Evaporator Coil Cleaning

[rollinstone]

What's the best way to clean the evaporator coil with a foaming cleaner without tearing the whole dash board out or removing the blower box? Is there a way to access the evap coils from the top through the inlet grille area? I read one suggestion is to go up into the drain line, but darned if I can find that line. I see the condensation dripping from it, but not the line itself.

 

[Dustin Gebhardt]

I pulled my glovebox down/out and drilled a small (1/4") hole in the upper corner of the airbox. I used a step drill bit and made sure that I didn't go more than 1/2" into the box. I then sprayed cleaner into the hole. Once I had completed the cleaning with a rinse, etc, I used some tape (aluminum tape, in my case) to seal the hole. Just about every year I remove the tape, clean the evap and airbox, then put a new strip of tape over the hole.

 

[Calman2k]

I pulled my glovebox down/out and drilled a small (1/4") hole in the upper corner of the airbox. I used a step drill bit and made sure that I didn't go more than 1/2" into the box. I then sprayed cleaner into the hole. Once I had completed the cleaning with a rinse, etc, I used some tape (aluminum tape, in my case) to seal the hole. Just about every year I remove the tape, clean the evap and airbox, then put a new strip of tape over the hole.

HA!! Or, you can just do what I did, wait for the evaporator to start leaking, sending coolant oil down the drain hole, stinking up the entire car (the coolant oil dripped onto something hot) and then pay $5000 to rip out everything from the firewall to the 2nd row.
Actually, I wouldn't recommend that.

 

[rollinstone]

Thanks, Dustin

What corner of the air box did you drill…upper left, upper right? It’s recommended to drill as close in alignment to the drain line as possible. There’s no way to tell where the drain line is from looking at the face of the box. Any idea?