Auto Air Conditioning & Heater Repair: 97 ford escort, ford guy, extension tubes

Question
Please show or tell me exactly where the A/c drain exits the the passenger compartment.I have water on the floor and I have had the car on a rack looking with a flashlight and cannot find the drain to un stop it.Thanks

Answer
Al,

I wish I was a Ford guy, or at least had access to Ford service info, since they can be quite elusive. Alas, googling service info doesn't amount to much. That said, most evap drains are located on the passenger side of the firewall (oops! it's not P.C. to call them firewalls -- thermal event inhibitor!), obviously inside the engine compartment. If the A/C-Heater case is situated high enough, the hose is sometimes hard to see. You may not bee looking high enough -- try looking at the firewall from under the hood.

Also, some manufacturers, like Jeep (on some models), run their drains right into the frame rail, and the water runs down the rail and out an exit hole. In these limited cases, you cannot see the drain from any vantage (from the outside).

Lastly, a few cars have rubber extension tubes that fit over the relatively obscure drain in the case. If they fall off, it's hard to notice the drain, except for a small, hard-to-see hole in the firewall.

Are you sure the leak is in the case? Obviously, if it's bad enough, the case will leak from the seams -- points way too high to be normal. Otherwise, are you going by the approximate location of the water on the carpet? I'd check the passenger door weatherstrip, particularly if it has a run channel designed to deflect water away -- if they get folded, or worn, they sometimes let water in. Also, a replaced windshield can also do the same thing, if it's installed improperly.

One last thought... try and locate the drain from the inside of the car, under the passenger side of the dash (it'll be the lowest point in the case). Then, you'll have a better idea where to look outside the car. A cool trick is to shine a flash light at the drain, from the inside, and try and work the seal to allow some light through (once you locate it). Then, a buddy can pinpoint it better under the hood, or under the car. Good Luck!