I was browsing the Mazda on-line MX5 ND manual which was referenced in another thread when I found the section on the hood drains which have a removable filter. ‘Great’ I thought no more spending hours trying to get a trombone bush down a weirdly angled hole that you can’t see .
A description is given as to where to find the filter and how it is removed for cleaning. I managed to find the drivers side filter and the tab you need to press to remove it by feel. I did not remove it though because it seemed that you would need to be a contortionist and have the physique of a pipe cleaner to actually be able to see where it should be replaced accurately enough to be confident that it would seal correctly.
Has anybody done this yet and what is the best technique for ensuring they are replaced correctly? Also if as the manual states they should be checked and cleaned at least once a year otherwise water will get into the car, why is this not part of the annual service and done by the dealer like any other filter?
I’ve done it twice and can’t offer anything more useful than when you remove them, it’s obvious how they clip back in. You can look through the rear window to help someone else locate them also but I didn’t need to do that.
I’m new to the forum and would appreciate some advice. I’ve recently purchased a 2010 coupe. Car is great but went out today and realised that the mat behind the driver’s seat was wet. Clean the drain I thought - quick look at the internet and this forum and went in search of the drain behind the seat. The hardtop makes it doubly difficult to have a good look and so far it has remained an invisible hole. No way can I find a square hole BUT there is a biggish grid which looks wet and could be a drain, with a pipe leading to it but not quite reaching if you see what I mean.
Carbach. There is plenty of advice on the forum elsewhere regarding clearing out the drains on the NC. I would think with the coupe it should be similar to the softop. The ND is very different that is why I asked the original question. Cheers and good luck!
Well, spent about an hour this morning groping about blindly and not being sure what I was getting hold of I didn’t push or pull anything for fear of breaking or dislodging something. In fact all I’ve got to show for my endeavours are some skinned knuckles and a cut finger (some of the trim has very sharp edges).
Cheers Helge you are a star . Where did you find that? Did not need to know Japanese to follow it. I couldn’t work out whether the fumbling about was deliberate or not!
Still makes me wonder, if this is not referenced in the hard-copy manual supplied with the car, why it is not a service item. Not everyone refers to the on-line manual and if they are unaware of the need to check at least once a year people could end up with flooded cars as they know no better!
I know that this started off as a query about the ND but I pushed in to enquire regarding blocked hood drains on my NC (not sure if 3 or 3.5) causing a wt carpet behind the drivers seat. I chased up the advice I got and each and every photo was of a softop. Mine is a hadtop and for the life of me I coudn’t match what I could see with any photo. No drain hole.
So, just in case someone else has the same query I have now solved my problem. On the NC 2010 hardtop the drain hole in NOT visible until you lift off the little plastic grid behind the seat. This can be seen if the roof is opened to the right position but difficult to get to. I removed the square plastic section behind the drivers seat - it comes off easily and I notice that some models this opens up anyway to create a little cubby-hole. You can then feel - but can’t see - the plastic grid. This WILL lift off with a bit of perseverence ( !). It just seems to be stuck down - I made a little hook from some wire and lifted it off, and lo and be hold there is the mythical drain hole. From then on it’s just a matter of using your trombone brush to clean the channel as per softop. Job done. So, in essence the procedure and the location of the drain hole is very much like the softop BUT is hidden underneath the grid.
I hope this will be os some help to others with the same model as mine. Enjoy.
To be honest guys I have never before come across a more ridiculously difficult job to do . You need a child’s hands and dexterity to do this job. I am not hamfisted, but I managed to break the release tab on both filters covers . Luckily the actual catch part remained. The tabs are barely 1mm thick plastic and are extremely flimsy. You really need to be able to depress the tab and pull on the filter cover at the same time which is nigh on impossible to do with an adult hand from that position! Yes, and when replacing them you can hear an audible click when they are pressed in position correctly.
To do the job properly you also really need to remove the foam filters and also give them a clean. Mine were quite dirty and needed doing. The filter covers only stop large foreign objects from getting to the foam filters but the filters themselves get clogged up with sediment etc.
For those who can do this job easily and without breaking the tabs all I can say are those immortal words of Blackadder’s Baldrick, “You have a woman’s hands my lord”!
I will see if I can order some new ones when I go to the dealer next week.
No wonder it is not part of the standard car Service schedule, it would cost a days labour to do the job properly!