miata5

So i just bought my car and i have not had it for the raining season. i was hoping that the miatas were pretty water tight but boy was i wrong. At first i kept hearing a rush of water that came from the back of the car through the sideskirt(driver side) each time i stopped. Tonight as i went to rent a movie
i saw my floor panel and there was a huge water puddle. my question is wheres the drainage system on this car. I tried locating the holes under the car but i couldnt see anything. Has someone had this same problem? if so how did u fix it...need your help

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

There are small holes in the flange where the jack position is that need to be cleaned out and right behind the passenger's and driver's outside shoulder there is a drain that goes down to in front of the wheel. There is extensive discussion about these drains in Miata.net and their "garage"

tabs604

you need to unblock your drain holes.

there are 2 by each by the jacking points on each side of the car and the ones behind the seatbelt towers.

miata5

thanks guys im going to do that right now and see what happens

Ben

iTrader: (33)

No softtop convertible is ever 100% water tight. The miatas tend to be ok in moderate rain, but almost all will take in at least some water during a heavy rain.

Instead of just cleaning out the jack point drain holes, I'd drill em out a little to help prevent future clogging. Oh, and have a bucket under the holes--what comes out is nasty.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Hmmmm.... I've never heard a statement like that before. This is my families' third Miata... probably our 7th or 8th top, and never a single problem with any of our OEM or Robbins tops.

You could make the argument that no car top at all is ever 100% watertight. I'm not sure if you're trying to say "all convertibles leak" or not. Even if you're trying to say they all leak "a little". I just don't think that's true. None of mine have ever leaked in any type of rain.

Trent

iTrader: (11)

The miata is the most watertight mazda i've owned. My mx6 used to leak like crazy, in both the trunk and the passenger compartment.

Ben

iTrader: (33)

I'm saying don't be surprised if a convertible leaks in heavy rain, especially an older one. I've owned a lot of convertibles; some of them would let in small amounts of water if caught in very bad weather--even though the top and seals appeared to be excellent.

The drainage system in the miata is designed very poorly and the passages clog easily. This is especially true on miatas that are not garage kept. When the passages clog, the car takes on water. Sometimes its in the interior, sometimes it's trapped in the body. It's very common with Miatas.

drftem

finally you guys have answered why i always here a sloshing after i wash my car off to see what i can to clear it.

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

Actually the Miata is made to take in water and dump it. Water runs off the top, between the top and the molding, into the rain rail and dumps out the tubes in front of the rear wheels.

If those drains are plugged, it overflows and runs down the inside of the body panels into the rocker panels. If those holes are clogged, then you run into wet everything and sloshing.

On the early NA's there was a TSD (or whatever it is called) for the dealers to open the holes in the rocker panels. I never got mine.

rmcelwee

iTrader: (1)

A few guys in our club have used needle nose pliers to rip out the "check valve" in those drain tubes. Since I no longer have drain tubes I cannot comment on how it works other than to say it seems like a sound solution to help keep crud from plugging them up.

miata5

well i found the drainage holes and to my surprise the hole on the driver side was clogged with mud. I managed to take some of it out but when i poked my finger in there the little flaps got bent upward and trapped some of the mud in there. I tried using pliers but couldnt remove these flaps. So i might just drill those out. Also i dont know if it makes any difference but when i bought the car the previous owner had rplaced the top.

turbopezz

you need a plumbers snake,the regular house hold kind.what came out of my drainage holes was ridiculos.my driveway looked like a swamp.

miata5

yea i need some sort of thing to get deep inside to remove all the mud and not have to worry anymore. I want to retard the rust issue as much as possible and dont want no more puddles either

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

The check valve is connected, I believe, with a tab that goes through the tube to hold it. If you clip off the tab on the outside, you should be able to pull it down pretty easy with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Many people use the antenna(non-power) to clean them since it is long enough and round tipped so that in doesn't jam.

rmcelwee

iTrader: (1)

To clean them, I loosen the top latches and raise (lower) the top about 3 or so inches from where it meets the windshield header. This gives a little gap between the top and the black plastic piece that is attached to the car where it meets the top (talking about by rear quarter panels here). Start spraying your water hose gently in the gap that is created and your drain tubes will start filling up with water. At the same time, reach your arm under the car and poke your finger in the tube. Tons of gunk will come out and go all over your arm and on the ground. Problem solved...


Do this about once a year and you are good to go....

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

Now you need to make sure the holes in the rocker panels are clear. If the debris there can be removed from the four holes in each with a paperclip, great.

I used a floor jack with a tapered pin to open them up. Put the tapered pin(an awl or nail set) on top of the jack and jack the pin into the hole. Then grab the pin with Visegrips to remove it after pulling the jack away.

miata5

thanks for your help. Problem solved dont have to worry about flooding again or hearing the rushing sound of water through my sideskirts