cleaning evap core still in the vehicle?

[DSG2003Mach1]

well this is just gonna be my AC repair diary I guess

This is the evap case opened up I found:

so glad I found this, might have drilled the wrong spot lol.

new plan of attack, at least to start - is to unplug the blower motor resistor which is in between the path from the fan housing (big circular part) and the evap core. The resistor opening looks like it might 1.5" by 2" already. I think using the path from the fan and resistor opening will give me plenty of room for my borescope and I can use a much larger size hose from the air tip kit.

If I feel like I need to access the back side of the core then I'll probably drill a big ass hole back there or make a little access panel but we'll start with this.


edit: shop vac isnt doing shit against a carpet of wet dog hair. I'm not convinced evaporator coil cleaner will touch it either. Attempting to flush it from the back side may be the only option left before replacement

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Nothing I tried made a dent at all, it’s just a crusty mess in there.

I loaded the front side with foaming evap cleaner, see if that makes any difference. Might do a second can from behind the core because why not.

edit: replacing the recirculation blend door made no difference either, forscan still says "error" when moving to the recirculate mode but the door obviously moves back and forth correctly

 

[03cobra#694]

Sell it, and move on.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Sell it, and move on.

Believe me I’ve thought about it

 

[03cobra#694]

Believe me I’ve thought about it

Gonna take the Cobra to the local guru the day after Memorial day due to no AC. I can't get this damn thing to take a charge. I have real gauges too. If it's bad, I'll probably sell it. I don't need the damn thing. It's just a garage piece.

 

[beau t]

I Bought a 4x4 truck that didn't have much air flow - the EVAP was full of mud, i was able to remove the blower motor and go through the opening to get it pretty clean using simple green and water (probably could of used something better but thats what i had laying around. The only thing i kept a eye on was the drain and kept cleaning it out to make sure i didn't flood out the interior while spraying it down with a garden hose. The vehicle only had single climate control and i could hear the flaps swapping when dials got turned so i thought everything was working as it should just didn't have flow. Note not dog hair so i feel your pain just got done cleaning carpet full of dog hair.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Gonna take the Cobra to the local guru the day after Memorial day due to no AC. I can't get this damn thing to take a charge. I have real gauges too. If it's bad, I'll probably sell it. I don't need the damn thing. It's just a garage piece.

Ya that’s weird, hopefully it’s something easy

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

I Bought a 4x4 truck that didn't have much air flow - the EVAP was full of mud, i was able to remove the blower motor and go through the opening to get it pretty clean using simple green and water (probably could of used something better but thats what i had laying around. The only thing i kept a eye on was the drain and kept cleaning it out to make sure i didn't flood out the interior while spraying it down with a garden hose. The vehicle only had single climate control and i could hear the flaps swapping when dials got turned so i thought everything was working as it should just didn't have flow. Note not dog hair so i feel your pain just got done cleaning carpet full of dog hair.

Were you just spraying out using the fan setting on a hose nozzle or something? Don’t wanna screw up the fins either. I feel like mud would be easier to get out than this layer of dog hair

 

[beau t]

Mud is for sure easier , i started with fan and went through a couple different setting on it lol. I turned the water valve down and went full stream at 1 point - hitting 1 section at the top , stopping to check that i didn't bend all the fins in - - note i didn't have much pressure at all just more of a stream.

I was afraid to have much volume of water, i wanted to make sure it was able to drain out

 

[beau t]

Also at work i have a coil comb that i use to straighten out bent fins if i have to clean coils, it will also clean them that may work better to remove hair it looks like you would have room from above pic with fan removed

Allstar Performance ALL10680 Radiator Fin Comb Kit , Black​

pull this up its kinda like what i use a work

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Also at work i have a coil comb that i use to straighten out bent fins if i have to clean coils, it will also clean them that may work better to remove hair it looks like you would have room from above pic with fan removed

Allstar Performance ALL10680 Radiator Fin Comb Kit , Black​

pull this up its kinda like what i use a work

Problem is the whole core is clogged and can’t reach at all.

I’m gonna check in the morning and see what the coil cleaner accomplished. Might pick up some 1/4” garden hose woh a valve and adapter. Push water from the inside out toward the fan. Put towels in the floorboard and shop vac in the tunnel

I keep going back to the fact that I can’t really make things worse

 

[4.698gt]

Let it dry out and compressed air in through the evap drain? Maybe stir up the hair with a cyclone and get it to come out the evap drain

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Let it dry out and compressed air in through the evap drain? Maybe stir up the hair with a cyclone and get it to come out the evap drain

it was dry when I tried compressed air, no dice.

The two cans of evap coil cleaner didn't seem to do much.

I've got an adapter coming to neck down the garden hose to a much smaller one that I can easily get into the back side of the coil through the hole I drilled in the case. Im not really holding my breath - the dog has been riding around in the truck for close to 10 years, I have a hard time believe it's gonna come out but it's worth a shot.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

This is a pic of the core - just plugged with hair and god knows what

Cut a big access pa el using the dremel (the flex extension made it way easier, just a dremel unit itself would be difficult on the angle

There may be hope after all - This a hunk of some of what I washed off, made pretty significant progress. Gonna get another can of foaming cleaner and try to find a smaller nozzle to get in the corner/bottom better

 

[hotcobra03]

Chilton's says 5.7 hours to r/r this thing

Puzzled as to a f250 it's half the time

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Chilton's says 5.7 hours to r/r this thing

Puzzled as to a f250 it's half the time

Interesting, I keep being told 10hours on this as well. Hopefully finish cleaning it out tonight, can see a few more decent sized gunked up areas.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Forgot to screen shot it tonight. I’d say core is 70-80% clear now and vent temps were 43 at idle with 81 ambient.

Mission accomplished It seems