How to unblock your Mk3 MX5 Roof drains - NC Miata

[@lucass3566]

Thank you! I got quoted $700 from a dealership for this bullshit, and I fixed it myself in 2 hours. You're a lifesaver!

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Wow!!! well we are pleased the video helped you out and saved you money!!

[@SuperDemonmonkey]

Thankyou just bought an mx5 cleaned it and it flooded one side, this vid didn't make me panic cleaned it out sorted hopefully thank you again.

[@tiernanmccaughery7963]

Any luck with that? I've just had something similar happen to me

[@johnbell4176]

Remember to put a clip on seatbelt so it doesn’t retract to far just had that happen cheers for video 👍

[@needmoretimeplease291]

Just come in from sorting mine out. It's a really straightforward job and didn't seem as tricky as the video.....probably because I wasn't trying to film at the same time...! I did mine because a previous owner had managed to flip the small rubber flaps in the tubes the wrong way so they were jammed open and the cabin noise was really bad. I took them apart completely and refitted them correctly and giving a good clean. Refitting the tubes I found easier with the lower section disconnected so the upper section could be pushed into position, then fit the lower section and clip into place. Thanks MX5 restorer!

[@harvisingh6671]

Thank you for this video. Got the drains cleaned as you shown. The 14mm nut on my car was so tight I broke my cheap racket set . I took my car to a local garage to get that removed . I personal can’t see how the drains can be effectively cleaned with out using the above method! Ps I bathed the tubes in warm soapy water before jetting it out with the cold water tap.

[@itspartytimedisco]

Thank you so much for this video, have been borrowing the inlaws mx5 and decided to sort some issues for them and this fixed the water in the car.

[@colincrabb7375]

Watched this before and thought it was to complicated for me…. Came out to a wet floor today after all the heavy rain and watched it again then got the tools out….. Was actually very straightforward and managed to clear a huge pile of gunk which was obviously causing the problem…. So thanks for your advice and guidance……

[@jmooch59]

THANK YOU!!! It drains much better. You can access the hose and the flapper valve and give them a proper cleaning.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Excellent, I'm glad you found the video helpful

[@woollyted1666]

Thanks so much for this, I'd been messing about with trombone cleaners for weeks then I found this, one thing I noticed was when I removed the pipe at the bottom I discovered the blockage was further up but I managed to clean it out.

[@videomonkeys]

Thank you for saving my mx5 roof drains and cleaning them out! Awesome video and keep up the good work!

[@drdaz187]

Thank funk for this video! I was following other Vids showing it can be done without the panel being removed but this IS THE ONLY WAY to do it! Little bit of a mare to remove the bottom nut from the belt holder but I done it! Thank you 🤤

[@needmoretimeplease291]

Great video, didn't realise it was so straight forward. Mine has the sea shell effect..... I think a previous owner has tried clearing them out and damaged the little rubber flaps inside resulting in excessive road noise roar. I'll order up some replacements and fit them. Thanks for the video, great work as always.

[@BloodSco]

Great video, saved me a trip to the garage! the boys even helped me with some advice when i called the garage. much

[@ricardoroberto100]

Well done on posting it raw and not trying to disguise the problems. Shows its not an easy job.

[@simonvancoevorden295]

If you watch Car thought channel he cleaned the drains with a trombone brush . You have to pull the brush out from under the car & not try to pull it out from the inside .

[@og-ol-timer]

I could never find the drain hole from the top ended up doing the trombone from underneath pushing upward found 15p in 5 pence pieces in there

[@alexsmith420]

