Overflow tube dripping

DadOSix said:

Hooksaw:
Tom is not active here recently

The curved tube is the evaporator / heater box drain -

It is normal for ‘condensate’ to be dripping from there when the AC is running, or after the jeep is switched off. Note - I saw up thread where you put dye into the system. What you are seeing MAY or MAY NOT be your dye. The condenser is in the front of the radiator - evaporator is the the heater box. If you have the heater box out, say to change the heater core, you should, as a practice, change the AC evap core at that time. If you are seeing dye - maybe the last owner had an issue with the core and put dye in the system. It’ll leak out the core and down that drain, if there is sufficient condensate. Now that you have the AC running, it’ll drip like a faucet. If your AC stays cold, it is not refrigerant leaking. Refrigerant at outside temps is a gas and will evaporate into the air. It does not drip out the drain tube.

I just re-read and see you DID lose AC. So, i am certain your will need to do the - dash out - evaporator and heater core job.

Guess who has to do a core job on an 04 in a few days??

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DadOSix said:

Hooksaw:
Tom is not active here recently

The curved tube is the evaporator / heater box drain -

It is normal for ‘condensate’ to be dripping from there when the AC is running, or after the jeep is switched off. Note - I saw up thread where you put dye into the system. What you are seeing MAY or MAY NOT be your dye. The condenser is in the front of the radiator - evaporator is the the heater box. If you have the heater box out, say to change the heater core, you should, as a practice, change the AC evap core at that time. If you are seeing dye - maybe the last owner had an issue with the core and put dye in the system. It’ll leak out the core and down that drain, if there is sufficient condensate. Now that you have the AC running, it’ll drip like a faucet. If your AC stays cold, it is not refrigerant leaking. Refrigerant at outside temps is a gas and will evaporate into the air. It does not drip out the drain tube.

I just re-read and see you DID lose AC. So, i am certain your will need to do the - dash out - evaporator and heater core job.

Guess who has to do a core job on an 04 in a few days??

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Hooksaw said:

Also to add, I am not seeing or hearing any leaks and when I vacuumed it held for 15-30 minutes. I just think it the evaporated at this point

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DadOSix said:

Likely a - slow - leak. Takes my 04 about 4 days for the pressure to drop off to the point the compressor will not kick in. Best of luck! Search on here for the how to - there are also a few good you tubes to get it done. Biggest take away - lots of pictures as you go. And you do NOT have to remove the Steering column from the jeep. Loosen and drop down, yes, but not all the way out.

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Hooksaw said:

i have a question or thought before i go down the route of replacing the evaporator. Before I replaced the compressor, condenser and the AC line (low pressure). The auto shop did not say anything about the evaporator. They said the leak was in the AC liquid line, which is my i replaced it. if you recall from above, after we replaced it and vaccumed the system and it held for 15-30 minutes. To me i meant things were good. Then we charged the system and then that's when we started seeing non water come out of the drain of the evap/heater box. I thought it was refrigerant but now i think it was AC oil. my question or thought was, if we didn't connect the AC line back to the evaporator correctly, could oil come from there and that may be the issue. again just a thought.. if i have time today, i will get a flashlight in there and see if oil is coming from the connection.. thanks for the help

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DadOSix said:

The line would not leak into the box. It would all be in the engine compartment. Follow the lines back to the big silver accumulator (drier) - there are some orings that need replaced each time you crack the line open.

So - if you have a 'blacklight' (cheap-o harbor freight will do) - in the evening, open the hood and trace all the ac components with the light - your dye will light up if you have a leak where you can see. If you see no leak, the evap core is suspect, and the fact that you saw dye in the condensate, says the leak is there.

It gives me an idea to recharge mine for the fun of it and see if I can see dye in my condensate. Even though the 'sniffer' says there is a leak in the evap core.

Ideally, vacuum it down when it is cool and leave it - with the gages closed - and recheck over a few hours. ANY loss of vacuum says there is still a leak - 15 minutes - 2 hours,etc. A leak is a leak.

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Hooksaw said:

i got my black light last night and shined it all over the AC components under the hood, not seeing any significant as far as leaks. I did see some dye, but i think that was when I was replacing it. After I wiped it down, the green glow went away. However, when I shine by the evaporator drain tube, it is lights up all green. So would you agree there is a leak in the evaporator and that needs replaced?

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DadOSix said:

Yep. That seems like where your problem is.

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Hooksaw said:

Thanks, appreciate the help and advice.. let's have some fun.

Got another question, i put it out there with no replies. I need to replace the harmonic balancer and crankshaft seal. seem to be pretty straightforward. Going to rent a removal tool from the local store to remove the balancer. Have you tried this, if so any advice

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DadOSix said:

- no experience there. I saw and was hoping someone had done that.

Would have been cool to do it whilst you had the condenser out and torn down that far.

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Hooksaw said:

agreed, but i did see a good video online where you just need to remove the fan and that would give you enough room. I am hoping to do that over the weekend. the evaporator core on the other hand. it will be a few!

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drawnon said:

2003 3.7 sport, just turned 75000.
I did a search first on overflow tube, hose, firewall, but didn't come up with what I am looking for. Sorry if this has been posted and answered somewhere else.
I was driving around today and noticed I was leaving little puddles by my passenger front tire. I followed the drips up to an overflow tube sticking out of my firewall on the passenger side under the overflow tank, right next to the exhaust manifold. It didn't look like green antifreeze, it looked more clear, but it did have a sweet taste to it. It didn't over heat at any time, nor have I ever had any mechanical problems before. I came home, let it cool down for a few hours and checked the overflow reservoir and it is a tiny bit low. The cold fill arrow points to the seam on the tank and the fluid level is just about an 1/8th inch below the cold fill arrow. I wondered if it had something to do with the weather here in CT. We had like 4 heat waves in the last 2 months and today it was cold and cloudy and only about 65. So for the last couple months Ive had the heat on in the morning and the AC on in the afternoon. I have just recently changed my driving habits also. Ive been laid off for a year so I didn't drive much, but now I'm back to work, have a 40 mile round trip commute 5 days a week, and just put 300 miles on it this weekend alone.
Any ideas as to whats up?
Thanks

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