"TysMagic" (twjeffery)
02/28/2019 at 09:10 • Filed to: miata, mx5, water leak
1
45|
"TysMagic" (twjeffery)
02/28/2019 at 09:10 • Filed to: miata, mx5, water leak | 1
| 45 |
Well, some of you will say the first problem is that it’s automatic - but I’ve experienced my first actual problem with the MX5. There’s a blocked drainage line causing water to back up in to the driver’s side of the interior. Big thanks to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for piquing my interest after complaining about my floormats yesterday - while my floor mats do hold water and smell bad, the damp carpet under and behind my seat is the real cause of the musty scent. Now to find where the water is blocked!
Pic for your time, difficult to actually get a good picture of where the drains flow to
Poked around a little this morning and found where the drains funnel to. The drains are clear up to their funnel point. Sadly, this
is where I can see standing water for sure indicating something somewhere is blocked beyond what’s visible
.
Reading around, some took it to the dealership, others essentially tried to clean it from above, no real consistent recommendation
. I’ll be checking the drains underneath the car this weekend. Then I will probably try snaking something down from above.
While it’s parked in front of a tree in the picture,
I’m not regularly parking under trees. I am parked outside at work so perhaps that’s a factor. I’m around 12k miles which means PO and I have owned the car for half of the total
mileage each - so I’ll just pretend it was his fault.
Chuckles
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 09:20 |
|
This should solve your problem:
(It will probably create a few new problems though)
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Chuckles
02/28/2019 at 09:32 |
|
I use this for stomach aches
|
Chuckles
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/28/2019 at 09:34 |
|
Why get rid of the ache when you ca n just get rid of the whole stomach?
Toby F., Manager
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 09:36 |
|
I just watched this the other day. Hope it helps!
Milky
> Toby F., Manager
02/28/2019 at 10:00 |
|
Going to keep this in mind for spring cleaning.
|
TysMagic
> Chuckles
02/28/2019 at 10:07 |
|
seems like a smart move, maybe chaser of bleach?
|
TysMagic
> Toby F., Manager
02/28/2019 at 10:09 |
|
The filters are on the list of clean out items - but from what I can see it’s after the filter. The RF is ever so slightly different from what I’m reading too. Regardless, much more difficult than NA/NB/NC clean out seems to be. Thanks man! (woman, or whatever you ID as)
|
Chuckles
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 10:12 |
|
Just be sure to drink it in a well ventilated area.
Gerry197
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 12:37 |
|
I remember S197 Mustangs had issues with debris plugging up a vent on the passenger side and water flooding in above it during heavy enough rain.
Only way to fix it is keep an eye on it before it becomes an issue.
grn-gti-guy
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 12:42 |
|
You lost me at automatic
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 13:09 |
|
If this doesn’t work for you, then your car is too new/fancy.
|
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 13:10 |
|
I’d source a new piece of carpet. I don’t think you can ever get rid of the smell otherwise.
The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 13:16 |
|
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
That was your 1st problem.
66P1800inpieces
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 14:02 |
|
Might be easier to start from the bottom and look for drain hoses underneath. There will be one for the A/C, you don’t want that one. Often their will be one on each side, behind a tire. I never did my NB but on other cars I had great success with using coax cable. It’s wide and stiff enough to feed it for a couple of feet and loosen debris and flexible enough to follow curves and not cut the tube. Be careful and cut the center lead as close to flush as possible. In regular coax the center lead is steel that is plated with copper so it will scratch things. Have someone run a hose up top, and gently insert the cable from the bottom. In, out. repeat.
Chariotoflove
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 14:21 |
|
That stinks. Hopefully you can clear it up easily.
Tristan
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/28/2019 at 14:22 |
|
Can’t have a stomach ache if you don’t have a stomach!
red014
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 14:37 |
|
Trombone brushes are a good way to clear the drains. Most of them on Amazon have a number of reviews for people cleaning Miatas as well as for their actual purpose.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006VWY9I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WGdECbJDSTC69
BeaterGT
> Gerry197
02/28/2019 at 14:48 |
|
C5 Corvettes run into this too, have to clear out all the sticks/leaves/gunk from these udder-looking things near the firewall.
NUMBERQ
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 14:48 |
|
I had the same problem with the sunroof drains on my Bimmer E34. I read online that you can stick the end of an air mattress pump or other source of compressed into the drain hole to gently blow the grime out the other end. Sure enough, it worked!, though I had to take the headliner down to get to the drains at the rear. My windows won’t stay up, so I still got damp floors, but I did have them taped shortly after clearing the drains, and the interior was dry then. Hope this helps
GuerrillaWheels
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 15:03 |
|
On my 2006 I went with a trombone cleaner (with a stiff metal line with kind of a brush at the end) from a local music shop. Not sure if that still does the trick but for likw $15 or $20 it helped clear up my back up issue.
|
ChrisD
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 15:16 |
|
Wow I had this problem in my '91 Miata you would think all these years later they'd have fixed it?
