Chrysler Repair: Chrysler Coolant leak, chrysler town and country, chrysler vans

Question
My 2001 Chrysler Town and Country LX is leaking coolant under the passenger front side from a small pipe that is connected to a rubber hose.  The pipe goes to the rear of the car.  What is the purpose of this pipe ?  Its small and seems to be rusty around the leak

Answer
I just thought of one other possibility: that pipe and rubber hose may be the drain system for the condensate pan below the A/C-heater housing in the front of the cabin. When the refrigerant system is cold because you are using the AC, moisture in the air passing over the coils is condensed out and drips into a pan at the floor/firewall interface and so that condensate needs to be expelled or it gets all over the carpets on the passenger side. If the fluid is plain water (no antifreeze smell) then that is what you have there (rather than my original idea). You can remove the rubber hose and then put a stiff wire in the tube to clean out the passage way and allow for the fluid to drain freely from the pan. Replace the rubber hose in the position that you found it.


Hi J,
I suspect that you have a rear a/c-heater unit, and there are two sets of plumbing lines that are associated with the refrigerant and the coolant lines needed to bring cooling and heating capability to the rear of the van. They run under the car, and that is about all I know about them. But if you can safely jack up and support the vehicle you can probably find the tube or the clamp that is resulting in your leak. If not, a radiator shop with experience with the Chrysler vans can probably find and fix it at less cost than the dealership. It could still be under warranty? If not then call around to radiator shops to see if any of them might be able to fix it quickly and cheaply.
Roland