Sloshing in AC, flooding passenger side

I know there's a million posts about the infamous clogged evaporator drains but none of them or the "drill a hole" fix seem to be so easily done on my particular model.

I've got the 1996 Cherokee Sport which seems to drain right into the chassis like many others, however as seen in the picture below (unless I'm totally wrong here and that's not the drain point) it has the rather inconvenient design of being a big pan and not a nice little 90 degree plug that I can drill right through.

As far as I can tell it does not have a drain hose on the other side, I can't access this from the compartment or under the car, and I'd have to take apart my entire dash on the passenger side just to pop this thing off to clear it.

I'm hoping someone has encountered this problem with this particularly troublesome layout and can give me some direction on the matter.

definitely a clogged drain

hey bud, it's super ninja... i have a 1996 cherokee sport as well... just did this on mine... same symptoms... worked like a charm...





just slide your hand back along that metal beam (follow the red arrow) and you'll feel a rubber tube that's about 1/2-3/4" diameter and it's about 4" long... just grab it near the back, twist (to help loosen), and pull straight back toward where you slid in from.

lots of water will likely pour out... this is good... i had to blow really hard through the tube after i took it out... so clogged... then ran soap/water through it, etc

also, if you can, face the car downhill a bit to help it drain faster/better

when you're done, just make sure you fit the bulging end back over the opening and the smaller end is pointing down toward the ground so it drains properly

hope this helps!

*note... there is water backed up in that pan so run heat, defrost, max a/c, etc after you drain it to get everything dried out... might drip inside a bit during that time

did you get it fixed?

My drain tube now dangles right next to the fame rail almost directly under the charcoal canister. Periodically I crawl underneath, use a rag and shop vacuum to suck all the stuff out of there.

The first time I tired it, I used a two foot piece of clear plastic tubing duct taped to the nozzle of my shop vac. I could see all the crap that came out f there.

Which reminds me, time to do it again. I can feel the humidity go way up when I turn the heater on.

I wonder if there is a backflow device that could be used, like a one-way check valve that would allow the fluid to leave, but nothing else to get back up in and clog it? I've seen drain tubes clogged by dirt dobbers before, and also get clogged from off-roading through mud holes.

I was thinking of drilling a hole in the plenum so I could flush a bunch of Clorox through to kill any mold.

old_man said:

I was thinking of drilling a hole in the plenum so I could flush a bunch of Clorox through to kill any mold.

Click to expand...

Probably more work than required. If you remove the fan assembly you can gain access to the coil and flush Clorox through from that direction.....

GM actually makes a spray specifically for that...even comes with a really long straw and everything