@@og-ol-timer It is a complete bastard. I know exactly how to do it and it takes 10 minutes per side every time Buy an endoscope with a light on the end and feed that down through the hole. Instead of going for the square hole, I ram it in the gap between the horizontal & vertical plastic back there, where a small piece of foam exists between them: push them aside (takes some pushing) and the hole should be immediately visible (still hard to align it though, you'll ALWAYS be rubbing the endoscope up against the side of the pipe) I advise using an endoscope to guide a trombone brush down rather than using the endoscope itself to clear out crud. I've found mine gets caught both going in and coming out which can (and has) dislodge the pipes allowing a small leak Lastly, the soft top drains into a little pot that has the drain hole in it. the water gushing in off the top while cleaning the car can overwhelm the drains if they're not completely clear, in my experience. When that happens you might as well just put the hose in the footwell behind the seats because the water flooding in the car will be unbelievable. I use a car washing sponge to mop it out when I make this mistake. I've cut slits in the carpet behind the seat to allow me to flap the carpet back and mop up. These cars are a nightmare. Leaving all this alone is not an option: eventually all the drain holes will clog. This is likely to affect every NC MX5 in existence eventually.

[@anthonyplaysbass]

@@alexsmith420 did cleaning the drains stop the water behind the seats? Im getting behind my passenger seat :(

[@ZioComposite]

@@anthonyplaysbass it’s either the rear drain hole which you can test by pouring a bottle of water. Should easily drain through. 2 other possibilities are your door seals and the front window seal. YT has NC drain proof videos you can search. This one kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYbXg4x9ebdsa6s

[@anthonyplaysbass]

@@ZioComposite fixed it by cleaning my roof drains. I pushed the one way flap back up so water literally gushes out of the drain hole under the car. Dry as since then! Ive also dealt with some trunk leaks as well: 3rd brake light, hardtop chrome deck plates, a lazy body join in the trunk gutter (fixed with some automotive body sealer from SikaFlex) and also replaced the rear tail light gaskets. Dry as a bone now! Also made sure the fuel filler cap drain was draining.

[@ricardoroberto100]

I read these are one way so once the rod is in you have to get it out from underneath but people think you push it down and pull back out again then it gets stuck. Also this is only for soft tops and not the electric roofs i understand. But both have a drain hole in the fuel filler.

[@robmcilroy1894]

I have a jdm prht and clear my drains like you have said. I flush them with clean water afterwards to make sure it's worked.

[@trigz1689]

@@robmcilroy1894 hey mate just wanted to know how you clean your drains on the PRHT, as my PRHT have a grille over the drain hole. Cheers

[@Derundurel]

I did this recently with a trombone brush. As you say, I inserted it from the top and removed it from the bottom. The only issue was finding the hole at the top!

[@Deckard575]

Thanks for the guide, it tells me give this job to a mechanic (im so not a mechanic) and that Groove is in the heart (background).

[@kenhagan9588]

Thanks for the information I’ve been messing around with this for two years.

[@markwilson2487]

Tremendous source of experience and expertise, thank you

[@tiernanmccaughery7963]

Hey, could you help me? The black part of the drain tube, when putting it back in, does it sleeve onto anything? I've put mine back in as shown and it seems a little loose. Thanks!

[@tiernanmccaughery7963]

The "upright" as you call it

[@jacobking2864]

@@tiernanmccaughery7963 Any luck? How do you connect the black part back into the top? I tried to put a coat hanger through to even use it as a guide with no luck. I can't get it to seat.

[@SirenSunshine]

Started taking it apart but seat belt box has electrical connected. Can I just pull those out?

[@mnap89]

@2:20 What is the pipe/cable/line behind rain hose ?

[@elejes1218]

Thank you from Texas.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Our pleasure!

[@thethatchershow]

Hi, great video guys as just did my sisters. Great video and easy to follow. Awesome.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Excellent, I'm glad you found the video useful

[@stephenlawrenson2380]

What about if you put a wire/rod in from above that you slip the top tube piece over. Helps locate it and also stop it rolling away if your fingers slip??

[@suejames9798]

Does the black rubber part of the pipe that goes back in through the hole attach to anything?? Is there a pipe that comes down and sits behind the hole that the black sleeve fits over??

[@jacobking2864]

Were you able to figure this out? How do you connect the black part back into the top? I tried to put a coat hanger through to even use it as a guide with no luck. I can't get it to seat.

