Strange condensation

Tahdig_siah

Tahdig_siah

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 22, 2023
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Location
Ohio
My skid plate has been off for a few days. I noticed strange water drip from the middle of the Jeep. Here are 2 videos of it. Can you tell where its coming from? My thoughts were the heater, but the fan (heat) has not been turned on. The jeep doesn't have A/C.

2000 TJ manual 2.5L


Water condensate

Different view
 
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Looks like it may be coming from the cowl drain right behind the valve cover. They have a tendency to get clogged up with debris over time. The way yours is continuously dripping leads me to believe its clogged. If you take off the cowl cover at the base of the windshield and behind the hood you should be able to clean it out.
 
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MountaineerTom said:
Looks like it may be coming from the cowl drain right behind the valve cover. They have a tendency to get clogged up with debris over time. The way yours is continuously dripping leads me to believe its clogged. If you take off the cowl cover at the base of the windshield and behind the hood you should be able to clean it out.
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good call. it could also be a number of different fluids coming out of a number of different points that are flexing due to the drivetrain not being supported.

now you gotta taste the drip to figure out what is actually leaking.
 
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I took the plate off a few days ago to put in a new O2 sensor, haven't driven the Jeep except for starting it up and idling. I will bolt the skid plate back up soon now that the O2 sensor is taken care of. Also, I didn't know skid plate plays such a big part, I assumed it's mostly to prevent damage from rocks.
 
Ocho said:
good call. it could also be a number of different fluids coming out of a number of different points that are flexing due to the drivetrain not being supported.

now you gotta taste the drip to figure out what is actually leaking.
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I didn't dare to taste it! but smelled and felt just like water.
 
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Tahdig_siah said:
? My thoughts were the heater, but the fan (heat) has not been turned on. The jeep doesn't have A/C.
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Not saying it's the heater, but it should be noted that turning the heater on or off has zero impact on whether coolant flows through the heater core. It's always flowing, all you do by turning it on is turns the fan on and moves the various doors to direct air where it needs to go.
 
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Tahdig_siah said:
My thoughts were the heater, but the fan (heat) has not been turned on. The jeep doesn't have A/C.
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Also, just FYI, if your heater core is leaking it will likely be dripping from this HVAC box drain on the firewall. If it’s clogged, it could back up and drain into the passengers foot well.

If you had A/C, the condensation from the evaporator core would drain from that same tube.

IMG_6555.jpeg
 
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Big shout out to Ocho and others for telling me to get the skid plate back on. I honestly didn't think it was holding that much weight off the transmission. Its back on now. hopefully I didn't mess anything up by driving it for a few minutes down the street earlier!
 
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MountaineerTom said:
Also, just FYI, if your heater core is leaking it will likely be dripping from this HVAC box drain on the firewall. If it’s clogged, it could back up and drain into the passengers foot well.

If you had A/C, the condensation from the evaporator core would drain from that same tube.

View attachment 425964
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Thanks. Do you still think the cowl drain is clogged? I will remove the cowl cover and see what I will find there.
 
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Tahdig_siah said:
How would I get to the HVAC box drain?
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Do you mean the side of the drain that’s on the other side of the firewall that you see in that picture?

You should be able to pull that part that’s visible off. From my memory, I think it’s just a rubber piece shoved onto a hard plastic tube. That hard plastic tube is part of the HVAC box. So access the other side of it requires the HVAC box to be removed. It’s a lengthy job that requires the dash to be removed, or at least partially removed.
 
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MountaineerTom said:
Do you mean the side of the drain that’s on the other side of the firewall that you see in that picture?

You should be able to pull that part that’s visible off. From my memory, I think it’s just a rubber piece shoved onto a hard plastic tube. That hard plastic tube is part of the HVAC box. So access the other side of it requires the HVAC box to be removed. It’s a lengthy job that requires the dash to be removed, or at least partially removed.
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Yes that is the tube I was referring to. I will try my best to get to it and remove it. I do have water pooling on the passenger side tub. I have always thought that it was the soft top leaking but the top is in decent shape. It could be the clogged cowl drain then. Am I correct Tom?
 
Tahdig_siah said:
Yes that is the tube I was referring to. I will try my best to get to it and remove it. I do have water pooling on the passenger side tub. I have always thought that it was the soft top leaking but the top is in decent shape. It could be the clogged cowl drain then. Am I correct Tom?
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It could be the soft top or doors leaking. Does the fluid leaking in the passengers side feel slightly oily or have that antifreeze smell? If so, that’s your heater core leaking. If would also leak out of that tube in the firewall, unless it was clogged up too. You can run a zip tie or small piece of wire up in there to see if its clogged.

You may be able to do that with the cowl drain as well, but would likely be harder to reach. If the cowl drain was severely clogged, I think it can back up enough to over flow the intake for the HVAC, which is on the passengers side.

Id start with removing the cowel and making sure that drain is clear. Then run something up that tube on the firewall to make sure it’s not clogged. You may even be able to pull the hose off, use and inspection mirror and light to see if it’s clogged up.
 
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