Mitsubishi Repair: Lancer leaking water, mistubishi lancer, evaporator coils

Question
I have a 2002 Mistubishi Lancer Oz Rally edition.  Last summer my car started leaking water onto the passenger side floorboard when the air was running.  I put a towel down there and didn't think much of it and it stopped...until recently.  It started leaking again, but much worse and you could actually hear water "circulating" (I guess you could say)when I made a turn. Especially right turns, it would sound like the dash compartment was full of water and it would all go rushing to the left. Then it finally got to where the fan (or I think it's a fan, that's located just above the floorboard) sounded really bad and you could tell it was running slower than usual. Yesterday the fan sounded terrible and I should have known it was on it's last leg.  Then today I went to turn on the air and nothing happened.  Cold air would come out of the vents when I was moving, but there was no pressure behind it.  I guess I just want to know what exactly's wrong and if I can't fix it, how much would it end up costing me?  Thanks.

Answer
Lacy,
It sounds like there is a problem with your evaporator.  Your evaporator is located behind your dashboard, on the passenger side.  In the evaporator, the refrigerant turns from a cool liquid state into a hot gaseous state.  When that happens, water is formed due to condensation on the evaporator coils.  If you ever noticed a small puddle on the ground underneath a car on a hot day, that is the water dripping down a drain tube from the evaporator coils.  

What may have initially happened is that something plugged up your drain hose.  That's not too uncommon for small insects that may want to try to use that a home.  Or, there may have been that came off in the evaporator housing that plugged up the hole.  Your only fix I can think of is to first call the dealership and ask if your warrenty will cover fixing your car's A/C evaporator.  If it's covered under your warranty, it will be free.  If your warranty does not cover that, find a local garage in your area that specializes in automotive A/C service. In order to service your evaporator, your dash will most likely need to be disassembled or completely removed.  If the water level has gotten high enough, it may have ruined other behind-the-dash items.  It may be as simple of a fix to just drain the water and free up the clog (maybe $30-$50 total), or if items need to be replaced, that may cost you hundreds of dollars.

But whomever fixes this, get it fixed immediately.  Also, be very specific when your talk to the mechanic.  Make sure they know it's an evaporator issue.  Your blower motor may need to be replaced now from water damaged.  But get it fixed before all that water dammed up in there causes more damage.
Good luck!