Date:         Tue, 1 Jun 1999 22:10:29 -0700
Reply-To:     "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Dripping A/C (fwd)
Content-Type: MULTIPART/MIXED;

So with Steve's clue, I checked the left a/c tube (after a couple of wet
spots appeared in boxes in the back) and it was clogged.  Clipped it off.
Then just for kicks squirted a little water up the tube and it came back
down.  Then squirted water up the other tube and watched it come back
down. Then squirted a lot of water up one side and watched it come out the
other side.  Really crazy thing to do, flushing the evaporator housing
from one side to the other.  Condense at will.
Regards, Tom Neal '87 syncro


>  From:        Rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM (Rubatoguy)
>
>  I have an '88 Westy that I noticed drops of water dripping off the
>  bottom of the cabinet where  the rear speakers are. This was coming home
>  from the beach. (Went from a cool humid environment to a hot dry area)

I've had the same problem, except the drops were more of a stream, and
it was happening whenever I turned on the A/C.

>  Is this normal? Could it be something other than the drain hoses being
>  clogged?

Clogged drain hoses are probably part or all of the problem.  They tend to
clog at the ends, where an odd little flap valve is supposed to let water out,
while keeping air from flowing back in when the van is moving (which could
keep the water from draining).  Those valves don't work very well, and they
clog easily.  As a compromise, I took one off (on one side of the van), and
left the other on.  That way, I figured at least one would always flow.  The
drain
tubes are located behind the window-level plastic vents at the back of the
van.

In my case, the cause of the frequent clogs was that pretty much every bit
of weatherstripping inside the evaporator housing was wet and disintegrating,
as was the foam "blanket" (I suppose it's a filter) that surrounds the
evaporator.
There was thus an almost inexhaustable source of sludge.  Eventually, the
air conditioner began blowing bits of black foam out the vents whenever I
turned it on.  I couldn't find a shop that wasn't scared to take down the
evaporator housing, so I eventually did it myself.  I cleaned everything out,
put in new weather stripping, and modified the vent housing for better
airflow.
The A/C is now a lot quiter, cools the van better, and doesn't drip water.
Big job, though.  The report I posted to the list last summer is available at
http://members.aol.com/ssittservl/Westfalia.

                                                            -Steven Sittser