1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

A/c condenser problem?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Spring_Peeper, May 13, 2015.

  1. Spring_Peeper

    Spring_Peeper Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2007
    1
    0
    0
    I have been having a terrible moldy smell in my '08 prius for quite some time. The carpets are dry but they still stink, mainly on the driver's side front and back. After checking the front passenger side carpet padding (its dry) and the spare tire compartment (dry as a bone), I proceeded with removing the driver's seat and pulling up the carpet and padding. To my dismay, behind the drivers seat it was completely soaked underneath. Using a shopvac on the padding I removed several cups of nasty water. What I can't figure out is where it is coming from. It doesn't appear to be dripping anywhere when I run the AC full blast for about 20 minutes. I checked the ac drain tube and it is dry. No leaking water. SO clogged drain tube, right? But there is cold hair blowing out of the drain tube. Is that normal? We tried sucking the tube out with a shopvac end with a duct tape reducer. That didn't do anything. Still no water but quite forceful cold air blowing out. We also tried using wire to get up into the tube to check for clog but nothing came out. Any ideas? I have no idea where to go from here. Should the drain tube weep at all times when the AC runs? Is it normal that its blowing air?
     
  2. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    The condenser is on the passenger side so it's doubtful the water that's only under the driver's seat is condensate. Do you park outside in a rainy climate? Could a door or glass seal be leaking? Could it have been a one-time spill?

    I live in a dry climate (RH often 5-10%) and have never noticed condensate draining from my AC. It makes sense that cold air would blow out of the tube though I've never checked. (I worked on a fridge that had a sort of rubber flapper valve to prevent that and it had failed and blocked the tube so that was a design failure.)
     
  3. MBM

    MBM New Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2015
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Audubon
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    V
    I need to check my ac drain tube for blockage. Where exactly is ac drain tube located on 2013 prius v?
     
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    7,763
    3,929
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Maybe you should ask that question in the Prius v forum.
     
    valde3 likes this.