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I have a 2007 RX 350, (63,000 miles) and recently found quite a bit of water on the floor on both the passenger and driver side.
I was told that this was due to a clogged AC drain line, and that I would have to replace the carpet and padding in the entire vehicle to avoid mold/mildew at a cost of $1,900. This is not covered under extended warranty. Service department had just checked the AC system last month, as I had received the "Check Air Conditioning" message on the dash monitor.
How does an AC drain hose clog within an enclosed system (in a $35,000 vehicle), and why would that not be covered by the warranty?
Can I simply place an ozone generator in the car for a few hours to clear up the potential for mold, then have the carpet professionally steam cleaned?
(note: I am recently unemployed, and can't afford the $1,900 cost!)
Use a wet-vac to clean and dry the carpet as much as possible. Remove the add on carpet. Disconnect the battery, open the doors, position a fan to get air moving over the carpet.
Next morning and for couple of days park the vehicle in the sun and crack the windows a bit.
DO not run AC for a week and if possible run heat mode.
Take a 3ft piece of a string trimmer and run it up the drain tube and wiggle it to ream the drain. You can also try the thick kind of shrink tubing and blow through the shrink tube. I would not use pressurized air as it can cause some damage if too much volume is sent through.
Most likely, you will not get mold. The condensed water is pure H20. Mold can only develop if you have dragged in biodegradeable material on the carpet. so Vac vac & vac.
For warranty coverage, you will have to make a case that it is a defect and not negligence.
Thank you for the suggestions, I appreciate the feedback!
I found information about a TSB (AC003R-07), but I'm not sure if it covers the RX models.
It seems that this has been an issue or defect with some of the other Lexus models.
Thank you for the suggestions, I appreciate the feedback!
I found information about a TSB (AC003R-07), but I'm not sure if it covers the RX models.
It seems that this has been an issue or defect with some of the other Lexus models.
I searched my Alldata subscription and no TSB for 2007 RX 350. I question how this conveniently happened soon after an a/c check by the dealer.
About extended warranty ...
First ask the reason why the repair would not be covered?
Then read up on what is included and excluded from the extended warranty.
If the reason for rejection is negligence:
You have a good chance to prove that it was not negligence as you brought it in for repairs on first indication of the problem and it was under dealership care.
The AC is not a closed system .. only the refrigerant is. Refrigerant pressure [which the dealership would have checked], moisture in the air, condition of the cabin filter, clothes you wear, pets, and the things in the vehicle all contribute to amount of retained moisture in the heat-exchange area.
Hope this helps. In all likelihood things would be fine.
Use a wet-vac to clean and dry the carpet as much as possible. Remove the add on carpet. Disconnect the battery, open the doors, position a fan to get air moving over the carpet.
Next morning and for couple of days park the vehicle in the sun and crack the windows a bit.
DO not run AC for a week and if possible run heat mode.
Take a 3ft piece of a string trimmer and run it up the drain tube and wiggle it to ream the drain. You can also try the thick kind of shrink tubing and blow through the shrink tube. I would not use pressurized air as it can cause some damage if too much volume is sent through.
Most likely, you will not get mold. The condensed water is pure H20. Mold can only develop if you have dragged in biodegradeable material on the carpet. so Vac vac & vac.
For warranty coverage, you will have to make a case that it is a defect and not negligence.
Look for a tube sticking down and unless the drain is totally clogged, you can see water dripping out of it when AC is running ... roughly directly below glove-box and a tad closer to the middle.
Look for a tube sticking down and unless the drain is totally clogged, you can see water dripping out of it when AC is running ... roughly directly below glove-box and a tad closer to the middle.
I have this issue with my 2007 RX350. Can anyone tell me where the AC drain line is? Is it accessible from within the cabin, under the hood, or under the car? I am ok around the cars (changing spark plugs, shocks, brakes, etc.) Just don't have a service manual for the RX350.
I have this issue with my 2007 RX350. Can anyone tell me where the AC drain line is? Is it accessible from within the cabin, under the hood, or under the car? I am ok around the cars (changing spark plugs, shocks, brakes, etc.) Just don't have a service manual for the RX350.
Not sure of the exact location on the RX, generally near the firewall under the vehicle on the passenger side, I usually see reminant condensation dripping closer to the side frame. It would be a small diameter flexible rubber tube, if you have a small shop vac try that too. Sediment plugs it up, even had a spider nest on another vehicle one time.
Try to find some diagrams on a few parts suppliers www site, might help.
you can also take an air compressor hose and blow it up into the drain hose to loosen the clog and let the flow work properly. additionally, AC is a natural dehumidifier so once you clear the clog running the AC is actually a good thing as it help remove the moisture from inside the car and pumps the water outside. that's why having the AC on makes a great window defogger.
I am having the same issue in my 2008 RX350. I have been searching for weeks to find where the water is coming from. Today I found it. It is dripping down from behind the console. Not just dripping, but pouring down and running all the way back to the back floorboard. Thanks to the rise in the floor that the back seat mounts to, it stops there and collects up and then soaks through to the top of the carpet and shows itself. From where you see it leaking in this photo, does anyone think this could be coming from a leaky evaporator box or could it just be a clogged drain tube?
ok, I just found the exact problem and fixed it. I have been reading about this problem for days and found https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-glovebox.html, post #13. His description was spot on. I went out to the RX350 passenger side, pulled back the carpet and found the drain hose. I put a small bowl under the box outlet and pulled the black rubber hose off. Water immediately shot out of the box and filled two small bowls.
I knew this mean the line was plugged. I shot an air can in there and then used trimmer line to snake it down as far as I could. After I did that I used a small syringe to squirt water slowly down the hose and observed water running out below the car like it should. I snaked it one more time for good measure, shot more water down and then re-attached the hose.
I then started the car with AC on and observed underneath (water coming out like it should), the tube to box connection point (no leaks) and the location not he other side by the gas petal (the picture above where water was pouring out earlier today (no leaks).
This fixed my problem 100%. Now to try and figure out the easiest and CHEAPEST way to get the floors and carpets dried. Any ideas???
08-10-11, 06:46 PM
RX 350 Drain Line Clog - water on floor
