Every once in awhile your car makes a sound that is so unexpected you just have to laugh at yourself. This is especially true of a beater you only maintain because all your nice cars are already broken. Today on my way to the office I stopped at the first stoplight on my route and heard the sound of an ocean wave crashing against a beach coming from somewhere near my passenger seat. At first I assumed I was just crazy and kept driving. Of course, the next time I came to a stop I get the same thing. Clearly, we have a flooding problem.

The carpet was a little damp but certainly not wet enough to warrant the sound of sloshing water. A visual inspection of the car showed nothing amiss. No little drip of water or anything to indicate where my fishpond was. So I asked Google, and he explained that the common problem here is for the water drain holes on the frame to become clogged. Sure enough, after poking at them with a small screwdriver I got the water to flow out and I no longer sound like a sinking ship.

So if you own a Miata and notice your carpet getting damp or the sound of splashing water coming from under the car after a rainstorm then you should probably check the frame to make sure you don’t have a clog. The holes are located along the seam under the passenger-side door. Remember that the subframe could be covered with road-yuck and these holes might not be immediately obvious, but they are there.