[@samalbrecht5533]

Any one have an answer to this? Took the drains out and cleaned them and on installation there appears to be nothing for them to attach to? Tried pouring water and it just comes down the pipe and either side of it! Is there meant to be something around the top of the rubber pipe as it is smaller than the hole it goes into

[@lloydtheo5321]

@@samalbrecht5533 i have just removed mine and cleaned and reversed the flaps, upon re installing the black rubber seems to sit on to a plastic pipe pretty much straight up from the hole, odd thing is though mine seems to fit snug but when pouring water down the drain from the top it now leaks into the seat belt holder area, any idea's welcome? when i took the drain out and pour water down it, no leaks, so can only assume the black rubber bit does not seal properly on the plastic bit that it fits on to? no idea how to fix that!

[@lloydtheo5321]

@@jacobking2864 have just removed mine and cleaned and reversed the flaps, upon re installing the black rubber seems to sit on to a plastic pipe pretty much straight up from the hole, odd thing is though mine seems to fit snug but when pouring water down the drain from the top it now leaks into the seat belt holder area, any idea's welcome? when i took the drain out and pour water down it, no leaks, so can only assume the black rubber bit does not seal properly on the plastic bit that it fits on to? no idea how to fix that!

[@UNITGJ]

Yer you can! Done it a bunch of times 👍🏻

[@miguelon56]

Is this the same for a power retractable hard top or is there something different? No problems with a wet floorboard but mine is a 2008.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

the drains are essentially the same, but we don't often see problems with the folding hardtop models

[@rishabhphukan8339]

@@lightsuplightsdown3018 Mine flooded on the drivers side so I'm going to try giving this cleaning a go!

[@Joeyzhou81525]

I'm thinking of buying an nc hardtop, will they be cleaned in the same way?

[@hartmutflemming2045]

Thank,s for watching.....fullsteam germany !...MX 5 NC Problems

[@gadgeteer3459]

Do you need to disconnect the battery or is it safe to move the seatbelt reels with the battery still connected up ..

[@jacobking2864]

How do you connect the black part back into the top? I tried to put a coat hanger through to even use it as a guide with no luck. I can't get it to seat.

[@davidharding7261]

Great tutorial video. I'll give this a go when spring hits. No issues due with detachable hardtop fitted at the moment. I've used the trombone cleaner in the past but never managed to get it to go all the way through the passenger side drain. The drains do work but, but the crud building up is noticeable after using an endoscope to have a look. I think I might take the whole seat back garnish off to make the job easier, had it off in the past when fixing rear shelf rattle.

[@billy1858]

wonder if you could use a pressure washer to blast it out?

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

We certainly wouldn't advise that :)

[@SirenSunshine]

Ok but how to drain all the sloshing water that comes from either a dislodged or clogged drain pipe? My Miata must be rusting away inside and no mechanic is up for the job!! Can I just drill holes on the underside? Or is there something like the sill drains in the older models, that I can go in with a zip tie? Please help!

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

No dont drill anything, there are various drain bungs and slots in the seams that need to be cleared

[@anthonyplaysbass]

Mate would these blocked drains cause water underneath and toward the rear of the seats? It's not toward the front of the cabin so I'm sure it's not scuttle drains... But I might silicone them off anyway.

[@JGrindel]

Literally watching this as I noticed a damp passenger carpet at the rear yesterday!! Fingers crossed its an easy fix for both of us.

[@anthonyplaysbass]

@@JGrindel keep me posted on how you go? This weekend, I'll have a trombone brush in hand and will be going at it, as well as the fuel filler drain!

[@anthonyplaysbass]

@@JGrindel an update mate, cleaned my roof drains, now no water in the boot/behind passenger seat even after a wash with a hose and sponge. Treated the canvas top to some hydrophobic protection as well so water just beads right off. As of right now, she's all dry inside.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Yes that is exactly what it will cause

[@ketchup5344]

Next week: how to climb mount everest with one hand 🤣😜

[@catherinehuntley2185]

How do you drain the water that has gathered from a sill leak? I was hoping that this video would show that but it didn’t.

[@andrejankovsky9576]

What exactly was blocking the pipe?

