[200q20v] my A/C condensate runneth over

[Phil Rose]

At 4:47 PM -0400 8/14/01, Kneale Brownson wrote:
>At 04:11 PM 08/14/2001 -0400, Phil Rose wrote:
>
>>>At 07:06 AM 08/14/2001 -0400, C1J1Miller at aol.com wrote:
>>>
>>>>I think that's the hose that exits the back of the engine 
>>>>compartment; the end is "pinched" off but opens with flow from 
>>>>above.
>>>>Chris
>
>
>and I wrote:
>
>>>The "pinched off" hose is the large drain for the entire area 
>>>covered by the rain diverter, I think.   It fits into a hole 
>>>that's maybe 1 1/4 inches across.  The evap box drain hose has 
>>>maybe a 3/8 ID and goes to a pipe that sticks out a few inches 
>>>toward the passenger fender and slightly forward from the main 
>>>drain.
>>
>>Kneale,
>>Your directions led me to places I didn't even know I had. I could 
>>see the small hose you referred to (from above) but wasn't able to 
>>locate its entry or exit point. Access from above seemed pretty 
>>much out of the question without lots of parts-pulling.  However, 
>>as I was about to replace the plastic plenum cover  I noticed that 
>>the steel retaining strap (band) that holds down the blower housing 
>>had somehow become detached!!!! Duh! So I carefully reattached it 
>>and (this time) tightened it down very firmly.
>>
>>It's too early to tell if the loose blower housing was connected 
>>with misdirected condensate runoff, but so far I see that my turbo 
>>boost went up several psi, fuel economy improved by 20% and Al Gore 
>>picked up 500 more Florida votes.
>>
>>Keep cool, everyone :-)
>
>I just went out to my '86 5ktq parts source (that has no evap box in 
>place) and discovered that tube the small hose from the evap box 
>connects to is a plastic elbow.  So I pulled the larger drain's 
>rubber tube and felt with a finger while turning the elbow around, 
>and there's another rubber hose going downward from the elbow.  Too 
>many spiderwebs to deal with beneath the car in that area, so I 
>didn't try to see where the hose leads, but I suspect it's just down 
>to drip below the level of the footwell pan.  Maybe that's the 
>source of the puddle that drips when running the A/C and sitting in 
>one spot.

Yeh, I could see that plastic elbow but could barely reach it with my 
fingertips. I might have been able to pull the elbow out with the aid 
of a long needlenose pliers but was afraid something would break (*). 
I do think that refastening the blower housing might solve the 
problem--even though that hose is still plugged and may overflow. If 
it overflows, the excess condensate should probably just drain down 
into the big (rain) drain, but some of it had been able to seep under 
the gasket. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  :-)

(*) If it ain't broke, don't break it!
-- 

Phil Rose				Rochester, NY
'91 200q				mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net