Has anyone noticed that nose up/nose down makes a difference. I see that a new user has also asked the question.
Reluctant to use a dealer for the problem as it could be a very expensive open wallet job.
Back on the 10th June the was a link posted with a photo showing a body seal leak on the passenger side of the water gully. Have you checked the drivers side body seal in the gully just forward of the hinge mech?
Posted by WAS I DUN.
Richard.
Thanks Richard,
Tim posted his findings in this thread and Iām fairly sure I followed it through.
Iām not sure why nose down would make a difference. There must be something thatās eluding me. Maybe a night in the boot with a torch would be in order - then a physio ouch.
Iāve had real problems trying to track down my PRHTās leaks. Like others, parking nose down instead of nose up seems to resolve the problem.
My current guess is itās because the leaks all occur behind the drains in the roof storage well. The drains are in the outer corners at the front of the well, behind the seats. In the PRHT these generally seem to work well (unlike the soft topās notorious problems).
The various seals on the folding roof are almost all behind the drains. Park nose down and leaking water flows forwards into the drains, park nose up and water flows backwards into the bootā¦
The main leaks Iāve found so far were through the seal around the rear deck cover, and at the corners of the back window.
The old deck seal looked in good condition but I saw a few drips get past it in heavy rain and splashed out (!) Ā£115 on a new one. There was obviously lots more water getting past than I could see. With the old seal I had an inch of water in the boot, with the new one thereās barely a trickle.
The folding roof has a seal running along the bottom of the rear window and side seals at the bottom of the rear pillars (see photo). These have to be separate because of the folding mechanism but overlap when the roofās up. Water was getting past the overlap and dripping into the roof well. Iāve temporarily fixed by applying silicone grease to the overlapping sections.
I think that the carpet in the roof well stays dry because leaking water seeps past the seals and clings to the inside of the panels as it runs down.
I know different model bud on the ND if parked nose down on slope the water collects in the channels around the boot and sits in the corners under the boot hinges . Possible leakage area?
Try looking at the ABS cable grommet.
Its right in the firing line of the high speed water flow spinning off the wheels and enters the boot behind the left and right covers.
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Thanks for the suggestion but the leaks happen when the car is parked so I donāt think thatās the problem in my case.
Same thing happens on the NC. Itās generally not a problem since the channel around the boot hinges is welded to the boot interior and water canāt pass through the weld (though I have seen a post where someone had found that the weld was porous).
The leaks occur when the car is parked nose up. Nose down, everythingās fine!
Just realised that the porous weld was mentioned in this thread, by WAS-I_DUN
I had a prod around the seals pictured in your photo and made an interesting (to me) discovery that most regulars probably already know.
Just slightly to the left of your marked area is a ātunnelā in the seal so I had a poke with some narrow gauge wire and couldnāt understand why I didnāt see the wire at the other end. It turns out itās both a tunnel and an underpass combined.
Most of the water actually runs on the lower channel and ends up exiting the drain tubes directly over the main drain.
Water from the forward portion runs into small collector channels at the very front (by the bump stops) and runs down the inside of the panel to a different exit at the side of the channel.
Anyway, Iāve poked, prodded, and generally cleaned the accumulated dust and silt and will report back.
I parked nose up yesterday and the little trail has returned ! Nothing evident when I open the boot before driving off, but after a 10 mile run it was present at the destination.
I opened the deck when I got back home and it feels slightly damp on the offside up near the bump stop mentioned in the above post.
Can anyone please tell me how to remove the trim that covers where the seatbelt shoulder strap comes out (next to the rear hoops) ? I found one popper but nothing obvious to get the rest of the piece off.
Also, how do you remove the metal spring type trim clip that holds the side panel on if the roof compartment ? Ideally without losing the spring - which will inevitably disappear !
Could anyone point me at a YouTube video or similar as to how to remove the trim please. Every one Iāve found so far doesnāt show that piece being removed. I found the popper at the front but something is still holding it in place.
Hi Reading this thread with interest.
When I was investigating my faulty PRHT drive I stripped out all of the rear boot and cockpit panels for access. I noticed that my Boot mat was wet at the rear most section.
I had been driving through heavy rain previously and the car has always been parked outside.
I noticed that there were a few hardware fitting in the boot floor, some of them were blind rivets, i presume for exhaust hangars etc. Aerodynamics being what they are I wondered whether moisture could ingress the boot by being forced upwards whilst driving along wet roads ?
Interesting.
Or even being sucked in by negative pressure in the boot space??
I have now made space in my junk crowded garage to allow me to drive it in and out, so the MX-5 will hopefully be spending most of the winter inside from now.
Just hope something doesnāt fall on it nowā¦
Do you have any pics or advice on how to remove the trim in the roof compartment please ? I think thatās where I need to be next.
Exactly the same on my PRHT NC.
It was the deck lid seal. I completely removed it, cleaned all the old gunk out and resealed with good quality Silicon sealer. Problem solved.
Rick.
Rick,
Sorry to be a bit dumb on this but did you have the uphill/downhill symptoms and how do you remove the seal and what sort of silicon did you use ?
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Morning Chap.
Itās not a big job, but itās messy and takes a while to do.
The gunk they used is white sticky stuff.
The seal comes off quite easily.
Raise the deck, prise off the rubber from the rear edge (boot end) and slowly lift it off.
You will have to unclip the plastic door pillars at the top and I seem to remember thereās a small clip on each side of the rubber seal (one passenger side, one drivers side).
Youāll need to jiggle the seals around the other seals by the door pillar/roof.
Once removed you then have the worse part to do!
Remove all the old gunk from the seal and body!
Take your time and itāll be fine.
In hindsight, I should have covered the back of the car with an old sheet, as the gunk is a sod to remove from the paint.
I found IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol, not Indian Pale Ale!) good for getting the gunk off the car and pure patience getting it off the old seal. A flat blade screw driver helped with the seal.
Now the neat bit.
I used a length of FlexTape and folded it over the car panel lip to thicken it slightly and to cover the various holes where the two panels meet under the seal.
Once itās all clean I used a good quality silicon sealer (Evo-Stick I think, itās what I had at handā¦) and squirted it in the seal grove.
Itās then just a case of putting the old seal back on, making sure all of the rubber seals sit properly around the pillars.
This all sounds complicated, but in real terms it was very easy. I think it took me about 3 hours, taking my time. The weather was nice and warm thoughā¦
Oh, yes, my car sits backside down on our steep drive. The water collected around the seal towards the boot and was seeping under the seal at that point, letting water flow down the outside of the boot edges and collecting in the well behind the number plate.
I did drill 3 holes (and painted their edgesā¦) on the rear edge of the boot as a precaution.
Problem solved.
I should have taken some pictures, as this would have been useful for anyone else with this problem.
HTH.
Rick.
