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1980 300sd air conditioner drains

Started by jtwoods4, 20 August 2012, 10:09 PM

jtwoods4

I was on a long road trip and noticed my right foot was wet when I stopped and got out of the car. It was not raining but the air conditioner was running the whole time. I am guessing that the air conditioner drains need to be cleared out.

Where are the drains located and how are they cleaned out. How many drains are there?
1980 300SD

Casey

Disclaimer: I haven't tried this myself yet though my '74 450SE has the same symptom and I believe your guess to be correct.  It's more noticeable if you wear sandals or drive barefoot. :)

There are two hoses behind the center console where the climate controls and radio and whatnot are.  To get to them, you have to pull the big center console trim piece out.

KenM

I imagine you would be well advised to have the carpets up JT and check for moisture in the sound mats underneath, they suck it up like mad and if they get wet it will never dry out and the floor pan will rust

out.

jbrasile

jtwoods4,

Your 300SD has 4 a/c drains, you can see them from under the car as 4 rubber hoses with tappered ends that protrude through the transmission tunnel. The easiest way to clean them is from underneath inserting a piece of thin plastic tubing into each hose. Be careful not to tear anything and be ready for a shower of dirty water and debris. Over the years the drains get plugged with loose foam from the evaporator and flap doors and that causes the problem you describe.

KenM is absolutely right with regards to the floor insulation, squeeze it to make sure it is not saturated with water. If so you must remove it and let it air dry or the car will rust from the inside. The removal is not an easy job since the insulation is partially glued at the factory and really difficult to remove without tearing. You have to first get the plastic floor duct out of the way and that takes some considerable patience and effort, removing the center console makes it a lot easier since you gain access to the portion where the floor duct meets the vertical duct from the air box.

Tks,

Joe

jtwoods4

 Worked like a charm thank you very much
1980 300SD