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2005 Grand Caravan AC draining water inside cabin

97K views 26 replies 18 participants last post by  MsT 
#1 ·
The carpet is wet in the passenger front seat area. I thought it might have been from some of the heavy rains we get in Florida leaking in through a door seal, but now believe it is from the evaporator drain.

I got under the van and found the drain tube and ran a piece of heavy insulated wire up into the drain and nothing came out so I don't think it is necessarily plugged, so apparently it is draining straight into the passenger compartment. The water runs down along the door sill into the wiring trough.

How do I remove the padding that is under the carpet at the firewall. The water is coming from behind this padding and it is attached to the firewall somehow.

When I inspected the the drain tube from under the van I found a green o-ring about 3/32" in diameter and about 5/8" OD that was split and fell off the tube. This o-ring actually looks similar to an AC tube fitting o-ring.

Could this little o-ring actually be the only thing that is keeping the drain water from the evaporator from leaking inside the passenger compartment???:jpshakehe

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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#4 ·
I Think I Fixed my Leak

I had the van up on ramps. I got back under it with the air conditioner running and saw what was going on. The water was dripping out the tube that runs through the firewall, but because of the "U" shaped cut at the end of the drain tube the water was actually running up the tube and into the passenger compartment. So I went to the local auto parts store and bought a short 90 degree 5/8" ID heater hose and stuck it on the end of the tube. Eureka, the water does not run into the passenger compartment now.

Pete
 
#5 ·
Check to see if you needed a dab of sealer at the firewall area (around the outside of the tubing) before you put the tube/hose on. It may seep abit right there. Otherwise, sounds like a good fix.
 
#6 ·
This is a common problem. Both of my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravans had wet passenger side carpet. I researched and found out Chrysler has a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding this issue (condensate not draining properly - backing up in evaporator or draining back to firewall along the outside of the drain tube through the firewall seal). The fix is a $5 tapered rubber elbow (MOPAR part # 56000724) that attaches to the plastic drain tube. This extension is long enough to cover the slot in the bottom of the plastic drain tube, and also elbows down on the other end to avoid "backflow" (from air flow created when driving). At an idle, the drain appears to function properly, but will not when driving. This cheap and easy fix that applies to the 2001-2007 Dodge Caravans (and Chrysler Town & Country). The drain tube can be accessed from the top by removing the air filter housing and reaching in towards the firewall with the right arm. Hope this helps someone else.
 
#9 ·
Do the math

If Chrysler made 1 million mini-vans and one quarter of those came in for service regarding this issue you have just made over 1.2 million in sales of parts (250,000 x $5) this does not take into account the diagnosis fee that all dealers will typically charge and the labour to install the $5 part. Money in their pocket because of their screw up. You gotta love it.
 
#12 ·
Yes, it should. Our '07 had the same issue, though the dealer appears to have sealed it up with an entire tube of RTV (very messy). But...it does the job, at least so far.
 
#15 ·
Most apreciated

I am so glad to have found this site and this thread. I have been trying to figure out how to fix this same leak for over a year. I even took my 2003 Town and Country to the local Chrysler dealer. They told me that it was behind the dash and that they would have to take the dash out to repair an o ring. All for the quote of $800.00 plus. I had gotten so aggravated that I pulled the relay so it wouldn't run at all due to the fact that it was causing the carpet to mold and that is VERY hard to clean. Hopefully others will find this faster than I did. Thanks to all of you for your knowledge.
 
#19 ·
05 Caravan / Town & country rain water leak

ok , for most of the caravan and T&C owners i assume we all suffer from the same thing ... just few of us noticed it ....
terrible design from Chrysler manufacturer.. !!!!!

So here what i found .... the water from your windshield goes under the wipers cover into the wipers tray .... btw i assume that the wipers cover suppose to stop all the water from going under, with the little seal strip which is severe damaged most of the time ...due short lifespan ... :D
so water goes under the tray and slides down on the van body into the air channel and from there goes into the cabin - leaking trough the fan box ....
ill post some pics that i took if i know how ... i ll figure later .....
 
#20 · (Edited)
ok , for most of the caravan and T&C owners i assume we all suffer from the same thing ... just few of us noticed it ....
terrible design from Chrysler manufacturer.. !!!!!

So here what i found .... the water from your windshield goes under the wipers cover into the wipers tray .... btw i assume that the wipers cover suppose to stop all the water from going under, with the little seal strip which is severe damaged most of the time ...due short lifespan ... :D
so water goes under the tray and slides down on the van body into the air channel and from there goes into the cabin - leaking trough the fan box ....
so all you need to do is to stop that water to go inside , redirect it .... i used a metal repair tape ( aluminum tape used in HVAC installation ) for the most part ... also used a gutter filter ... you'll see the pics and you'll get it ...
i dont think that the AC leak should be that big of a problem ... unless you are completely clogged ... but if your car smells funky bad ... after every rain ... check the carpet on the passenger side
ill post some pics that i took if i know how ... i ll figure later .....
 
#23 ·
This topic should be a sticky. I know firsthand, that if the water problem isn't caught and corrected soon enough, it can cause all sorts of problems aside from a wet floor:

- Damages carpets
- Premature failure of your headliner fabric from all the moisture
- Rust
- Ruination of the carpet padding in the front passenger side
- If you are in Florida, or any place with outdoor roaches, you can wind up with an infestation that you won't be able to get rid of without baiting and lots of extra work. This is probably the worst thing I dealt with from this !@#@$ AC drain defect.

The overpriced elbow drain from the dealer does seem to solve the problem, but you might also want to pull up your passenger foot well carpeting and see how the pad is doing. Mine was a rotten mess, and without taking out the seats, you can't really get to the rest of it.
 
#27 ·
My van had been doing the same thing since March. First the heater core was replaced. Still leaked. By then, it was warm enough I did not need the heater much. The water lines were changed to bypass the heater core. Still leaked. Every time the AC is running, it leaks and it is getting worse. I and a friend have even tried checking the drain, but it is still draining fine. The man who helps me with these things is no longer available. How do I fix this?
 
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