328 air conditioning water leakage

I was driving my 89 328 when I felt cold water dripping on my right leg also water was coming out from under the front lower vents.Water would stop after I would turn off a/c and start when I would turn on anybody have any idea if there is a vent or hose that could have come off or is clogged and how to fix?Thanks for your help trying to stay cool

 

328GTS

Sounds like condensation to me. Not sure why its blowing out your vent though. Usually see it dripping out from under the car. Not much help here. Curious to find out why just incase it happens to me too. I can come up with a few possibilities but they are only guesses at this point. Anything in your owners/shop manual in the trouble shooting section? I'll look in mine and see if it has anything on this subject. Differ'nt model but principal should be the same.

Kurt

There is nothing like a Ferrari, there never has been and never will be!

 

The condensation drain tube is clogged. Your car is fine. No big deal

 

how do you unclog?

 

I'm not really sure on one of these cars. I know that when you have the front belly pan off you need to remember to pull the little leak tube back thru the hole so it will drain out on the ground. I would trace it up from there - but I often have mine up on jackstands in my driveway. You may or may not do that much. Somebody here will know for sure though.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

Thank you i will remove belly pan and see if hose is sticking thru.

 

Before you remove the belly pan just take an air hose and blow up the rubber hose coming out of the belly pan. I this clears it then no problem if not remove the pan. Also as a point if you have the AC nob turned to max cool and the humidity is high you may be freezing up the condensor and water vapor may be forming in the ducts .

 

I know this problem oh so well, as I had many issues with this. Here are the steps to correcting this problem:

1) As mentioned, check that the drain tube is connected, and properly routed out through the under tray under the car. (should be fine)

2) Make sure the hose is not plugged with stuff. Try running a flexible wire or something gently up the hose to clear it.

3) From the passenger side, crawl under the dash, and remove the venting to the center vents (under the radio), and also the foot panel on the passenger side. This should give you clearance to see up in the vent exit and reach around up inside to see if the hose is clear. You can detach it from there and run something back down if you like.

4) Okay, this is a bit more difficult, but WILL solve the problem once and for all. The condenser inside the fiberglass housing, has on the exit side, a cheap, flimsy black foam that is supposed to catch the condensation flying off the condensor, and cause it to run down into the drain and out the hose. What happens, is the black foam rots and crumbles, clogging the drain and hose. Also, without the foam (I removed what was left of mine thinking it would solve future clogging problems) the water now flies past the drain, and into the vent and ends up on your legs.... Here is the fix: Buy a large piece of coarse Scotchbrite pad (I got the roughest texture at the hardware store, commonly used for sanding/ you want it fine enough to catch the condensation, but not enough to impede air flow). I cut it to the approximate shape needed to fit against the condenser, making it slightly taller, to fit in the drain trough. I then folded it slightly, and pushed it through the vent exit, and up against the condenser, resting in the drain trough. Now the condensation had something to get "caught" by, and would properly drain into the trough, and routed out the hose. Put the vent hose back in place, and re-install the passenger footwell plate.



Fixed!

 

BTW, another way to reach the condensor is to reach through the center vent opening in the dash. You can pry (careful now) and lift them out.

 

Thanks for the great info I will work on it this weekend and let you know how it works out.Thanks again