I'm in the midst of buying a 96 Accord. 99K miles 4cyl 5spd.
Car is in overall good shape. However before I seal the deal I need some advice regarding the A/C. I've read other posts on various A/C problems but haven't read where anybody mentioned very cold condensation on whatever is under the dash on the passenger side. I noticed the A/C was cold but not as cold as it should have been. After I test drove it for approx 20-25 minutes and then parked it I noticed a drop of water fall down on the mat. The A/C also has a bit of a musty smell to it. Checked the carpet for stains or rust in the floorboard but nothing there. I pointed this all out to the owner who told me that he himself put freon in the car back in June of this year and that the car never leaked. The car is his daily driver and he works very close to where he lives.
I have all the service records and the owner has been very up front with me. Any advice as to what the problem could be? The car is for my son and with the low miles I really don't want to pass it up.....just want to get an idea of what the repair would cost so I can use it to bargain with.
Thanks in advance.

 

My 95 used to get the condensate drain line clogged all the time and going around turns it would slosh in the pan and leak in the passenger footwell. That's likely the problem, it just won't get cold enough to be that messy.

As far as fixing it, you'd probably have to track the line down and clean it out or replace it, which would probably require removing the glove box and lower part of the dash. If the A/C isn't cold the refrigerant pressure is probably low and/or there is a leak in the system and it won't stay pressurized for very long.

 

Thanks for the info.......would you happen to know what the ballpark amount would be to get the line cleaned out or replaced?

 

You could give it a shot.

That hose sticks out of the firewall on the passenger side. If you get a coat hanger, you may be able to pull the stuck debris out of the hose and free it up from under the hood.

If you unhook the evap canister on the firewall, you should be able to see the drain hose from under the hood.

 

if it also smells most likely evap is plugged with debris ,, best thing to do is to remove the evap and totally clean it and replace the 2 foam insulators,,,,,,
to do the job . a/c system needs to be evacuated, and recharged you need an a/c machine for that ( unless you got gauges and a vacc pump ) ,,evap needs to be removed , taken apart and cleaned with soap and water and foam insulator replaced

if the owner added freon and you stated that a/c is not that cold,, system could have a leak as well ,, so there might be other issues with a/c system besides evap being plugged ,, And why did he add freon ??? if it was low there is a leak ..