1996 Honda Accord, automatic transmission, almost 200,000 miles.
In the last few days, when I make a hard, sustained turn in either direction, I hear a gurgling sound from behind the dash, and then some water dribbles down into the corner of the footwell on the side opposite the direction of the turn (right for a left turn, and vice versa). It’s definitely water, and not coolant. No odor.
The first time I only noticed it after the fact, when there was a large wet spot on the carpet on the driver’s side when I got back into the car. Since then, it’s been only small dribbles.
Is this condensation from the AC? Rain water that’s gotten trapped somewhere in the bodywork? Has a drain tube somewhere clogged up? How can I fix it?
AC condensation. You need to have your drain cleaned out. Compressed air is always worth a try.
When I was I kid, my Dad had me drill a hole in the floor of our Valiant, and rig a funnel to take care of this very problem, but he was a legendary cheapskate.
The AC condensate drain is plugged. As the AC works it dehumidifies the air. That water has to go somewhere. There is a drain in the bottom of the AC case that leads to the outside. That drain is plugged, and it needs to be cleared.
Not being familiar with your car, I am afraid I can’t tell you just how to do this. On some cars, the drain is removed and cleaned, on others the drain can be cleaned from the outside. The drain is usually a rubber tube either going through the floor, or out the firewall.
Some are changed at 70,000 and some at 90,000, so look in the manual.
Another strangeness about VTEC engines of that era: they might push an engine seal out after about 100,000 miles (there was a recall for it, back in the day).
The evaporator case is between the glove box and the firewall. At the bottom of it is a spout that connects to a plastic/rubber hose that goes through the firewall. Disconnect the hose and poke something through it to clear it out, and fabricate a tool from stiff but bendable wire to insert into the spout and pull debris out of it. Be aware that there may be a sizable amount of water trapped in the evaporator case, and it can flood the passenger floor area. Lay a big absorbent towel on the carpet, and make some kind of catch basin to hold the water (fabricate out of aluminum foil, or creatively cut a one-gallon plastic jug). Make sure the towel and catch basin reach up to the spout.
Would the OP’s vehicle have a 1 way valve at the end of the hose, Gary? My 85 Ford had a round valve at the end of the rubber drain line, presumably to keep critters from getting up into the evaporator/heater core. Whenever the truck peed on a passenger’s feet, it meant I had to pop the valve out, clean accumulated crud out of it, let the box drain, and reinstall it.
I’m pretty sure that on the Honda it’s just a plain hose. Possibly the end is a “phhbbt valve” (shaped somewhat like a duck’s bill), but it should still clean out easily by running something through it.
I looked for the hose GaryT said was behind the behind the glovebox, but couldn’t see anything passing through the firewall. So I climbed under the car and saw a drain hose coming down in about the right place. I tried sticking an untwisted clothes hangar up it, to unclog it, but had no success.
After that, I gave up. For the next few weeks, the water would continue to dribble down into the passenger’s side when I made a turn. Then about a week ago, the AC stopped blowing cold.
So what’s happened, and how badly have I screwed this up?
Well, it sounds like you found the hose. It’s much more effective, though, to access it from inside the car. Let me see if I can clarify. Behind the glove box is the evaporator case. It takes up space between the glove box and the firewall, and its bottom is probably below the bottom of the glovebox. There might be a trim panel that has to come off to see the bottom of the case. At the point where the bottom of the case abuts to the firewall is the spout and hose. On the other side of the firewall is where the majority of the hose can be seen. Only an inch or two of the hose is actually inside the passenger compartment, and it’s coming right off the case and going into the carpet or padding - it’s not obviously a hose running any distance, rather something you find at the juncture of evaporator case and firewall. Using the exterior position of the hose as a guide may help you find it.
What’s happened is probably unrelated to the drain issue. There’s a long list of things that can keep the A/C from cooling.