A/C Condensation drain hose question
 

So as part of my project to restore A/C in my '93 FD, I pulled out the evaporator core to properly flush it and replace the expansion valve with a new one. Side note - Rockauto still has the original OEM Denso expansion valves available for about $16, and they include all 4x of the green HBNR O-rings needed to install it. Anyway, in pulling out the evaporator core, the drain hose was really stuck on the evaporator core case, so instead of disconnecting it there as the FSM states, I just pulled the hose out from the floor/firewall, and it came out easily with its grommet.

Fast forward to reinstalling the evaporator core, the drain hose (which is a formed/shaped hose) & grommet went right back into the hole in the floor/firewall easily enough - basically went back in the way it came out, with no changes in its orientation. But when I got under the car, I noticed that I can't find the end of that hose exiting the floor/firewall anywhere under the car. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the hose end goes thru the floor/firewall and then terminates inside a boxed section of frame/unibody structure. Now there are holes in that steel box section where the condensation can drain out from, but if that's the way it's supposed to be, it just seems like a stupid design since it will promote premature rusting...

Is there a trick to this to ensure the other end of that hose actually exits the frame rail? Probably the reason why the FSM says to remove the hose from the evap. core end rather than the way I did it. :wallbash:

Hmmm, I did not remove mine according to FSM. Just pulled the hose with it as well from what I remember. Now you have me worried, will have to check mine.

I'm not sure why the FD is like that, but it does have a hidden drain hose. All FD's are like that. Weird since the FC had a very visible drain hose.

It MAY be going on the other side of the heat shield that's in the trans tunnel or something.

I've yet to hear of people having rusting problems related to the AC drip line. I don't think it would be worth going too far down the rabbit hole to figure out exactly where it's going, just trust that it will be fine :).

Dale

^That's exactly what I was expecting.

I thought it might be under the heat shield, so I removed that to take a peek - it ain't there. It definitely just ends up in the boxed frame section, you can just see it dangling in there with a bright flashlight looking into one of the bottom holes in the frame if you look at the right angle. Looking at the hose, on that end it has a short roughly 90* angle formed in it, and it looks like there's enough slack length that it might be designed to hook into that hole in the bottom of the frame rail, and just stick out of the frame rail a bit.

If my car were stock, I wouldn't worry about this at all as the heat from the cat would likely evaporate any water pooling up there rather quickly. But with a downpipe & single turbo, that area doesn't get nearly as hot enough for that. Maybe I'll see if I can use my flexible grabber tool to fish for the end of the hose thru the frame rail hole and pull/re-direct the end to there.