Condensation inside

[Jimmycxc]

So I finally have my AC working and I take my wife for a drive. About 30 min into the ride, she tells me that she was getting wet. (Not what I thought either). Turns out that a ton of condensation was dripping and at one point sprayed from somewhere under the dash near the evaporator. We drove home and the carpet near the center console on the passenger side was soaked.

I looked on the opposite side in the hood by the accumulator access panel and everything is fine on that side. Sounds like there is either the connect to the evaporator needs attention or there is a small leak somewhere.

Anyone have this problem before? Any tips to getting access to the evaporator to check the connection of the line from the evaporator to the accumulator?

[Michael]

Your evaporator drain is either clogged up or the tube and elbow is missing or routed incorrectly.

[Jimmycxc]

Thanks Michael,

I was just reading another post with someone who had the same problem. Here's what mine currently looks like. Is that the stock drain? And is that the drain hose where the arrow is pointing? I like the way Dave's set up looks where he ran a new line pretty much straight down.

2755727558

[hmcelraft]

A clogged drain is common. The old foam inside the AC box falls off and gets into the drain. The spray was probably the fan getting water sloshed in it if there is a lot of humidity in the air. You have to clean the drain and probably the inside of the case by the drain. Blowing the clog back into the case with air or such will just be temporary - it will clog again. I was successful on one of my cars by using a garage vac sized down with a rag to suck out debris through the drain but I ended up having to do that three or four times before everything can out. The quickest way to get most of the old foam out is take out the fan motor and fan resistor and use a mirror and light to see and just dig it out and pull out old foam you can reach by hand or with a small vac hose. Of course the best way is pull the case - but I consider that a 100 year event.

[DMCMW Dave]

A clogged drain is common. The old foam inside the AC box falls off and gets into the drain. The spray was probably the fan getting water sloshed in it if there is a lot of humidity in the air. You have to clean the drain and probably the inside of the case by the drain. Blowing the clog back into the case with air or such will just be temporary - it will clog again. I was successful on one of my cars by using a garage vac sized down with a rag to suck out debris through the drain but I ended up having to do that three or four times before everything can out. .

Problem is that when you go in thru the fan motor you are cleaning the wrong side of the evaporator.

It's best to pull the "funnel" thing between the case and the floor, and use a small pick etc to pull the fuzz out of the drain, and also at that point you can blow thru the "funnel" toward the outside of the car to clear the elbow. As Hank said, do not blow back into the case, you are just prolonging the agony.

This is a PITA job and does carry the risk of cracking the housing, so take it easy on things (no hammers!).

[Jimmycxc]

Problem is that when you go in thru the fan motor you are cleaning the wrong side of the evaporator.

It's best to pull the "funnel" thing between the case and the floor, and use a small pick etc to pull the fuzz out of the drain, and also at that point you can blow thru the "funnel" toward the outside of the car to clear the elbow. As Hank said, do not blow back into the case, you are just prolonging the agony.

This is a PITA job and does carry the risk of cracking the housing, so take it easy on things (no hammers!).

Thanks guys. The "funnel" you are talking about is this, right?

27559

Is there any easy way to remove this? Does it screw off, or just have to wiggle it lose?

The open line in the picture in my previous post....that is where the condensation is supposed to come out, right? (Or at least designed to come out)

[Bitsyncmaster]

The plugged drain is common to many cars. They crimp the end of the drain to keep insects out but that just causes the plug. Our cars the plug is in the elbow of the drain hose.

To remove that drain hose you cut it off on the inside where you can see it going into the floor.

You will find after you fix the drain your AC gets much colder also.

[DMCMW Dave]

Is there any easy way to remove this? Does it screw off, or just have to wiggle it lose?

The open line in the picture in my previous post....that is where the condensation is supposed to come out, right? (Or at least designed to come out)

No. It is very hard but slightly flexible plastic.

No. you have to flex it out of the way without breaking anything.

Yes

[Jimmycxc]

So I was able to remove the rubber piece and was expecting to have some water or debri. But only a negligible amount came out. I was able to blow on the tube going out and it was clear. I started the car and put the a/c to max. Within a minute, I could feel the copper tube from the evaporator start to get wet. It will eventually start to drip after a few minutes. Do I just need to insulate the pipe or is something else going on?

[hmcelraft]

Is there water coming out of the drain ? There is or was no crud on top of the drain? Something had to clog it up.

[Jimmycxc]

I had been getting some water out of the drain line before, but thought it just got plugged up when my wife said she was feeling water. So maybe it wasn't plugged in the first place. I water is definitely either coming from condensation or maybe a leak in the pipe?

