OK.. now here's something incredibly weird. I thought I had a leaky grommet in the past, causing water to enter and drip onto my passenger side floor mat. So, I had the dealer reseal the grommet. I've driven through rain and snow, and no leak. I thought all was well in Evo hell.

Now, two days ago I drove through a car wash with the AC on. I noticed shortly afterwards water dripping onto my floor mat again. At closer inspection, the water seemed to be dripping off the HVAC blower housing under the dash. That's nowhere near the side firewall grommet. Confusion sets in.

I took it back the next day for another car wash (they think I'm nuts, but they don't mind the money ), this time with the AC off. No leak!! This is really really odd now.

So I do some searching, and the only post I come up with is this:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...8&postcount=11

Basically, this owner has the same experience.. now, why is this happening, and how do I fix it?

Thank you.

 

Just a guess,

Perhaps the AC was with Vent on position not reciculated and the top mounted vent near the end of your hood got enough water inside it to make its way into the cabin.

Just a guess.

 

Sounds plausible. Definitely plausible. But when it rains, and I have the AC on with outside air coming in.. I don't see any water leaking in. Strange...

I can't remember now if I had the AC switched off and the fan was running, or if the entire hvac system was off (including blower) when I took it through the wash yesterday. I'll probably go to my buddy's house and experiment with his hose.

P.S. slightly off-topic, but where is the evaporator drain tube in the Evo? And how do I access it?

 

Anyone else? I and this other guy can't be the only Evo owners with this particular problem.

 

there should be a drain hose coming from the condenser inside the car: it may have been disconnected or bumped out of the grommet. You will also experience water drip even without the car wash.(condensation) I had this happen to an MR2 and the inside of the car started to stink- the pass floor carpet was always damp. If your drain hose is good, your condenser pan may be clogged.

 

Do you use your A/C alot?

The drain tube does get clogged at time and can cause return fluid. That Condensation theory is true as well. Happened in my Lancer one time. Also, the Vents do open up when the A/C is turned on... The air is then mixed and blows out cold.

 

I am other guy in question with the same issue. The odd thing I will point out is when I went to a different carwash the problem went away. So it does seem that the water has to be spraying in just right for it to happen. I would like to know if anyone has found a fix for this also. The strange thing is I had this happen on two other cars before as well. One a jeep and one a Chevy.

 

Hi there. I got your PM. I do find this very odd. It must have something to do with the HVAC vent being open while the AC is on. That's the only thing I can think off. I don't believe my drain tube is clogged, as I don't have water dripping into the vehicle normally when the AC is running.

 

Your drain can only handle so much water before it starts to backup. It will drain pretty fast once the water stops coming in, but going through most car washes is like sitting a category 5 hurricane with buckets of water coming down. I always turn my vent to recirculate or off before going through one.

 

Makes sense. The second time I ran through the wash, I had the HVAC off (to the best of my memory), and saw water pooling on top of the wiper cover. It eventually drained out, but I didn't have any water dripping into the cabin. So your theory actually is sound.. with the vents open, the pooling water would probably begin to enter the system as it begins to accumulate, and end up dripping onto the floor.

Say, can you tell me where the drain tube is located? I looked by the firewall near the passenger side, but no dice. I might as well make sure it isn't blocked this weekend.

 

ill take a look at my manuals- see if I can find anything-

 

I have the same issue with the water pooling on the passenger side mat. The dealer guesses the drain tube is clogged. Where might that exit the firewall?

 

Im guessing the door jams and seals have nothing to do with it.Sometimes on my old car Id spray the sides and water would make it in once in awhile.I guess you have to start from scratch and work it out.I hate problems like this.

 

I located the drain tube on the firewall in the engine compartment. It is about 2 feet down directly below the center motor for the windshied wiper. I was able to remove the battery and reach the tube. The tube is a short black hose, turned at 90 degrees. It will slip off the tube. I just used a large tie wrap and wiggled it into the tube. The water immediately began streaming out of the drain... probably 2 cups or so....Hopefully this has resoved the issue.

 

Hey man, I have an 06 MR as well and experienced the same problem. There is a technical bulletin out evidently for this problem, something from the manufacturer. I took it back to my dealership and they fixed the problem. I think they fixed a hose underneath the dash. That should be all it is, take it back for warranty repair. Just tell the service people there is a tech bulletin for the problem.