Wet Floorboard

[raunch]

The passenger side floorboard is getting wet from condensation off the A/C. I've been looking for a drain hose of some sort that would drain the condensation, but can find nothing. I've looked and felt around , but no luck. Is there a port somewhere that is plugged, causing the condensation to leak into the cab?
Thanks.

[Robyn]

On the 83 truck the condensate drain is on the bottom side of the large evaporator housing that sticks into the engine bay.

They get plugged up with crud over time and then you get wet feet :eek:

Dont be tempted to ram anything sharp into the drain hole.

IIRC the drain is a little hole between the case halves.

Now in a the worst case scenario, you may have to remove the case half closet to the engine and then clean out the sump area under the evaporator.

Over time the area becomes plugged with all sorts of nasty stuff from dirt to bugs etc.


Now if you want to try a little trick, find the drain hole in the bottom of the evaporator housing, GENTLY probe the hole with a small Blunt item that wont poke holes.

Now on the fender side of the housing is the resistor assembly that is held in with a couple screws. Remove it, this will give you a visual to the area. Now you can also squirt water in there and try and flush the thing out.

Some water and gently probing the drain will likely get the thing open.

Once you get the thing open, flush it well and you should be good to go.

I would stuff some heavy towels along the firewall area to keep the water from the flushing task from drizzling in onto the carpet.


Keep us posted

Robyn

[raunch]

Great info. Thanks! I'll look for the hole with a mirror and go to work.

[raunch]

Cleaned it out last night and the dirt accumulation really wasn't that bad. The drain hole was not plugged and there was a bit of pine needles and gunk towards the front of the case. Vacummed it out via the hole at the top and flushed a couple of quarts of water through. Maybe there was enough to cause a back-up of water, I'm hopeful of that, but I'm not convinced. I'm taking a trip this weekend and I'll see if the carpet ends up getting soggy.

[Robyn]

As long as its not antifreeze you should be set.

These can do wierd stuff at times with very little crap in them.

My DAHooooooLey will drip on the floor every so often when its real humid and I have the AC On.

I have done everything short of yanking the HVAC system out (Not happening on my watch any time soon)

Its only an ocassional thing so I just keep an old beach towel in the back seat and if it decides to get drippy. I toss the towel under it.

Did not do it at all last summer but the summer before it did it 3 times in less than a month.

May have just been a little crap in the drain ????????///

Unfortunately the area under the evaporator can't be seen from above real well.

Just enough crap in the wrong place can allow the condensate to be sucked into the airstream and over into the inside box.

If this continues you should probably split the evaporator case and clean things better.

The case halves are sealed with a black sticky goop.

Clean the split line well with something like brake kleen on a rag and apply strip caulk (Napa store, comes in flat box) use enough so that the stuff squeezes out arounf the joint and your set.

Just make sure you dont seal the drain hole shut. Ask me how I know this :eek:

Oh yeah, been there done that. :rolleyes:


Keep us posted

Robyn

[DmaxMaverick]

If the drain is clear, and no sign of blockage, consider the age of the components. The HVAC boxes are plastic. They become brittle and crack, and/or warp over time. 25+ years is a long time in service. The entire HVAC box is not too bad job to replace, and isn't really that expensive. I did the box on my '85 Blazer a few (probably 10) years ago. Total parts was less than $350, including the HVAC, blower motor, heater core, evap core, and all new A/C and heater lines. The new box alone was about $75. I replaced it because the mixer door linkage broke (internal), and figured "since I'm in there", just do it all. Unfortunately, I'll have to do it all again when I begin the restore job. Seems rodents tend to make their own doors and windows in the plastic. The Blazer sat for about a month, and the damage was done.

[raunch]

It's not antifreeze, that much I do know, and that's a relief. I'm hoping that maybe there was enough blockage in the drain hole to cause a back up of water. My A/C guy did say that there is an excessive amount of condensation visible on the silver can (condenser?), so maybe if the drain was a little plugged, it just got overwhemled with water on the inside of the case. I'll know soon enough. My fingers are crossed..

[raunch]

So far...so good. After the road trip, the floorboard is dry. Thanks all for the help.

[Robyn]

Little creatures (Furry four legged rodentia) can really mess up stuff.

Was helping a friend with his 6.2 that was huffing out huge amounts of smoke. I pulled off the lid of the air filter to be greeted by a very angry RAT who had set up housekeeping in the filter housing.

Slapped the lod back on quickly and removed the whole unit and then evicted the large rodent and dispatched it :rolleyes:

Cleaned out the filter housing, replaced the element and all was well again.

That rat was about 18 inches long (with tail) and had very nasty looking yellow teeth and an even nastier attitude.


A course (1/4") mesh screen fastened to cover the air inlet will keep the little uninvited guests out.


Glad the water issue is fixed.


best

Robyn