Leak in Boot
06-01-2011, 03:01 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Leak in Boot
I've had a leak in my boot since I've owned the car, and finally decided to get to the root cause.
Common Causes:
Blocked Drain Holes (Pictured later)
I ruled this out as I clear my drain holes every 3 months, and prove they are clear by pouring some water over the hood and watching it come out just ahead of the rear wheels.
Vent Behind Bumper
I lifted the carpet to see if water was coming through here...it wasn't. There is a separate DIY for those interested.
Poor Rear Panel Repair
The small rectangular pieces of bodywork just fwd of the bootlid can let water in underneath if they are not sealed properly. To see if this is the problem, it helps to have the parcel shelf out and have an assistant pour water over both areas so you can see if there's a problem. To remove these, open the boot and remove the screws, then wriggle it like crazy and pull so it 'frees up'.
Leaking Rain Rail
Experience with many an MX5 suggested this was likely.
DIY
Lower the hood
Remove the passenger seat. 2 12mm bolts on the front part of the rail, 2 14mm bolts at the rear
Remove wind deflector. Remove the two covers that conceal screws at the rear of the hinge mechanism. Some models have captive nuts on the underside, some don't. Remove nuts/screws.
Remove the sill plate covers.
Remove the vented interior plastics behind the seats. Each hook cover hinges down and exposes an 8mm bolt/screw. Pull the plastic off.
Remove the interior trim that sits outboard of the seats. There is a screw near the bottom of the seatbelt.
Raise the hood.
At the rear of the parcel shelf, there is a long plastic piece that has three poppers. Gently push the middle and pry the whole popper out. Slide the plastic piece out. The following photo shows what is behind there.
Then you need to remove the main parcel shelf itself. Again, there are some of these poppers to remove...some are best seen by looking through the rear window. It's best removed with the hood ~ half way down
Remove the two side pieces of interior that were either side of the main piece. There are two poppers on each that need to be levered out with a flathead screwdriver, and one screw on each that is best seen through the rear window. There is also a well hidden popper that is in the middle and at the bottom of the plastic piece...be careful not to damage this when you remove the trim piece.
Get a bucket of water and gently pour it over the hood, near the bottom...it helps to have someone else to do this so you can see if water ingress is apparent while you sit inside. You can see the water in the next photo, and also the gaping chasm that removing the parcel shelf leaves.
If you have a leak, proceed as follows:
See 10mm nuts? Remove them, not forgetting the ones near the seatbelt towers.
Remove the metal rails and the bands that come down from the hood (glass rear window models only).
You are now able to pry the rain rail and hood off the studs where the 10mm nuts were.
Exit the car and near the seatbelt towers you should see some poppers/clips that secure the rail rail to the body...remove these...mine was sat in the body and not holding that rain rail on. My rain rail was also not riveted to the bottom of the hood as it should be. The photo below shows the popper/clip you're looking for:
The next photo shows where the popper should be securing the hood:
Once the rail is off, pour a decent amount of water into it to see if there are any splits/cracks in the rail...mine didn't
This is how manky a well maintained drainage system looks:
Where the rear of the hood there should be a three piece seal that sits around the edge...mine was poorly and the two pieces nearest the cabin were sitting in the drain reservoir. Silicone sealant will secure these and encourage watertight integrity.
The offending missing seals:
If your rain rail is not riveted on...sort this out. You need 4.8mm rivets with some washers, or get hold of the two piece rivets that page 20-46 of the service manual refers to.
This is a good time to see just how blocked your drain channels are if you don't check them (which is a MUST!!!!! to prevent rusty rear arches). It's just to the right of the body, left of the brush.
For those thinking this is alot of work...it's not. It took me just over an hour to remove the lot. Tonight I shall be riveting the rain rail back on, applying silicone around the studs and fixing those seals back into place.
it will work...I have confidence
Common Causes:
Blocked Drain Holes (Pictured later)
I ruled this out as I clear my drain holes every 3 months, and prove they are clear by pouring some water over the hood and watching it come out just ahead of the rear wheels.
Vent Behind Bumper
I lifted the carpet to see if water was coming through here...it wasn't. There is a separate DIY for those interested.
Poor Rear Panel Repair
The small rectangular pieces of bodywork just fwd of the bootlid can let water in underneath if they are not sealed properly. To see if this is the problem, it helps to have the parcel shelf out and have an assistant pour water over both areas so you can see if there's a problem. To remove these, open the boot and remove the screws, then wriggle it like crazy and pull so it 'frees up'.
