Water in passenger footwell

Technical Area Body, Interior & Styling
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Hi all 

so please can somebody help I have read the tread related to water in passenger footwell tried sealing around the grommet under the bonnet at windscreen tried cleaning the wells under the roof with a flexi tube but it would go right through any ideas how else I can fix .

Afraid it will damage my love mx5 Ventura 

 

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You say you’ve tried sealing around the grommet. You really need to get under the grommet to be successful

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I’m assuming you’ve got a NC. In that case just replace the Grommet and seal at the same time. The grommets cost about a couple of quid.

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Under the black plastic cover you will find these grommets below (seen with the cover caps removed), they need resealing.

 

To gain access you need to remove the whole black plastic cover which is split into two at the centre. Remove windscreen wiper arms first then up the bonnet and release the rubber strip from it’s clips along it’s length, this will release the cover. Once you have removed the cover caps, one each side below the windscreen you will see as in the picture a screw each side to remove, once out you can remove the cover. It will still be held in place by the screen washer pipes but can be moved sufficently to gain acces to those grommets. Clean them up and smear some silicone seal around them or replace them. The foam seals breakdown causing leaks into the cabin, namely onto the interior carpets and can also get to the interior electrics.

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Thank u all for help stupid question what’s a NC
Monica

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Here’s a picture of what happens to the foam seal under the Grommet that needs to be sealed/replaced…well, both really

 

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A MK3 MX5 

 

NA  MK1  pop up lights

 

NB  MK2

 

NC  MK3

 

ND  MK4

 

 

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The grommets is by far the most common cause of any water ingress in the passenger footwell on the MK3 (NC).

 

When you say that you sealed the grommets, what did you do exactly. ??

This isn’t a 5 minute job, as you have to remove the wiper arms, windsreen washer pipes and the black plastic trim which runs the full width of the bonnet under the windscreen.

 

Not an overly difficult job to do, but does need a bit of time and consideration.

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Awh well all I done was open bonnet and partner put some silicone around a grommet that’s was visible never took off wipers or anything so will order some  new ones with seals and replace old ones and seal in with silicone thanks all now need a dry day to tackle it .

 

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Why are the grommets there, what is their purpose ?

Could the whole… hole not just be sealed up with silicon sealant ?

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They are inserts for the screws that hold the windscreen scuttle panel.

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For those who don’t know, let me explain in laymans terms.

For those who do, I apologise. Laughing

 

On each corner of the black scuttle panel (where the wiper arms poke through), you’ll see an oval blanking cap.

Under this cap is the screw which holds the scuttle panel down.

That screw goes through the scuttle and in to a plastic clip which is pushed through the bulkhead.

That plastic clip has a rubber seal which will perish with age.

When the seal fails, water will enter in to the passenger footwell through the bulkhead…

 

The fix is to remove the scuttle panel and seal those clips with silicone sealant.

It only takes 45 minutes to strip and re-assemble, although I’d recommend not refitting the screws for a few hours to allow the silicone to set.

 

And those black plastic oval caps, these will probably snap, but can be purchased for a few pounds.

 

I’m guessing that Moncun74 sealed the wrong item.

 

As regards replacing the actual clip, personally I wouldn’t bother.

There is nothing wrong with the clip in the respect of its ability to hold the scuttle down.

The seal is going to fail again in 5 years time, and silicone sealant will probably outlive the foam seal.

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1 month on and terrible rain here and no water thank you all such a cheap fix for a problem that could lead to big costs thank you all again ???

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1 month on and terrible rain here and no water thank you all such a cheap fix for a problem that could lead to big costs thank you all again ???

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Glad to hear it was successful

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I think every NC sold should come with a warning, let’s say when you switch on, “have you checked your grommets for leaks”

I’ll get you sooner or later

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I’m going to add a couple of comments here, having just attempted this job “properly” as it were, with the replacement parts kit from MX5 parts

  1. I would not attempt to remove the wiper arms without a puller, unfortunatley the one I have is too small so I could only do the nearside one!

  2. as well as the clips holding the rubber seal in place, there are “hooks” along the front edge of the panels that clip onto the bulkehed (carefully pull with finger and thum), and wlso the panel hooks under the windscreen, and there is a small drainage hole and tube on the inner end of the nearside panel that drops into the end of the driver’s side panel - you have to remove the passenger (nearside) one first, carefull lifting it clear as far as you can. Manouvering it back into place needs care!

  3. Removing the insert that the screw goes into - I foolishly tried to gently push the hooks on the end to allow me to withdraw it - and bent the metal around the mounting hole slightly! (If you look at the new part you can see the clips that I mean - the part pushes in one way). Easier I found to simply break off the flanges with a pair of grips, and the thing will just drop into the footwell!

  4. as above - having damaged the paint slightly and distorted the hole, I straightened this out as much as possible, gave the area a good spray with primer then once dry, put a good bead of selant around the hole and pushed the part into place.

  5. For the driver’s side, since I couldn’t get the wiper arms off, I gently lifted the end of the panel, wiped the are clean, and put a bead of selant around the part!

SO - anyone know what size puller I need for the wiper arm? The spindle looks to need something with about 25mm clearance…

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Put the wiper arm up in the vertical position and give it a wiggle it’ll come off.
Never bothered with replacing the actual grommets, clean up and seal around the originals. You’ll probably need to apply sealant around the new ones too. Check every 18 months or so if the sealant is still doing its stuff. Do buy those black plastic cover caps, they like to break their tabs off, so flimsy no matter how careful you are.

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Follow this guide:

How to Fix Wet Carpets on 2006 - 2015 Mazda Miata MX5 NC - YouTube

You don’t need to pull windscreen wipers off and you don’t need to replace the grommets themselves. This is a less complex job than many people think. Just get yourself some silicone sealant (bathroom stuff is fine) and follow the above.