Retractable hardtop seal leaking

Hi
It looks like my retractable hard top rear cover seal is leaking.
Is this common and is there an easy fix or is it best to by a new seal.

Having not owned the PRHT version just wondering if all it needs are the seals cleaning and treating with a rubber solution? After having done similar on my soft top hood seals over the years on various models it’s kept the rain out.:+1:

Can you advise where you are seeing/finding water, Davy?

Hi water is in the boot
But only if the car is facing up a hill
You can actually see in the retractable hood cover on the wiring where it has turned a sort of yellow colour and drops of water around the shocks which then runs into the boot

Before you condemn tthe cover seal which is not a common issue it is more usual that either the high level brake light is leaking at the base or the drain tubes from the rear window lower seal are detached or not pointing at the collection grids when car is at a certain level. There was a revision in the hose used on the earlier cars after this issue was found.

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Hi
It is not wet or damp around the third brake light
The drains seem to be working fine
Just where the water sits around the seal when parked facing up a hill.
the tape ( which is black )around the wires just inside the cover seem a yellow colour as if water is running down them

If the problem is the seal, it might be worth trying some Gummi Pflege on it before replacing the seal.

(It should also be a routine maintenance item on all your seals).

You could try simply cleaning and treating the seal with something like Autoglym bumper and trim conditioner/restorer.
Maybe parking uphill stops the water from draining as it should. Have you tried adding water to see where it goes or if it goes when parked this way??

Thanks for that

Should the seal be bonded with anything to the body of the car

I’ve got a PHRT with the same problem, it leaks into the boot when parked nose uphill. I think I’ve found out why, though it hasn’t rained enough recently to prove I’m right!
I found that both hoses from the roof rail to the floor drains were disconnected. Apparently quite common, the folding of the roof gradually pushes the hose off its spigot. Here’s a link to a better description of the problem and its cure. See post 48 onwards
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=655959&page=2

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Brilliant find, many thanks!

Here is a picture looking upwards from inside the roof storage void to show the offending hose behind the driver’s seat. Fortunately both those in my NC are still attached.

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Great photo thanks Richard.
To further explain why it leaks only when the nose is uphill. On the level water drips vertically down from the rain rail into the drain and flows out as it should. Nose down, it collects at the front of the drain well and disperses once you get on the level again. But nose up, the drips from the rain rail land behind the drain and flow under the trim into the boot. The carpet in the roof storage space stays dry so there’s no obvious source of the leak when you investigate after the rain’s stopped!.

Is this the place (behind driver’s seat) where your overflow is?

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Thanks for the helpful photo. Just checked mine this morning (they were both firmly attached).

Hi check mine all attached but still leaking into the boot
Any more ideas ?

That’s right. You can see in the photo how the plastic trim in the roof void rests on the back of the drain allowing water landing there to leak into the boot.

Can you post a photo of the water marks?
Does the carpet in the roof storage space get wet? If the cover seal is leaking then the carpet would be wet under the leak. Also, when the car is on the level or nose downwards, the water would either collect in the storage space or find its way into the cabin.
You’ve checked that the drains work and the hoses are connected. Are the hoses clear, and is the lower end positioned above the drain (as shown in RichardFX’s 2nd photo)?

I also had a problem like this, but found that the brake light cable was leaking where it entered the body, cured by adding sealant arround the connection which is in the boot
lip trough

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I have just fixed the same thing. Boot all dry now. I also saw a small dribble coming in from the manual lock for the boot release. Took it off and silicone’d it.