On Mon, 24 May 2004 17:42:12 -0400, gumbo5_99 wrote:

> Living in Indiana, we seldom use the AC in the winter months, so it sat
> unused until about May first. At that point it did the same thing. Again
> I took it to the dealer. They found a blockage in the hose. Again they
> charged me about $40. Yesterday it did it again. I fail to believe there
> keeps getting something stuck in the hose that quickly. I've had it for
> 6 years and it never did it. Now it's done it three times in a row?

That is such a ripoff. All you have to do is either lift the front end
and get under it or reach down from above (first idea probably easier).
Then, you'll find an L-shaped little rubber tube, that might just look
like it's crimped shut on the end, like the end of a popsicle (you know,
the ones you buy in packs of 50 and 100 that you have to freeze first,
little plastic tubes, you know the kind). That's the drain tube.

Like Gene said, they clog easily. I had my passenger floorboard sopping
wet before I realized I even had a problem (A/C hadn't worked in 5
years). All you need is either to prop it open with a harder plastic
tube, snip off the very end of it, or cram a screwdriver into it
(carefully) every oil change or so to ensure it stays clear.

I think the reason it didn't do it for six years was that it took that
long to build up the grime, and now, they're not getting all the grime
out or something. Still seems a bit frequent, but check it yourself if
you don't believe them. For $40 you can probably get a decent set of
drive-on ramps or a jack and jackstands. Then, you're almost equipped to
do your own oil changes, your own suspension work, etc etc etc. Just
need tools.

HIH

CJ