- My model of MX-5 is: MK3/NC
- I’m based near: Milton Keynes
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Hood drainage cleaning
Sorry if this has already been covered but I have checked the forums and watched many YouTube videos and still cannot get this right…
I am trying to clean out the hood drainage holes on my MK3 with a trombone cleaner (bought from MX5Parts). No matter which angle I try, I dont seem to be able to get it to do into the drainage hole which is impossible to see.
Watching others on YouTube, they suggest having the cleaner held low and aiming towards the gear stick for the right angle (red line on the picture). No matter what I try, the cleaner goes towards the right and wont push in more than say 5 inches (blue line on the picture). I have tried multiple times on both sides on the car with no joy.
Whats the trick here?
I suggest you try something more rigid to locate the hole, upon locating it switch to the brush. I’ve never had an issue but I did once push the plastic trim towards the outside of the car in a bid to get visuals on the hole itself, on the photo above its sort of closer to the end of the small right hand line on the red arrow.
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Thank you, will give that a try with good light.
Glad you asked this, my trombone cleaner has just turned up
The red arrow is correct angle. There is a piece of foam inside the tray that stops you finding the hole. Use a screwdriver to push the foam towards the front of the car then the hole can be found quite easily.
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Yep I would go with the red arrow. Also definitely always go from the top to bottom rather than in reverse from under the car as the drain holes have sound reducing valves in them that flap downwards so could be damaged in reverse!
Ant
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Remember you don’t pull it back out the same way it went in. You feed it in one end all the way through and pull it out where it drains. There are flaps inside and if you attempt to pull it back out the way it went in the flaps can be damaged.
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think the flaps can be damaged even if you go from the top, if you take the seatbelt reel out it all comes out from the inside (youtube video) I eventually did this and was quicker than trying to find the hole! parts were updated in 2007 to stop flaps moving wrong way. the 2 valves top and bottom cost £19 from Mazda ( note there are 2 hoses, one clear between the valves and one black to connect to the drain. you can also get some filters for the top to keep the muck out £12 each (doing this week)
Could you tell us more about these filters please??
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The hole you are aiming for is where the white X is. You can push the trombone cleaner in the hole marked red or in the gap marked blue.
The other photo shows the tube as viewed through the square hole with an endoscope.
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Thank you for everyones advice, managed to successfully clear the drains tonight within 5 minutes. 
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have a look in mx5 parts for drain upgrade, it has a pdf of the mazda service bulletin with part numbers
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