Coolant Dropping? I Don't Know What This Part Is

260 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by atoman, 4 d ago

xXPhasemanXx

Discussion Starter · 5 d ago (Edited)

3

Hi all I have a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3L engine. This van has rear AC/heat.

For the past couple days there has been a small puddle on the passenger side and I dismissed it as just water from the AC but I just took a closer look at it and it does look more like coolant. Perhaps it really is just AC water but if anyone knows what this piece is that would be great to know about it.

I just did a coolant flush on it recently by draining the radiator, adding distilled water, driving for a bit, repeat, and finished by adding concentrated coolant until it was about a 60/40 mix of coolant/distilled water. Everything was fine but the cap went bad and I got a new one that was supposed to match my vehicle not an all purpose one.

Everything was fine again until this week about 3 weeks after the flush. I've attached some photos of where the drip is coming from but I don't know what this part is if anyone has any information that would be appreciated. The leak is just a bit too severe to leave ignored if it is coolant and I plan to do an over 2,000 km road trip next month so I want to be in tip top shape. I'll have to monitor the coolant reservoir levels but unfortunately I don't do too much driving as I have a company vehicle.

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1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Turbo84

· #2 · 5 d ago

ac drain
when air is cooled it can hold less water so cooled humid air drops water (condenses out of air)which is supposed to go from ac/heater box via hose thru firewall but if hose disconnected from heater box or cracked or pulled back from firewall or clogged water drips on floor board

Turbo84

· #3 · 5 d ago

if the drip smells like antifreeze then heater core is leaking

xXPhasemanXx

Discussion Starter · #4 · 5 d ago (Edited)

Turbo84 said:
if the drip smells like antifreeze then heater core is leaking

I did not get a chance to smell it but the drips were hot like coolant. Would AC water be hot? If that is the AC drain how would coolant find its way out there and not into the cab?

I guess it doesn't help the drips run down the coolant hoses as well so that may make them hot.

Road Ripper

· #5 · 5 d ago

I second that. Since the rubber hose comes through the firewall at the passenger side, that is the evaporator core drain. That is only condensation dripping off of the evaporator inside the van, not coolant.

YoGeorge

· #6 · 4 d ago

Stick your finger in the puddle and smell your finger. Antifreeze smells like antifreeze and also feels greasier than water.

I suspect it's the AC hose.

Valhallalla

· #7 · 4 d ago

The item in question is the A/C condensate drain tube. It is totally normal for water to drip from there when the A/C is operating.

Is the level of coolant in the radiator/coolant reservoir going down? If so, pressure test the cooling system and find out where the leak is. If not, there no need to go around tasting and smelling things. Just enjoy the fact that your A/C system is operating normally.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Reactions: 3

FabricGATOR

· #8 · 4 d ago

Put clean cardboard under and clean white paper atop (under the drip) Clear drip is likely distilled water from AC condensate (also makes it easier to smell and taste it without getting confused by whatever you touched before with your finger)

Reactions: 1

FabricGATOR

· #9 · 4 d ago

I like how you did your coolant replacement... Let me ask you though, what coolant concentrate did you put back in?

YoGeorge

· #10 · 4 d ago

Poking your finger into a puddle is easier and quicker than pressure testing your cooling system or posting on an Internet forum and discussing a puddle you are looking at with strangers thousands of miles away. It has worked for me since I started driving in 1970. Don't drink antifreeze, but getting a bit on a fingertip is not a big deal.

FabricGATOR

· #11 · 4 d ago

... also a piece of cellophane so you can look at an actual drop. you can always transfer that to white paper.

xXPhasemanXx

Discussion Starter · #12 · 4 d ago

Valhallalla said:
The item in question is the A/C condensate drain tube. It is totally normal for water to drip from there when the A/C is operating.

Is the level of coolant in the radiator/coolant reservoir going down? If so, pressure test the cooling system and find out where the leak is. If not, there no need to go around tasting and smelling things. Just enjoy the fact that your A/C system is operating normally.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

That was my main question as to what that part was. If it's just the drain tube for the AC I don't think I have anything to worry about. The drip would run down one of the coolant lines so they were hot to touch and greasy from a previous power steering leak so the puddle was also a bit oily.

I don't know if it went down I forget exactly where I set it at when refilling. I'll have to keep an eye on it and if it is going down I'll investigate further.

Thanks

FabricGATOR said:
I like how you did your coolant replacement... Let me ask you though, what coolant concentrate did you put back in?

Just some generic universal coolant from Canadian Tire. I figured the coolant will last longer than I have the van anyways and it was only about $130 to swap it so not a big deal if I have to do it again in a few years.

Valhallalla

· #13 · 4 d ago

YoGeorge said:
Poking your finger into a puddle is easier and quicker than pressure testing your cooling system or posting on an Internet forum and discussing a puddle you are looking at with strangers thousands of miles away. It has worked for me since I started driving in 1970. Don't drink antifreeze, but getting a bit on a fingertip is not a big deal.

I was not disagreeing with using the taste test procedure to determine the type of fluid. I have used the taste method (as well as smell and feel) countless times in the past for diagnostic purposes. PAG refrigerant oil tastes awful, BTW. I was just saying that if there is no reason to believe there is a problem (possible loss of coolant in this case) then there's no reason to go around tasting stuff.

YoGeorge

· #14 · 4 d ago

Valhallalla said:
I was not disagreeing with using the taste test procedure to determine the type of fluid. I have used the taste method (as well as smell and feel) countless times in the past for diagnostic purposes. PAG refrigerant oil tastes awful, BTW. I was just saying that if there is no reason to believe there is a problem (possible loss of coolant in this case) then there's no reason to go around tasting stuff.

Ewww...don't TASTE the finger. Just smell it. That, and the oily feel of the antifreeze should be plenty of info. And the long term test that I use is that if there's a water puddle (from A/C) on my garage floor, it will disappear completely, where antifreeze leaves more of a stain, and oil/trans fluid likewise don't disappear.

I have no reason to suspect leaks my cooling systems, but it seems like a couple times each year there is a weird looking water puddle from one of my vehicles on the garage floor, and if I see a puddle before I go on a long drive, I do the fingertip smell test. It's always water. Since COVID, I always have a container of wet wipes in my car, so I can clean any yuk off my finger (even garage floor dirt in water) easily.

I have tasted gasoline (siphon hoses) a couple times, washer fluid (siphon hose again) and auto chemicals really don't taste good.

atoman

· #15 · 4 d ago

xXPhasemanXx said:
but the drips were hot like coolant. Would AC water be hot?

No, AC condensate won't be hot at the drain.

xXPhasemanXx said:
The drip would run down one of the coolant lines so they were hot to touch and greasy from a previous power steering leak so the puddle was also a bit oily.

I don't know if it went down I forget exactly where I set it at when refilling. I'll have to keep an eye on it and if it is going down I'll investigate further.

Be sure to check level in the radiator, not just overflow reservoir. Stick a piece of tape on the res or mark it to monitor level.

Hopefully it's just a false alarm.

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