New question about AC condensate leak inside cabin

I have a new question about a small AC condensate leak inside my cabin on the passenger side I could not find the answer for in the other threads...

I recently took a long road trip through the south in which the humidity and temperature were very high. I stopped about every 2-3 hours to get gas and had a small amount of water drop on the passenger floor mat. It was about an ounce of water or less and only dripped when the vehicle came to a stop. No drip during driving even though the AC was on 100% of the time.

I'm sure the drain tube is not blocked because there was always a large puddle under the vehicle and it was clear to me 99% of the water was draining just fine. Just to make sure I took a ShopVac and put it on the end of the drain tube in the engine bay to which no blockage was removed.

I'm also sure the drain tube is connected properly inside the vehicle because I pulled back the carpet and checked.

The small amount of water on the mat never happens in a short commute such as 15 miles to and from work. But I did go on another longer trip this weekend and it happened again after about 2-3 hours of driving. Nothing while driving then a small drip when coming to a stop at the gas station.

A phone call to my dealer resulted in the service writer telling me that such a small amount of water is normal in excessively humid environments. However, I'm not sure any water in the cabin is ever normal nor have I heard any TW members comment like that in any of the other threads.

Here is a picture of the round hole from which the water is draining which is behind the glove box on the passenger side. Any insight from my fellow TW members would be great!

Normal to have a bit of water drip or something to pursue further? Thanks!

 

That is completely normal here in FLA....
I even had a couple drops on my foot last evening on the drivers side...
Rainy day and 400 mile trip from South Georgia to West Central Florida.
It's only condensation....

 

Are you sure it's water? I ask because I had what looked like a couple of drips of water on my floor liner and it was more of a grease when I felt it. Shortly thereafter my fan motor started making an annoying screeching noise and had to be replaced under warranty. They replaced it with the same part so I'm sure it's a matter of time before it does it again. Seems like some design issue as the service manager knew right away and I've seen some posts her about the same issue. Could just be condensation but maybe make sure it is before writing it off?

 

Thanks and glad to hear from someone other than my dealer that it may be normal.

Good point and I did double check at the time. I'm certain it's water. Glad to hear your troubles with your fan were resolved too.

Speaking of warranty, that's exactly why I'm asking about this now. I've piled a ton of miles on my truck in the first year I've had it with only about 8k to go on the bumper to bumper warranty. So the clock is ticking for me to get anything like this resolved at no charge.

Thanks again for the replies and any other comments are welcome too!

 

OP - did it rain at all on the times you had the "slight" water drip?
In the 7 years I've had my Tacoma, never seen a drop of water inside, and we definitely have high temps/humidity here. It really does sound like it's from your a/c.

 

Good point and I remembered reading that the source of water on the passenger floor could be that the vent is blocked under the cowling on the passenger side. It did rain a few days before I first noticed it so I did consider this as a source. I have yet to check under the cowling but I think I ruled that out as a source because the cabin air filter is dry. I'll check under the cowling just to see it with my own eyes but my truck is only one year old and always garage parked. I could be wrong but I'm pretty confident there isn't much clogging up the vents under there.

I'm also skeptical that blockage is the problem because my truck hasn't seen rain in about three weeks but I still noticed a small drip on a road trip this last weekend. But anything's possible...

Funny you commented from Memphis... It was right around there on my way to Nashville when I first noticed it. Even though it seems there's a difference in the behavior of our two trucks there's one important piece of my story - it only does it when I drive for over 2 hours at a crack with the AC on the whole time. Outside of normal running around, have you put on a decent amount of miles in one trip without any drop whatsoever?

 

Have done Mem-Colorado and return playing turista, 750 miles a day first and last, total trip 3200 miles.
Truck has never been parked under a roof. Not a drop inside - ever.

 

Mine dumped a small amount of water a few weeks ago from the same tube. It has only happened once that I am aware of. My son had flip flops on and water dripped on his toes while stopped for gas. I have a video but it will not upload from phone. My weathertec mats caught it, if it weren't for them and sons toes it probably would have gone unnoticed. Truck has 9800 on it, going to ask dealer at 10k service. OP you are not alone, interested to hear what the solution is as I am confident we share the same problem.

 

If you have access to a compressor, try blowing air into the a/c drain under the truck. Spider webs can cause a blockage that will leak into the truck. There is a pesticide laced drain tip available from Toyota to help minimize insect related blockages.

 

Well that certainly qualifies as a 2+ hour trip, thanks for the info! Colorado rules and that's where I was coming from too. Can't wait to go back.

Please keep me posted because it sounds like you'll be visiting your dealer before me. Also, my dealer was quick to dismiss this as being normal which it still might be. That's why I'm digging up more info here before I press it further with them.

As mentioned above, my warranty only has about 7k miles left so I want to get after this if it's something Toyota needs to fix. Interesting yours did it exactly the same way as mine - it dripped when I stopped but nothing at all during the drive. I actually had a piece of paper on the floor which made it obvious when the water dripped even though it was only a small amount. Without that paper there I probably wouldn't have known about it either.

I'm pretty sure it isn't the drain hose plugged up but stranger things have happened and I've been wrong before so I'll try this tonight. Thanks!

 

I noticed a small puddle (maybe the size of a half-dollar) on my weathertech's one day and was totally baffled by it. I wrote it off as I haven't seen it sense but I'm curious to see what answers you get. Sub'd for details

 

I notice some water dripping from 2 different spots on a recent road trip.
The first time, there was a couple of ounces which dripped from the white tube in the attached picture (front passenger wheel well).
The second time another couple of ounces dripped from the front passenger mud flap.
I am hoping it was just condensation and nothing serious.
I was running the A/C pretty much the whole time.

 

Yep, this is exactly what happened to me. I'm having trouble finding any other info about it and please let me know if you come up with anything.

I'm pretty sure both scenarios you explain are normal. The AC condensate drain tube comes out the passenger side of the fire wall right above the frame. Since it can drip on the frame you'll see it hit the ground from a few different areas. All is well with your scenario, we've been talking about a small leak inside the cabin.

 

Makes sense. Thanks for the quick response.

 

A Tupperware catch pan may be necessary.
Toyota vehicles are not that sophisticated.

 

I had a few drops of water on my passenger side floor mat today, and a couple of times earlier this summer. I guess the combination of an especially hot summer, and the good ol' Georgia humidity hug is resulting in some excess condensation in the cab???

 

Had this exact thing happen to me running 2000 freeway miles round trip last month. Hot/humid as hell and AC blasting in the 1st Gen so had plenty of time to diagnose.

When AC was on recirculate, no issues. freezing cold actually. My AC is awesome so decided to run on Fresh Air mode for a bit. When on fresh air (still on AC), leaked like a sieve after running in this mode 15 min later; water dripping on the right side of the glove box on my sons foot. It is only condensation but had me worried until I pulled over for gas.

Once I discovered what it was, put the AC back on recirculate and problem went away permanently. First for me. I simply leave it on recirculate now; zero issues.

 

Couple images from when mine acted up, the only time I am aware of. It was a very hot day and you can see that I must have been somewhere around Kingsport when we stopped for gas. That is when the water started dripping from the tube that OP has posted an image of. The water you see at my sons feet is the entire amount that drained. Second image shows the point the was dripping down from above onto the mat. Wonder why that tube is open on the end anyway?? Almost like it was meant to drain there for one reason or another. Weird.......curious if anyone has gotten this figured out.

 

Normal.

I've had it pretty much in every car I've been in.

 

Just had this happen today with my 2016 Tacoma. Realized it’s only happened when NOT on recirculate. Luckily it appears it is normal. Was only about two or so drops of water.