|
TysMagic
> Chariotoflove
02/28/2019 at 15:50 |
|
punny
|
TysMagic
> The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
02/28/2019 at 15:51 |
|
Addressed you in the first sentence sir.
|
TysMagic
> red014
02/28/2019 at 15:51 |
|
interesting tip! Thanks man
|
TysMagic
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/28/2019 at 15:52 |
|
I’m partially tempted to push for a warranty claim of some sort, but I’m not the kind of person who would complain enough that they’d give in on that (I don’t see this as a warranty issue)
|
TysMagic
> 66P1800inpieces
02/28/2019 at 15:53 |
|
There are two drains just inside of the rear wheels I believe. I read some concerns about a one way valve just inside that would get messed up by going bottom up
|
TysMagic
> ChrisD
02/28/2019 at 15:54 |
|
It’s carried through NA, NB, NC, and ND - it’s a common theme
|
TysMagic
> NUMBERQ
02/28/2019 at 15:55 |
|
That is an interesting idea! I think I’ve got a gun attachment for my air compressor, maybe that could work on low pressure.
|
TysMagic
> GuerrillaWheels
02/28/2019 at 15:55 |
|
Second recommendation I saw for this, I may have to pick one up to try.
|
Chariotoflove
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 16:20 |
|
But also heart felt.
|
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 16:29 |
|
Well, if a warranty claim is your goal, then the drill is probably not a great plan. But why not? You paid good money for the car, no? Go ask ‘em.
|
BKSTDVR
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 16:54 |
|
Why are you doing the “ poking around” and diagnosis ? Shouldn’t an N D R F still be under warranty, making that the dealer’s responsibility and problem? Unless you d d it on a 100 mile commute or something.
for Michigan
> ChrisD
02/28/2019 at 18:12 |
|
I was just gonna say my NB had the same issue.
Mike
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 18:17 |
|
I think Walmart sells a small plumbing snake in the plumbing section. That's what I use.
Porter
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 21:15 |
|
Trombone cleaner worked for me as well. Former NC owner.
You mentioned your carpet, etc is moist. I had a pretty bad issue. Car was parked outside for a week at the airport and we had record rainfall then. All interior was soaked. I meticulously pulled everything, hit it with a shop vac and let the carpet sit in a bathroom shower with an open bucket of DampRid (Home Depot). It was a royal PITA but once done and back in, car interior was practically brand new. Good luck!
Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 22:13 |
|
Uh, no. If the car is still in warranty, FILE A WARRANTY CLAIM!!
This is absolutely a warranty repair. If the dealer tries to tell you it isn’t, you tell them it absolutely is a warranty claim because the drain path has clearly failed due to a manufacturing defect, and this has resulted in significant water damage to the interior. And this is clearly abnormal. And now your car has flood damage despite following all recommended maintenance and taking very good care of it.
Do NOT feel bad for the mechanic that draws this either. You already did the work that takes the time. They will be making money on the job. Mazda will repair or replace the failed drain, and will repair the carpet if possible and replace if not.
JustJim
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 22:31 |
|
This is why all Miatas, including my 99, eventually rust in the rocker panels.
On previous generations you could access the inside of the body behind the seat, by removing the seats and pulling the carpet forward. Its a pain but once out of warranty, if you intend to keep it you may want to start inspecting thoroughly.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 22:34 |
|
Oh great so the RF is going to face the same rust problem as the NA then. Would think Mazda would want to fix that by now... Definitely stay on top of this and keep those drains clear always. Trombone cleaner snaked in is your best bet if it works the same as the older cars!
|
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 22:36 |
|
Make sure to mix it with some ammonia first
atfsgeoff
> TysMagic
02/28/2019 at 23:50 |
|
Just s
end it on full 150psi blast with the blower attachment. Works like a charm to clear out debris from the drain channels of sunroofs.
bil312
> TysMagic
03/01/2019 at 00:41 |
|
S ame exact thing happened to me with the 1991 Miata for years it collected water underneath the left driver side after a good long rain and then for the next two days I felt that I was driving around in a fish tank with at least 10 gallons of water trapped somewhere.. eventually it rottted out the car but it did last until 2018.. I have a 1999 now with 53,000 on it.
|
TysMagic
> atfsgeoff
03/01/2019 at 07:53 |
|
that seems....possibly risky
|
GuerrillaWheels
> TysMagic
03/01/2019 at 09:04 |
|
It can be a pain snaking the thing down but once stuff is down there it’s about the only thing that will really be able to worm its way down with enough force to dislodge a clog.
yitznewton
> TysMagic
03/01/2019 at 12:16 |
|
This was the worst problem with my S2000 as well. #roadsterlife
facw
> TysMagic
03/04/2019 at 10:42 |
|
If you want to weep for humanity: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwxq3w/parents-are-giving-their-children-bleach-enemas-to-cure-them-of-autism-311