Dave,
I saw a picture of what you did to yours and I don't nearly have enough space to fit an elbow under there. There is less than a half inch of room. I'd have to notch out the fiberglass.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I had been getting some water out of the drain line before, but thought it just got plugged up when my wife said she was feeling water. So maybe it wasn't plugged in the first place. I water is definitely either coming from condensation or maybe a leak in the pipe?

Dave,
I saw a picture of what you did to yours and I don't nearly have enough space to fit an elbow under there. There is less than a half inch of room. I'd have to notch out the fiberglass.

If it means notching the fiberglass or pulling the whole inside unit.......notch the glass.
The first thing I did when I got my car was pull the whole inside unit out. I cleaned it all out but after all that work it still dripped on the passenger side carpet. Then Bill came up with the spark plug boot change and I did that fix (with my new drain line) and like magic, I now get a puddle of water under the car in no time at all.

[jawn101]

This is the same issue I've had trying to investigate my lack of water from the A/C. I just can't get that stupid boot out, and I am somewhat less than interested in cutting anything inside the car.

Dave, do you have details on the spark plug boot fix? I vaguely remember it from the .com days but can't recall the finer points. I believe it involved razoring the "funnel" off and then replacing it with a flexible rubber boot when you were done, right? That should be doable with the evap box still in the car and without modifying the body tub.

[NightFlyer]

This is the same issue I've had trying to investigate my lack of water from the A/C. I just can't get that stupid boot out, and I am somewhat less than interested in cutting anything inside the car.

Dave, do you have details on the spark plug boot fix? I vaguely remember it from the .com days but can't recall the finer points. I believe it involved razoring the "funnel" off and then replacing it with a flexible rubber boot when you were done, right? That should be doable with the evap box still in the car and without modifying the body tub.

http://www.dmctoday.com/showthread.php?93-A-C-Evaporator-Box-Drain

[Bitsyncmaster]

This is the same issue I've had trying to investigate my lack of water from the A/C. I just can't get that stupid boot out, and I am somewhat less than interested in cutting anything inside the car.

Dave, do you have details on the spark plug boot fix? I vaguely remember it from the .com days but can't recall the finer points. I believe it involved razoring the "funnel" off and then replacing it with a flexible rubber boot when you were done, right? That should be doable with the evap box still in the car and without modifying the body tub.

Yes you have it right. My car did not require any enlargement to get the old "boot" off. Bill's fix used a straight ignition coil boot but I used a right angle boot so I could run a new hose and drill a hole for that new hose to drop down under the frame. I think I have photos already loaded in my uploads here.

[jawn101]

Yes you have it right. My car did not require any enlargement to get the old "boot" off. Bill's fix used a straight ignition coil boot but I used a right angle boot so I could run a new hose and drill a hole for that new hose to drop down under the frame. I think I have photos already loaded in my uploads here.

Thanks! If you run across the photos I'd love to see. The ones on the other forum require registration to view.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I've got so many photos uploaded I just will post them again. Wish I could organize my photos.

Yes that is my AC hose on the bottom that would not slide into the frame. Someday I will lift the body.

[jawn101]

I've got so many photos uploaded I just will post them again. Wish I could organize my photos.

Thanks! I know the feeling...

So you put a hole through the floor to support the additional tubing? I thought it went through the factory drain hole location for some reason.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Thanks! I know the feeling...

So you put a hole through the floor to support the additional tubing? I thought it went through the factory drain hole location for some reason.


Factory hole is above the frame. OEM hose has a sharp right angle and that's where it plugs. I did not want to drain onto the frame. Bill just lets it drain in the original hole.

[jawn101]

Factory hole is above the frame. OEM hose has a sharp right angle and that's where it plugs. I did not want to drain onto the frame. Bill just lets it drain in the original hole.

I gotcha. So the straight down design would use the coil-style vertical plug boot as opposed to a cap-style right angle one, and just drain right onto the frame with no drain hose used.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I gotcha. So the straight down design would use the coil-style vertical plug boot as opposed to a cap-style right angle one, and just drain right onto the frame with no drain hose used.

You got it. But not sure if you will see a puddle since it drops on the frame.

[nirvanaman]

For those who have done this with the original drain location, how were you able to get that to work? I was able to finagle the booth off, then cut it at the whole (which leaves a bit of the old "funnel" tubing within the rubber drain pipe. What I find now that I have the new boot on, is that it doesn't fit well within the drain pipe (likely because there are remnants still wedged in there from the old funnel that I can't get out). When I tested it and had the A/C running max, it started leaking at that connection point within a few minutes.