Acura RSX Courtesy Lights Installation

Tools Required

Step One

a. Remove the door handle assembly: Pop off the plastic cover behind the handle and you will find 2 screws. Once you undo the screws you can pull the assembly out. Remove the lock cable from the door handle.

b. Then unplug the connector. There is one more screw you will need to find once you remove the handle assembly. Remove this screw too. The screw might fall into the plastic door panel handle cavity so you may have to retrieve this screw after the door panel comes off by turning the panel upside down. Next remove the 2 screws under the armrest.

c. Remove the black plastic trim piece on the inside of the door opposite the mirror. Roll the window down and pop the piece up and inward using a little upward pressure. A screwdriver taped so it would not mark or scratch anything works best.

d. Now you are ready to remove the door panel. To do this it is best to use a door trim tool. You can pick one up at your local auto store. This is used to remove the 8 clips that hold the plastic panel to the sheet metal.

Step One - Continued

e. In order to completely remove the panel, unplug the connector for the window switch.

Step Two

Make a cut-out template for the lamp assembly. You can download a template but make sure you double check that it is right for you before making any cuts in the door panel.

Download Template (.pdf)

Step Three

Once the template is aligned and in place, drill holes at each corner. Then use a sharp box cutter knife and carefully cut out the plastic between each hole. Once you do that then check to see if the assembly fits. Use a Dremel tool with a sanding drum to increase the hole to just the right size.

Step Four

Make a small bracket to mount the assembly to the door panel. Use a scrape piece of aluminum approx. 1/2" wide by 1-1/2" long. Bend the piece into a "U" and then drill a hole in the center. You will need a 3/8" #8 sheet metal screw for each "U" bracket.

If you want to paint the lamp assembly, do it now. This one is spray painted silver to match the titanium trim.

Step Five

Mount the lamp assembly to the door panel using two "U" brackets per assembly. Then add a connector to the lamp wires and cable clamp the wires using the inner most screw of the "U" bracket.

Mount the light assembly up to allow proper cooling

Step Six

a. Remove the speaker and plastic speaker housing. This provides access to the inside of the door. Continue to route the wires down the door to the speaker area. Use wire ties as needed to secure the wires in place.

b. Remove the kick panel. It just pops off too; just use your hands and a little force (a touch of a screwdriver may make it easier).

c. Find the connector for the wires that go through to the door. Release the wire ties to get some slack on the wiring harness. Undo the connector and pull the rubber feeder grommet out. Then undo the tape from the rubber feeder for these wires.

Caution: there's a Yellow SRS connector in this area, leave it alone.

Step Six - Continued

d. Remove the rubber feeder grommet from the door and a couple of the wire holder clips. This will allow you to get enough slack to undo the tape from this end of the rubber feeder grommet.

e. Now you should be able to easily feed your new wires through the rubber feeder grommet. You will need about 12' of #22 gauge wire to get to the center console.

Step Six - Continued

f. Go back and tape up the ends of the rubber feeder grommet, which now includes your new wires and re-insert both ends of the grommet as you originally found them. The driver side kick-panel area is shown here. The wires from the door end up coming out of this hole.

Step Seven

Once you have done the above procedure to both sides you will then be ready to connect up these wires inside the car. In order to pick up the door switches you will need access to the lower center dash, which means removing the center console. The power source will be connected to the dome light source circuit, which is available under the driver's dash just above the kick panel. Before proceeding, remove fuse #3 (7.5 amp) in the fuse/relay box under the hood. To check to see if you have removed the proper fuse, the dome light should not operate now.

Step Eight

Locate the 6 cavity white connector (C404) under the driver's dash just above the kick panel. There are several connectors in that area, a gray, 2 blues ones and a green one. The white one is closest the firewall.

Now locate the white/blue wire in cavity #3 and remove it. Using one of the wires from the driver's courtesy lamp strip some insulation off the courtesy wire (but do not cut it), solder this section to the white/blue wire, and then route the remainder to the center console. In my case this wire was the red wire.

Step Nine

Remove the plastic cover that attached to the dash and the center console. This item just pops off but you will need to get that small screwdriver with the protective wrapping again. Pry around the top and sides, then pull it straight back.

Step Nine - Continued

Unscrew the shift knob and then pull down on the boot.

Using a small flat bladed screwdriver wrapped with tape to help prevent marring, pry off the top portion of the console. The pictures below show the approximate location of the plastic clips (yellow).

Step Nine - Continued

Remove the 2 screws in the rear of the center console (move the seat forward to access).

Step Nine - Continued

Free the sides of the console by, removing the retainers in the area (on the inside) marked "X" (access these from the top), and then the side retainers by pulling gently in the areas of the yellow dots.

Unplug the power connector (rear cig. Lighter) and lift the console out of the area.

Step Ten

Now move the foam insulator out of the way and you will see the wires and connectors that need to be accessed.

Remove the white connector (C503) on the right side.

Remove connector pins 10 and 11, a light green (passenger side) and green (driver side) wires from the white connector. These are the door switch circuits. These connect to ground when the door is opened. In the picture to the right, the wires from the lamp socket are the red and green wires.

Connect one of the wires from your courtesy lamp socket to door switch wires. Solder the wires together for the best connection. Then re-insert the wires back into the connector housing and plug the white connectors back together. The remaining (power) wires from your lamp assembly will be connected together here. In the picture above the power wires are red wires. The connection is not shown in the picture above.

Caution: there are Yellow SRS connectors in this area, leave them alone

Step Eleven

First replace the fuse #3 (in under the hood fuse/relay box). Now the dome light should work and your courtesy lights should go on when you open a door. Make sure they do go off when the door is closed too. Now dress and wire tire your added wires and put back all the connectors, panels, and center console and then give things a final check.

Double check that all electrical things work

• Front and rear power outlets
• Both mirror's motion control
• Power window operation
• Door latches and locks
• Door courtesy lights
• Door speakers
• Anything else you thing you may have touched or been near
• Now check all the things you shouldn't have touched: lights, turn signals, heater, horn, radio, etc