[@mattcollingwood1724]

So the trombone brush type cleaners are not up to the job? I may have to give mine a good clear out while the weather is like this.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

They don't really work very well to be honest

[@ketchup5344]

@@lightsuplightsdown3018 You can say that again lol

[@00Donkey00]

Trombone brush works just fine and is a lot easier than this method. I have done it on several NCs. You need to push the brush through 4-5 times to make sure you get all the gunk out.

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

I've cleared a clogged drain hole using the trombone cleaner on my NC without issues. It goes through a lot smoother than the one the owner of the car tried to use, but you also have to keep in mind not to pull it backwards. Just snake it through down a few times.

[@kanatsizkanatli]

I think these guys have a vested interest in you bringing the car in rather than looking after it yourself. The trombone method should be fine, these guys would charge you a £80 to do what you should be able to do free

[@andrewwww7684]

Are the RHT drains the same as the ragtop on a Mk3, 3.5, 3.75? great video many thanks

[@jubbaronny]

There’s a grill over the top of the drains on RHT’s so they shouldn’t get blocked.

[@stovepipe671]

i have the 2007 power top do i have to do this on my model

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Yes it still can be a problem on those models, but less so

[@gto49us]

I tried the trombone brush. The brush came unscrewed from the wire, making the situation much worse. Luckily, I literally fished it out.

[@BarryDarroch]

Why do this method when you can use a trombone brush from under each side of the hood to push and clear any blockage. Once you see it emerge from under the car pull out and job done. I’m guessing the method described here is for those who have lots of money to pay garages to do for you.

[@ryanallsbrook4477]

The top rubber part with the plastic attachment came off inside and can't get it out and don't even know where to get replacement parts. Help!

[@Paintppa1]

The thought of having that happened is what's keeping me from tackling this job.

[@joller79]

Pesky job, and great toutorial. How about steering wheel airbag clockspring removal/assembly... Power antenna replacement. Gearshift bUshing, And so on, i have loads of ideas for you chaps. I know there are millions of videos on YT with other showing it. But what the heck.

[@neobynature]

what years are the mk3 from?

[@kamlist2808]

2006 - 2016 I think, they had a slight facelift towards the end

[@ccsukdigital]

Don’t understand your opening comment that you can’t clean out NC roof drains in the same way as an NA or NB. I clean my NC drains out in exactly the same way as I did on my NB, using a trombone brush. It’s a little more difficult to get it into the tube than it was on the NB as there is a plastic grille over the opening, but once in it pushes through and comes out underneath the car ahead of the back wheels. This seems an unnecessarily complicated way of doing it (unless of course to remove a brush that has got stuck).

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

I suppose that if you clean them out often you will be able to with the trombone brush, but once they are blocked it is often not possible to push the brush in there, or it might get stuck as in this case

[@ryanallsbrook4477]

@@lightsuplightsdown3018 The top rubber part with the plastic attachment came off inside and can't get it out and don't even know where to get replacement parts. Help!

[@evilbeaver267]

Thank you

[@edwardwilliammorris1340]

The mk 2 ( Nd ) simply had a pipe you an a cord through to clear it , why oh why have Mazda ruined the design. Video appreciated 👍

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Good point!

[@alastairwheadon9785]

Where abouts are you based?

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

South east UK, check out our website www.themx5restorer.co.uk

[@johnnyevans1367]

That’s one nasty ass sink! LOL

[@Brockthedog315]

One of the weak design bits of the Miata. I have a hard top now. Sleep easier.

[@ronf5507]

All That is shown is top of a head

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

but isn't it a nice shiny top of a head?

[@mattmacd2009]

Your opening statement is ABSOLUTE COBBLERS. I've use a decent trombone cleaner for the last 10 yrs to unblock my drains. Never got one stuck & have a nice dry cabin. Hint- use an inspection camera & save farting around looking for the drain hole. Job done in literally mins.

[@davidgalpin9142]

This can be done with the 'trombone cleaner'. I've just done mine, you don't need to take all the interior plastics out. It is fiddly to get the trombone cleaner into the drain but once you know where it is, it's easy.

[@MuscleBandit]

Is yours a hard top though, mine is and access is near impossible as there is a plastic mesh instead of a simple hole as I've seen in the soft top vids. Cheers.