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There is a small white plastic cup shaped like a small funnel directly under the drain hole and the foam liner. Sometimes that cup/funnel gets separated from the drain tube, and sometimes the cup/funnel develops a hairline crack due to age and vibration. In either case, it will cause a leak into the cabin. In order to properly seal it, you have to remove the foam drain tray liner. You can remove the foam liner only after removing the top frame assembly. If you look at the other parts of the DIY from where you got the photo that you posted, you will find instructions on how to remove the complete top and frame assembly. It's not overly complicated as it basically involves removing three 13mm bolts from each side of the frame base. Also, if there is no crack or tear in the foam drain tray, and there is a good seal between the foam drain tray and the drain tube (at the little "funnel"), the water can stay in there almost indefinitely as the drain tray material is waterproof. Regards, Maurice.

I have a 97 986. After a big rain, the car smelled moldy. The passenger carpet was completely soaked. It was fall and my first suspicion was fallen leaves had clogged a drain. After a cursory check of the drain tray, which looked fine, I started inspecting the drain lines front and back. It turned out that the culprit was the drain tray. It seals the cabin from water. I discovered it when driving right after a rain. I heard water sloshing behind the rear bulkhead. It seeps into the cabin slowly over the course of a day or two, so it isn’t an instant event in case you want to test it. A month or so earlier, the plastic cups on the pushrods popped off the top ball socket and likely pierced the foam tray. I can't say this for certain but after inspecting the positions of the front drains, I don't believe they will spill into the cabin if clogged. The rear drains, if clogged, will back up onto the foam tray. You should have sitting water there after rain. If it isn't, your problem has to be the foam drain which is no longer sealed. The fact that your car was recently painted suggests they may have been removed and replaced. On my car the foam doesn’t come out. If yours lifts out that might be sign. To repair mine, I filled the perforations with RTV and used a plastic tape to seal it. Be sure to check both sides. Good luck. By the way, the alarm sensor module under the driver seat can be irreparably damaged if soaked. A word of caution should you inspect the drains, I accidentally punched out the tubing on the front driver side drain while using a screw driver to see if it was clogged. It was a nightmare to put back together. The plastic tubing fits into a grommet and if you use too much force it comes apart. There is no way to get into that space from above. I had to disconnect the steering rack from below.

To verify that none of the water is going into the cabin, you can do the following test. Place a drain pan under the car, directly under the rocker panel just forward of the left rear wheel. Any water that drains from the convertible top foam drain tray on that side normally exits from a tube that is hidden behind the small wheel well liner that is bolted onto the front of the rear wheel well (on that same side). The water will drain from behind and under the wheel well liner. Then, pour a carefully measured pint of water and pour into the foam drain tray on the left side and collect and measure the volume of water that you have collected. If you have the same amount as you poured in, that is a good indication that the water is not going into the cabin, at least for that volume of water. You can then pour more water in and observe that the water is draining freely, and not pooling over the drain hole at the bottom of the foam liner. Repeat the same procedure on the right side. If the water is draining slowly, you can clear the drains with some compressed air. Do not use a wire hanger or anything with a sharp point as you risk puncturing the drain tube or separating the drain tube from its little funnel directly under the foam drain tray. Also be sure to verify that the other small drain (one on each side), which is located at the front outboard corner of the metal channel at the top of the rear quarter panel, also drains freely. You can see that small drain if you look in the outboard corner of the top of the rear quarter panel, directly under the very forward tip of where the clamshell would be if it were in the completely closed position. That drain (again, one on each side) also empties from a separate tube which exits behind the forward wheel well liner. Regards, Maurice.

Maurice suggested I post my 'lessons learned' from the experiences I had with my recently acquired 98 hobby car, specifically an issue I'd had with the foam drain tray in the soft top compartment. If any of you have read articles here pertaining to checking and maintaining the integrity of the drain tray (making sure it has no rips or tears), believe what you read! The previous owner of my car was not much of a detail guy and when he unhooked the relevant cables and arms that allow the top to function he left them dangling. As a result the integrity of the foam drain tray was compromised resulting in water migrating into the cabin of the car. Fortunately several factors limited the resulting severity of the situation; 1. The water that ended up in the cabin was not very much. (That was just shear luck) 2. The foam under the carpet under the drivers seat soaked up what water did enter and as a result did not contaminate the black box. 3. What water was there was not there very long. (whew) Lessons learned 1. Feel under the carpet when checking for water. The carpet is plastic backed and you won't feel any water when checking just the carpet surface. 2. Check the foam tray with a flashlight in every nook and cranny. Inspect every suspicious surface anomaly. Make note of them and inspect very closely when found to ensure a complete penetration does not exist. 3. From your findings determine the condition of the drain tray overall. Is a whole new tray warranted or will some minor plugging/patching suffice? (In this case patching and silicone did the trick.) 4. Test for integrity of the tray after repair or replacement has been undertaken. 5. Make sure the drain holes are clear. 6. Drying the cabin out under the seats is a royal pain! 7. Make drain tray inspection a regular part of your regime. Fortunately for me it was caught very early with no real damage resulting. The beast is once again high and dry and the drain tray functioning as it should. Now I can get back to the top issues! Thanks Maurice for all your help.