"TysMagic" (twjeffery)
02/27/2019 at 15:00 • Filed to: floor mats
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"TysMagic" (twjeffery)
02/27/2019 at 15:00 • Filed to: floor mats | 0
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I had this style aftermarket floor mat in the Abarth and absolutely loved it! So I picked up a set for the MX-5 and CX-5.
It has this kind of thing in the advertisement and they work great in the winter time for general nastiness - normally.
Well it turns out that the Miata doesn’t let those liquids do anything and I now have the mustiest smelling fairly new car I could imagine. It sat closed up over the weekend while we were in Florida. It is gross, guess I never noticed the dampness just collecting in the floor mat . So I cleaned the carpets and have it drying in the sun currently. The CX-5 and the Fiat never had an issue with liquids pooling/being gross. It now makes me question where does that go normally, but more importantly why is it happening in the miata only? Any other strange floor mat experiences out there?
Future next gen S2000 owner
> TysMagic
02/27/2019 at 15:20 |
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I had those in my old Saab. I wasn’t crazy about them. Prefer the floor liner variety.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> TysMagic
02/27/2019 at 15:25 |
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Are you sure the water is coming from the floor mats? When the rain rail on the convertible top fails or the drains for it get plugged up on a miata, the water will run down the package shelf and collect in the footwells (it will also sometimes drain into the the trunk, also).
Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
> TysMagic
02/27/2019 at 15:34 |
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It’s not the floor mats (though they can be a contributor.) This is a specific drivability issue known as ‘oversealing.’ The symptoms you describe are consistent with all cars that have an oversealing problem.
What oversealing is, is exactly what it says on the tin. The car is sealed too tightly , and as such, moisture and vapors cannot escape the cabin. Cars naturally ‘breathe’ by design. Even at rest. If the interior can’t breathe properly, you get... exactly this.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘easy’ or ‘quick’ fix for oversealing. You’ll need the FSM for starters. Then you will need to go through literally every drain tube and vent connected to the cabin, which tends to be all of them, and check for and clear any blockages as well as blow them out. (Excess moisture trapped in flutter vents, for example, will result in poor evaporation due to the cabin humidity.) Oh yeah. It fucking sucks . You might get lucky and have a common problem area on a car and it’s just that , but, you might not.
Once that’s sorted, well, that’s the permanent fix (hopefully.) However, there may be other sealing problems present as well (e.g. excessive moisture intrusion, too-tight weather stripping, etc.) So you’ll end up going through everything . But the fix for the smell is just to find somewhere secure to park it with everything as open as you can possibly get it for a few hours and to replace the cabin air filter (if so equipped.)
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TysMagic
> Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
02/27/2019 at 15:45 |
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I have been researching drainage issues in the MX5 to see what I can find. There are a few complaints about it, so hoping to narrow in on a common “fix” to get it taken care of. I’ve noticed that the inside of the windows have fogged up a few times while the car is just sitting. Seems consistent with what you’re saying. Interesting stuff.
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TysMagic
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
02/27/2019 at 15:47 |
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17 RF for reference - I have read about the drains getting plugged up. I am definitely working to track it down. I assumed mats because I could see where the water collected in the mats when it was raining and noted that it had not really dissipated when I got back in the car later. When I say pooling, I’m talking very very very minor - however there should be zero.
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Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
> TysMagic
02/27/2019 at 16:47 |
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Yeah, I used to be THE guy in the shop for this shit. (Well, also nearly the ONLY guy in the shop that would take it on. But still!) But yeah, if you’re getting fog on the interior windows, you DEFINITELY have a humidity and oversealing problem going on. Unfortunately I don’t know enough about the MX5 platforms to point you in any exact direction.
Given the severity of the humidity problem, you may also want to do a dry vacuum of the interior and add some silica packs or other mid-strength dessicant once you’ve solved the sealing problem. You do NOT want to totally dry the interior out (SOME humidity is REQUIRED to preserve fabrics, leathers, and plastics.) But the dessicant packs will help clear up any leftovers and get it back to a normal level.
Because it’s such a humid climate, it may be necessary to keep one all the time at the end of the day. Thankfully, silica gel dessicant packs are super cheap.
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TysMagic
> Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
02/27/2019 at 17:29 |
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Found the probable issue: there are filters in the drainage lines that need to be cleaned
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Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
> TysMagic
02/27/2019 at 17:42 |
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Ooof... yeah... that definitely could do it.
Step 1: remove filters
Step 2: burn them
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TysMagic
> Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
02/27/2019 at 17:43 |
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preach
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TysMagic
> Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
02/28/2019 at 08:27 |
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Further research and actually digging in to the car some, I owe you a massive thanks for piquing my curiosity . While the floor mats did hold water and that’s weird, I definitely have a clogged drain line somewhere. The drivers carpet is damn behind the seat (which I never would have checked) and I can follow some drain lines with the top partially open to a joint where I can see standing water in the lines. More to come as I figure out the common places for blockages