A couple of weeks ago, the airconditioner of the 1997
Iswara (brother's car actually) which I am driving starting
dripping condensation water from the left passenger area,
just under the glovebox, where the evaporator and blower
are located.


I remember reading a couple of threads here about the same
thing, and it seems to be a common problem with this car.

This lady sitting in front of me in the office had also been having
this problem for months, and just left it as it was with some
newspapers at the door mat, opening the passenger door in
the hot sun to dry it once a week to dry the carpet.

So I went to my usual aircon man in Kepong, Ah Tee, and he
said it was a common problem in this type of car, something to
do with a design fault in the evaporator's inlet and outlet piping.

I asked him if the system needed to be serviced, which would
require the evaporator to be dismantled, washed, gas refilled
and the receiver-drier (filter) replaced - which would easily
cost over a $100.

He said no need for the moment, and just took his airgun,
removed a screw from the evaporator's box to take out
a panel, blasted some air into the piping, stuck some of
his black insulation there, and put it back.

Well, that seemed to solve the problem for the last two weeks,
but tonight I notice the same thing again - a small puddle of water
at the right corner of the rubber mat. I had placed some towelette
papers there just in case, and part of them were soaked.

Seems this Iswara has an endless variety of problems.
Your friendly Malaysian Car.

Any Iswara owners here experiencing this now ?





This post has been edited by Tham: Apr 26 2011, 01:55 AM

" Used to have the same problem with my iswara. If front passenger
side is flooded check if there's any leak or condensation from the
aircon that seeped inside. "

http://www.motortrader.com.my/Cars/forums/...=940212&tpage=2


Earlier Waja batches :

" ..... some Waja owners have a built in feet soaker for front passenger
seat (for tired feet perhaps ?). Seems this leakage comes from the
airconditioning system. "

http://www.usj.com.my/bulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=5332


Other cars :

" Many times the air condition condensor unit is set up on the passenger
side above the foot area. If it is not working properly, leaks can develop
that start to drip inside the car instead of the outside. "

http://snippets.com/why-is-water-leaking-f...-of-the-car.htm

Yes, the evaporator's (cooling coil's) drain hose.

That was the first thing we checked. It seems to be
draining the water properly. I always look under the car
to see if it is doing so.

However, if the drain piping where this hose is connected
gets blocked over time with dirt, then the water will not
drain properly, will collect at the bottom of the coil's box
and pipings, and drop onto the floor.

So that was why the aircon man, Ah Tee, disconnected the
hose, placed his airgun into the pipe and blasted compressed
air into it to try to clear off any dirt blocking it.

I went to his place again this evening, and he did it one more time.
It seemed to help, but there is still a little water dropping onto the
floor, indicating that the evaporator (cooling coil) needed to be taken
out to be flushed. However, that would cost $100 ++, so Ah Tee told
me if the leak was minor, leave it alone for the moment.

He also said it was not a good idea to dismantle the cooling coil
to flush it, since that might caused more problems later on.



" THERE IS A CHANCE YOU CAN CLEAR THE OBSTRUCTION BY
BLOWING BACKWARD THRU THE OPEN END OF THE TUBE. "


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_water_d...nditioner_is_on

---

Added on April 27, 2011, 1:27 amTrue, I have also heard that the Iswara's cooling coil is
not very durable. Usually made by APM.

Happened to one of my friend's Iswara too years ago,
"burst", and he spent $300 to replace it.

These serpenting evaporators or cooling coils are not very
durable anyway, due to the flat, thin aluminium piping.


Yes, the expansion valve can also give way after a few years.
Ah Tee checked mine and it still appeared to be working properly.

---

Added on April 27, 2011, 1:31 amThanks, I wll try and check that shop out.

Wow, five years since last service, that is quite a long time.
They must have done a good job.

There is also a "Central Car Aircon Service" at Jalan SS 2/24,
been there for years. Not sure if that is a branch. Always seems
to be packed with big, flashy cars like Mercedeses/BMWs waiting
for servicing, everytime I drive past.







This post has been edited by Tham: Apr 27 2011, 01:31 AM

Thanks, guess I will have to try to look for another aircon man.

When you mentioned sealing the cooling coil box, do you
mean the black plastic box in which the coolin coil is mounted ?
( Mine already looks well sealed at the edge where the water
is dripping, with the sticky, black sealing gum or plaster used
for car aircon men. )

Or sealing leaks on the aluminium cooling coil itself ?