I'm getting my car ready to haul off to the paint shop in a few weeks so I'm removing all the trim. I removed the covers for the vents on the pillars behind the doors...does the inner part come out (see picture)? I'd like to remove everything I can but don't want to ruin it.

Rich

 

when I looked at mine, they appeared to be seam sealed with a putty of sort IIRC. Btw, they are not air vents, they are drain holes for the sunroof.

 

How can they be drain holes for the sunroof? My car has the same thing and it's sunroofless...

Ialways assumed that they were some sort of exhuast vent for something in A/C Heater or something like that...

 

With or without sunroof, all the cars came like that. Its cheaper for the factory to just cap the one end rather than having to do custom orders or cutting that part out. Its like your doors too, they make them to accept both power and manual windows. That is the real function of them though.

 

Hmm, I guess that makes sense...'

Always wondered what the hell they were for,

 

I thought they vented the cabin.

 

Yea, this is what I've always thought...they are for the "flow-through ventilation". No idea if that's the case though. I'll have to do more research.

Rich

 

I'm pretty sure they are used for both (drain and vent). I know for sure on the drain and 99% sure on the vent. The vent is required so that there isn't a huge buildup in pressure in the cabin when you slam the doors shut. All cars have these, but they are hidden on most newer cars.

For that inner piece, I believe that they are sealed in there. I believe there is a putty as Sam said. Not sure if there are any spot welds or anything like that. Just leave them in place.

 

They are for the sunroof drains, guess where Sam learned that, lol. I've tried taking them out, they won't be reuseable if removed. Not sure about the vent part, that's what I always assumed too until I did the body prep on the widebody and discovered the drain function instead. My car has an aftermarket sunroof, so I removed the covers and glassed the vents over. My doors seal pretty tight, but that's mostly due to the kit and the new door gaskets.

 

Yea they are sunroof drains, but I'm also pretty sure they vent the cabin as others have said, but I have no proof of that. Also like the others said don't try to remove them, they won't be right after that. I just masked them off when painting both my cars....

 

OK...thanks guys. I'll leave them in place.

Rich

 

I asked the mechanic at my rotary shop on what those things were for. He said "They're there so that when your windows are down and you're going over a certain amount of speed, it's to prevent the wind from blowing your rear hatch windows off."

They're a vent for the cabin pressure.

 

Does anyone have a parts car they could yank one out of so we can all see what it looks like out of the car? That would probably put an end to the mystery of what they do

 

You guys are all partially right.

I am intimate with the frame/chassis of the FB/SA. I have Sawzaw'd a few. No there is no drain there. The sun roof drain runs through the A-Pillar and dumps behind the fender.

Those Vents are there so that when you shut the car door with the windows up the air has a place to escape. Shutting of the door creates a positive pressure in the cabin. If there were no vents you would have a tough time shutting the door. Same goes for opening it. No vents the door wouldn't open.

All cars have cabin vents. They are just hidden better.

 

Apparantly,your not that intimate.

They are INFACT sunroof drains.There are 4 total in the sunroof sealing channel,one at each corner so that water will drain regardless of parking angle.The two in the front drain down the A-pillars and the two in back drain down those vents.The inner portion is not easily removable,I just pushed it inside the B-pillar during my paint job,then fished them out afterwards.They are pretty flexible,so this wasnt too hard.

This is not that hard a thing to figure out,either pull your B-pillar garnish inside the car and look,or pour some water into the sunroof channel and see what happens.
I actually recommend the latter on a regular basis,especially this time of year.You should do the 4 sunroof drains and the 2 rear hatch drains.They will get clogged with dust and tree debris quite often,and its no fun having a soaked interior in the winter.

 

i popped mine out????

 

I will add that they are for sure drains for cars equipped with sunroofs. I know because I have had the entire 83 I own apart to the bare chassis. I also know they are vents as well from working on my 83. I have never had my 79 non-sunroof car apart,but I would assume they are vents. I have a parts car that I can remove them from to show the non-believers that they are infact drains.

Edit: On a side note my 78 production SA there are three drains for the rear hatch,does that seem right? It is all original,and I have no idea why they would have three on the early cars,and only two on say my 83.

 

Never had the need to remove them. I distinctly remember no drains in the B Pillar when I cut up the SA.

 

I pulled mine and it was a mistake total PITA to reinstall properly.

if yours is not a sunroof model, then the pocket serves no function what so ever, the sun roof drains were an afterthought by Mazda

in 78 there were no sunroofs available period, not unti 79 did it become an option. without a sunroof the pockets are a garnish for looks nothing else. there are no cabin relief vents built into it.

Kenn