Leaking Rain Rail
Experience with many an MX5 suggested this was likely.
DIY
Lower the hood
Remove the passenger seat. 2 12mm bolts on the front part of the rail, 2 14mm bolts at the rear
Remove wind deflector. Remove the two covers that conceal screws at the rear of the hinge mechanism. Some models have captive nuts on the underside, some don't. Remove nuts/screws.
Remove the sill plate covers.
Remove the vented interior plastics behind the seats. Each hook cover hinges down and exposes an 8mm bolt/screw. Pull the plastic off.
Remove the interior trim that sits outboard of the seats. There is a screw near the bottom of the seatbelt.
Raise the hood.
At the rear of the parcel shelf, there is a long plastic piece that has three poppers. Gently push the middle and pry the whole popper out. Slide the plastic piece out. The following photo shows what is behind there.
Then you need to remove the main parcel shelf itself. Again, there are some of these poppers to remove...some are best seen by looking through the rear window. It's best removed with the hood ~ half way down
Remove the two side pieces of interior that were either side of the main piece. There are two poppers on each that need to be levered out with a flathead screwdriver, and one screw on each that is best seen through the rear window. There is also a well hidden popper that is in the middle and at the bottom of the plastic piece...be careful not to damage this when you remove the trim piece.
Get a bucket of water and gently pour it over the hood, near the bottom...it helps to have someone else to do this so you can see if water ingress is apparent while you sit inside. You can see the water in the next photo, and also the gaping chasm that removing the parcel shelf leaves.
If you have a leak, proceed as follows:
See 10mm nuts? Remove them, not forgetting the ones near the seatbelt towers.
Remove the metal rails and the bands that come down from the hood (glass rear window models only).
You are now able to pry the rain rail and hood off the studs where the 10mm nuts were.
Exit the car and near the seatbelt towers you should see some poppers/clips that secure the rail rail to the body...remove these...mine was sat in the body and not holding that rain rail on. My rain rail was also not riveted to the bottom of the hood as it should be. The photo below shows the popper/clip you're looking for:
The next photo shows where the popper should be securing the hood:
Once the rail is off, pour a decent amount of water into it to see if there are any splits/cracks in the rail...mine didn't
This is how manky a well maintained drainage system looks:Where the rear of the hood there should be a three piece seal that sits around the edge...mine was poorly and the two pieces nearest the cabin were sitting in the drain reservoir. Silicone sealant will secure these and encourage watertight integrity.
The offending missing seals:
If your rain rail is not riveted on...sort this out. You need 4.8mm rivets with some washers, or get hold of the two piece rivets that page 20-46 of the service manual refers to.
This is a good time to see just how blocked your drain channels are if you don't check them (which is a MUST!!!!! to prevent rusty rear arches). It's just to the right of the body, left of the brush.
For those thinking this is alot of work...it's not. It took me just over an hour to remove the lot. Tonight I shall be riveting the rain rail back on, applying silicone around the studs and fixing those seals back into place.
it will work...I have confidence
06-01-2011, 09:56 AM
#7
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06-01-2011, 10:30 AM
#8
Registered User
Thread Starter
Cheers guys...hopefully this can help someone
I've repaired the seals at the rear with copious amounts of superglue and silicon sealant, and am just waiting on some 2 piece rivets to arrive as the pop rivets I have aren't long enough (I need 5mm * 1/2"...RTFM!) to go through all of the material.
Incidentally, if you're not up for the rear seal repair, you need to replace the black bit that runs all the way round the bottom of the hood, on top of the bodywork. Part 16 here:
74866-S2A-033...which comes in at a grand total of £296.46!!!!!
Fuzz...I'm much better looking than Edd
I've repaired the seals at the rear with copious amounts of superglue and silicon sealant, and am just waiting on some 2 piece rivets to arrive as the pop rivets I have aren't long enough (I need 5mm * 1/2"...RTFM!) to go through all of the material.
Incidentally, if you're not up for the rear seal repair, you need to replace the black bit that runs all the way round the bottom of the hood, on top of the bodywork. Part 16 here:
74866-S2A-033...which comes in at a grand total of £296.46!!!!!
Fuzz...I'm much better looking than Edd
06-01-2011, 01:45 PM
#10
These 'wiper' pieces are the bits I have been telling you and many others about for years
I could see mine laying in the plastic water tray without taking anything apart....
Steve
I could see mine laying in the plastic water tray without taking anything apart....
Steve