AC dripping in cab

[Jukelemon]

Hi all.

I usually do not run the air in my truck but I had my kidos and it was very hot today.

Anyway, my daughter noticed a drip coming down from the pass side, to the left of the glove box. Felt under there and everything was wet.

I am assuming my drain line is a bit clogged.

Fix?

Thanks

 

[Hilux]

dirt dobber's nest in the pee tube....


clean the tube out

 

[LeftCoast]

Pull up the carpet from the firewall 6-8 inches or so, and you'll see the drain tube. It might be tight, but you can pull it out from the bottom of the cooling unit,

Compressed air works well, or a piece of flexible wire (aka hanger) can work in a pinch.

 

[WristPin]

and since we are on the topic of AC, for the record AC systems do not make cold, they remove heat

 

[Jukelemon]

and since we are on the topic of AC, for the record AC systems do not make cold, they remove heat

Actually and to your point a bit more, in the entire scheme of physics, there is no such thing as cooling-just removal of heat. Heat, or lackthereof, is the reference point for temperature.

Kind of cool because it used to be the opposite-sometime in 17th century ( If I recall right ) scientists stopped thinking in terms of cool and switched to terms of heat.

I believe it has to do with the basic theory of moving particles creating energy and therefore creating heat. Nothing ever produces Cool-just very very very little heat.

Thanks all for the tips.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

While you're cleaning the little drip line (coat hanger works but be careful to not puncture your evaporator), you might want to use a can of foaming cleaner specially made to clean the evaporator, its housing, and I assume the drain line as well since the cleaner all flows back out the drain line as the foam melts. BG Products makes one called Frigi-clean and there are a few more companies out there as well. It's supposed to make your A/C work a bit more effeciently and smell better as well.

 

[Jukelemon]

OK.

I see what looks like the drain line-it is a 90 degree turn in and through the firewall right?

If so, that hose will not budge.

Any ideas? Do i just need to keep working it?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I don't remember it going 90 degrees through the fire wall but maybe it does. It's like a 3/8" tube that hangs down a few inches behind the front axle closer to the passenger side. It's the one that normally drips after you stop and you've been running the A/C. You should be able to see it by looking over/behind the passenger wheel well. It's the only tube hanging down that isn't connected to anything!

OK just noticed that you have a 92 so maybe it hangs down below the skid plate? It's very obvious on an 85 with a straight front axle because there isn't any skid plate hiding things.

You won't know if you've unclogged it unless there is condensate in it so you might need to run the A/C for a bit to make sure it starts dripping.

 

[Hilux]

the one in my: 94 4Runner...and 86 RTE

Bottom is my engine out 86 RTE from the inside.

And I think you're right, I seem to recall my 91 RE's tube was metal.

.

 

[LeftCoast]

Here's the cooling unit, under the dash behind the glove box. You can literally remove the glove box (4 screws and 1 bolt) and the cooling unit (4 screws and a couple of bolts) in 10 minutes with a phillips head and a # 10 with @ a 12-14 inch extension.

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/airconditioning/15coolingu.pdf

You shouldn't need to (or want to, obviously!), however. Just pull up the rug, and keep working on the tube, maybe rotating it first before pulling it out. You could go in from underneath with a hanger, but don't go too far up so as to scratch the evaporator, as WDE stated earlier. My 92 is a 2wd, and it's rubber.

 

[Jukelemon]

Thanks all.

Mine is definitely rubber and my FSM, like the one above, does not show the drain tube-just shows a hint of it at the bottom of the "lower casing".

Funny thing, it definitely drains i.e. there is a LOT of condensation/water that drops from the tube onto the driveway/parking space so it can't be completely clogged.

When I felt the unit, the entire thing had condensation on it i.e. it was not dripping from the drain-at least no only.

Make sense?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Yes, it's partially plugged either in the tube or near the outlet at the bottom of the housing. You may have to use some of the cleaner that I mentioned and/or take it apart to clean it.

You can also squirt a bit of water from a hosepipe with a nozzle up from the bottom but I wouldn't use too much or it will just soak your carpet more.

 

[Curran]

My truck has the metal style drain tube. I tried in vain several times to fish something up the tube to clear the blockage out. Finally a friend of mine who is much smarter than I grew tired of listening to me cuss; pulled the cutting torch off the back of his truck and shot a blast of oxygen up the tube with the tip of the nozzle. Clog is gone and my AC is happy once again.

 

[Hilux]

I got lucky. Some type of bee stopped up the end and with a zip tie I had I just cleaned out the end.