Damp carpets

[paulfrost88960]

Two steps forward and one back! I Recently got my aircon going for the first time. It's working ok, but i've just got back from a 1400 trip round to Devon and Cornwall for a fortnight in my 1988 3.6 coupe and noticed that the floor and carpets in the front are damp. I think it's an aircon drain as it never happened before, and whilst it did rain a bit whilst down there, it wasn't bad and i never had damp carpets until the aircon was working!. It does appear to be just water, not coolant, and was much worse after a 350 mile drive home with the aircon on most of the time. If this is the correct diagnosis (?) then how do i check the drains. my workshop manual doesn't seem to show drains from under the dash. How do i access them and how easy is it?

[davidr]

Hi Paul - your diagnosis is reasonable. Does it slosh out as you go round corners? Can you see that the drains are running? You should see the drips from the 2 drains (1 each side) coming out underneath and I'd expect to see a small puddle under the car when you park.
The easiest way to access the drain tubes is from underneath either over a pit or on a lift. Locate the tubes which hang down either side of the transmission tunnel above the exhausts and then poke a length of wire up them. Be prepared for a shower of water and hopefully whatever was gunking it up in the first place!

[paulfrost88960]

Hi David, thanks for your swift reply, which seems to agree with my thinking. Now you mention it, i havn't seen water underneath the car when parked, unlike my modern car so that does make sense. Unfortunately i don't have access to a pit or lift so i think i'll give Ed Abbott a call who serviced the car recently and get him to clear them out. I'll let you know how i get on.

[paulfrost88960]

Hi again David. looks like a quick resolution (for now anyway) to the problem. I took the car into Ed earlier, who fortuitously had a spare ramp when i called. He cleared the drain blockages with a pokey tool and some compressed air. I would never have been able to do it with the car on the floor! The driver's side which had been the worse had a lot of water come out, the passenger side less so. Ed said that it's perhaps a good idea to take the foam floor strips out for now and dry them out, as well as the carpets which i've already done, so i'll take them out in a minute. He did say that it may be the passenger side pipe has become disconnected, so he'll look into that at the next service/MOT time. I drove around for 20 miles with the aircon full blast and so far no damp on the floor so looks good. thanks for your's and Ed's help. (even better i didn't have to pay him as he said "just add half hour's labour onto your next bill".

[davidr]

Hi Paul - that sounds like a very happy resolution of the problem. It was certainly hot and humid today so your aircon would have been working hard and producing plenty of condensate so a good test!

[ng4xjs]

The drains can be cleared by removing the front lower vent panel just back from the blower unit and and pulling the pipes clear of the transmission tunnel. I fit an oversized tube at this point and push a piece of wire up and through to dislodge any debris. Good idea to keep an old ice-cream container or similar to hand to receive the trapped water.