leaking roof

[Chi3f]

hello all i wasnt sure where to post this one, with all the rain we got today i found out for the first time that the roof on my na leaks...enough to cause concern..

DSC00628_re.jpg

i took a quick photo of it with my fone n it seems to be leaking from the rubber seal where the roof meets the car
where it trickles down n forms puddles of water on the back parcel shelf thing, but you can't see it in the photo.

is this a common thing? (i used the search feature to no avail)...i guess i havnt noticed it before cos it leaks under the carpet...

thinking up ways to combat this i was thinking of sealing the whole thing up with some adhesive rtv silicone i had lying around..is it the best way to go about this?...thanks in advance...

p.s. there was also some water in the boot, but i think(hope) it may have dripped down from the parcel shelf as it's all been stipped out.

[CheyneX5]

Your rain rail has probably had it (the rubber seal that goes all the way around the bottom of the soft top).

I am not sure where to get them but that said they are a replaceable item. I am sure someone on here will know where to locate them

[PUR157]

It sounds like a broken rain rail unfortunately...
Replacement's possible but abit exxy... at least from mazda? try one of your local wreckers and you might be in luck...
Would Mazford and/or Mania stock rain rails?

But yes, if your parcel shelf is stripped it will drip into the boot

[Juffa]

As already mentioned it would appear that your rain rail is leaking. That bit of plastic/rubber will set you back over $300 new. I for one have repaired and re-used a number of rain rails using heavy duty water proof cloth backed tape.

If you have a look in the miata net garage you will find instructions for replacing the roof, including the rain rail. You don't need to take the whole soft top off, just the three set plates (3 black metal strips that run around the back of the cockpit) which look to be rusty in your photo. Then slide the rain rail/lower edge of the soft top off the retaining bolts. You can try to patch the rain rail while it is still attached to the soft top, or you can separate them.

Anyway read the information on miata net, and then get back to us with any questions.

http://www.miata.net/garage/

J

[Guran]

Or you could just lash out on a new aftermarket soft-top for ~$500:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=35666

I've got lots of leaks too, nothing major, but enough to soak into the carpets and cause a bit of rust on the cover plate over the fuel tank. I bought a hard-top to fit onto the car and that's fixed the leaks. It also seems to have damped a bit of the scuttle shake and quietened the wind noise.

[Garry]

If you decide to repair your current rain rail then be careful with it as they are usually quite brittle on the early cars and easy to crack.

[Chi3f]

thanks for all the helpful advice!

ill probably just get new and also very pricey rain rails from mania...or try n repair the old one...

but i'll recheck the bolts n give the car a good hosing down first to make sure the seals actually gone....as i think i may have not put the bolts back on properly after trying to get the roof off...

definately let u's know how it all pans out...

[Mr Morlock]

Juffa's link looks interesting. I reckon that it is very satisfying if you can actually fix things. We have a generation which has stopped doing this but it may be possible to do the fix with a small $ cost. Give it a fly

[MX5CHIC]

Before I got my new top and rain rail I managed to repair my old rain rail, you dont need to remove the top to do it, just remove the bolts etc and use Sikaflex Marine Silicone on the cracks, let dry and bolt it back together.
Cheap and nasty but it sure does work.

[Chi3f]

Sikaflex Marine Silicone ehyyyy..might as well give that a go + maybe even the cloth tape just for a bit of overkill....leave buying new rails as a last resort...
also i gave the car a hosing down today....looks like i didnt get quite right with the photo, it is trickling in the back bit but its FLOODING in behind the passenger seatbelt tower....ill check back with u guys after i've attempted my diy repairs...arrhh the joys of open top motoring

[Jeo]

Behind the passenger seatbelt wouldn't just be a blocked drain hole would it?

Linky

[Garry]

The water is supposed to run off the roof into the rain rail then travel along the rain rail and exit into plastic cups on either side of the car just near the seatbelt towers. The water then drains through tubes to exit the car just in front of the rear wheels. As Jeo pointed out if the drain tubes are blocked then the cups overflow and water enters the car.

There is a similar situation at the front of the car. Water collects in the trough in the windscreen header rail seal and drains out either side into little cups moulded into the seal at the top of the vent window. Dont confuse this with the "ears" moulded into the seal attached to the body. The cup is on the door seal above the vent window. The water then passes through a small hole and into the seal and follows the seal along the front of the door then exits at the bottom. If you have a leak where the pointy part at the top of the vent window meets the roof then the drain in the door seal is probably blocked.

Hope that helps

[Chi3f]

thanks for all the great info, madza was actually quite clever with their design...i'll have a look at my drain pipes this arvo see how that goes
other than that it only leaks a little at the back n a bit in the zipper, but that should be manageable...thanks again for all the wisdom/insight