have the TL factory service manual but thank you. The kick panel removal is unnecessary on the front driver's side, that hose and valve were easily reachable. I have removed the passenger kick panel but there is a module under it that basically makes it so there barely any additional clearance added. I have tried 16ft 90 degree pliers and can't get it past the module and blower motor housing or past the wiring to the passenger fuse panel. I have 11ft pliers in straight, 45, and 90 degrees coming today but I'm not very hopeful.
Does anyone have experience doing the procedure mentioned by cplmct in the 2012 post "Leaking sunroof drain plug"?
"It turn out that this sometime (rarely) happen but what happen was that the plastic tube shrunk due to heat/cold/heat (This is according to my local Acura Master Tech). He didn't charge me much like $100 to fixed this. But he explained and show what he did.
1. Take off wheel
2. Take off plastic cover within the wheel wells.
3. Used a really thin, yet long needle nose and pull the remaining tube out.
4. Find a spare tube, glue it excessively from the new over the old tube (leave lots of excess when putting in)
5. Push it back and trim excess that is sticking out at the wheel wells.
I watched the whole thing just to learn.
Hope that helps."
I'm not sure how you would get to the tube after removing the wheel wheel cover unless there are additional holes to the cabin. I know there have to be some but I assume for wiring and the drain valve itself, so I'm not sure how you would get pliers in from the wheel well to grab the drain tube. I'm also not sure if they're removing the drain valve and pulling the tube through where the valve was somehow.
I just read one guy post saying how he went in through the glove box with 13 inch pillars and another guy said he went in behind the front tire. So I'll try both of those methods tomorrow and see what I can make happen.
Removing that VSA unit will definitely give you more to actually accessing the drain tube. Problem is, reaching the top bolt for it at the top, and I think even another bolt is a bit of a pain. It's a very tight spot.
If I remember correctly, the drain tube is right above it, but still in a tightly compacted area. It seems like the actual portion that the tube slides over and onto is perhaps pushed into the fender portion of the car. Hopefully it didn't fall out and onto the road whilst driving?
If in the case it did fall out, which I believe is just held in place with a sort of rubber gasket, then removal of the fender will need to be performed. It's rather simple to do, but the inner bolt by the door hinge is the hard part. I forgot how I did it, but when I was able to remove it at the junkyard without removing the door. I think I had to move the door at a particular angle and used a 3/8th socket extension with a short socket to reach the bolt.
You might be able to just slip your hand inbetween the fender and reach it that way. But removing the fender will give you a clear view.
UPDATE: Hey I just wanted to say thanks guys for helping me out! I managed to get it taken care of...and rather easily in the end!
The hose was SO short do to the heat over the years that it wasn't end close to the exit anymore.
This is for anyone in the future who might end up in the same situation.
First I tried removing the glove box and going in that way which required a crazy amount of work...and you still can barely access it. (Don't really recommend)
Then I tried the side which had a little success but it's SO far behind the wire harness that is it's really dark and if it's your first time trying to do it you just wouldn't have any idea what you're even looking for. (I can recommend it if you've already do it before)
Next I went under in behind the front passenger tire like mentioned by @zeta post
I removed the rubber exit tube to try and fish out the end of the hose..(at this time I had no idea just how short the hose had become) so I was just reaching at nothing. BUT THEN my neighbor who was helping me by total accident dropped his light pin into the hole which ended up showing me EXACT where the exit was!
Thanks to that I was able to quickly come up with the idea of just guiding the new hose from the top inside the pillar down to the light and just having my neighbor hook it with the needle nose!
I had the light at the exit behind the tire....while feeding it from the top and I was looking through the fuse box area with the harness. I hope that makes sense hahaha
Anyway hope that helps someone in the future before they cut all they fingers up and stuff like me for no reason.
I'll have to go back and check the receipt again but believe it was 1/2" clear vinyl 10ft. What I did was bring the rubber connecter I had removed from behind the wheel with me. So I could make sure it fit
10ft was the shortest length the had at the Home Depot. I didn't use all of it tho.
01-27-2024, 03:42 PM
