Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

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Ghoti
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Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:02 pm

Have been away overseas for 6 weeks and left my NC in the driveway - no garage or carport.

Went to take the car for a run today and to my dismay I was greeted by a swedish sauna...well, at least a cold version. Wet carpets with surface mold starting, condensation on all the windows and the inside of the roof literally dripping with moisture.

I've had the car a little over 12 months and never had a leak before so I'm not sure if it's a one off (apparently Melbourne was deluged while I was away) or just condensation gone crazy with the car not being aired for 6 weeks.

Any ideas?

Cheers,
Scott

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davekmoore
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby davekmoore » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:49 pm

That doesn't sound like condensation. More like one of the drainage holes or tubes being blocked or split.
UK since return: Standard NC2 (horrid), C200K, ND2 BBR, NC2 BBR200 (loved it), NC BBR300 (better than BARMY), V-Special, turbo NB8B (my 84th car)

Ghoti
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:56 am

So....is there a diagram or guide somewhere detailing where to find the holes and tubes? I certainly have no idea with soft tops!

Thanks,
Scott

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Ghoti
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Sat Apr 29, 2017 10:09 am

Never mind - found an excellent "how to" post on the miata forum.
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=389787

93_Clubman
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby 93_Clubman » Sat Apr 29, 2017 12:02 pm

Ghoti wrote:Have been away overseas for 6 weeks and left my NC in the driveway - no garage or carport.

Also if your driveway is on an incline this can exacerbate the problem, especially when there's a deluge.

Ghoti
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Sat Apr 29, 2017 4:47 pm

Thanks folks. After trying for an hour with a hose cleaning brush (a long springy wire...kinda like the old curtain wire with a brush on each end) I went to the local music store and spent $25 on a trombone brush. Its a little stiffer and that made it possible to find the drains.

A few passes with the brush and a flush with a litre of water and all should be good once the carpet dries!

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93_Clubman
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby 93_Clubman » Sat Apr 29, 2017 5:02 pm

Btw, not sure where the ECU is located on the NC, but if it's in the passenger footwell, you might want to make sure it's keeping dry.

Ghoti
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:56 pm

While the footwell was wet, the water was pooling under the seat. Seems to drive OK.

93_Clubman
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby 93_Clubman » Mon May 01, 2017 10:39 am

Ghoti wrote:Seems to drive OK.

They can initially - as mentioned, not sure where the ECU lives in the NC, but important to keep them dry.

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hks_kansei
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby hks_kansei » Mon May 01, 2017 1:43 pm

To dry it out quicker run the car with the ac on flat out and recycle.

Air con works by drawing humidity out of the air, so it can help speed up drying.

Otherwise, if you've got a smallish garage, put the car in there with he Windows down and doors open and leave it there overnight with a portable air con running in dehumidifier mode. Same concept.
1999 Mazda MX5 - 1989 Honda CT110 (for sale) - 1994 Mazda 626 wagon (GF's)

Ghoti
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Re: Leaking Roof? How to diagnose.

Postby Ghoti » Mon May 01, 2017 1:58 pm

Thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately we have no undercover parking. Sopped up as much as I god with a towel and left the roof off during the day Sat & Sun. Still a little damp so will give the airco a run this evening.

Cheers,|Scott


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