ET JEEP

Hello all, New member here. I do not own a Jeep but I work on a 97 Grand Cherokee from time to time. Recently I looked at the wet carpet problem that many seem to have. I removed the seats, passenger side front and back, lifted the carpet and found a pool of water. I removed about a gallon of water and the carpet took over a week to dry. Not sure how long this has been going on. In addressing the problem I followed TSB 24-06-96 http://www.jeep-club.at/troubless/TSB/24-06-96.htm More info on this: http://www.aircondition.com/tech/questions/4/ The drain was clear so this was not the problem. I finally decided that the AC drain was allowing water to enter the cabin. The water was seeping in thru the firewall and running down from the drain housing. The AC drain runs horizontally. When the water slowly drains, it runs along the bottom of the drain and enters the cabin thru the firewall. Add to this normal movement of the vehicle and you can get lots of water in. The seal around the drain is just some foam. I found this foam to be deteriorated. 　 　 I tried sealing around the drain housing but water still entered. The best way to check for this is to place a paper towel around the drain housing. If water is seeping in, the towel gets wet. I finally decided to fix this leak as I fixed a similar leak in my truck. In my truck, I placed a hose on the drain and let it droop down. So now no water gets in. The Jeep is a bit harder. The Jeep engineers decided that no one should see nor touch the AC drain. It is sealed inside a frame rail by the passenger wheel well. I took some measurements and located this buddy. See the pictures. Not sure how to post these pictures so I will do a couple per post. Drain location 　 There it is

ET JEEP

Deteriorated foam

　
Plastic hose for fix. The black line lets me align the droop with the drain



　

ET JEEP

　
　
　
Job done. Hose droops down and water cannot run to firewall. Water now drips in the front of the Jeep as braking action forces it forward.





I brazed the cutout to a piece of flat stock and I will cover the opening so you do not see that hole. Hope this helps some of the members here.

ol"blue

Thanks for posting this info and pics in this thread.

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Tate07

I also have a 97 and the same problem. I thought I had it fixed and it continues to leak from time to time but after seeing what you did I am going to do that. I had to completely remove my carpet because it was ruined and have been waiting to replace it due to it still leaking. Thanks for the info.

ET JEEP

I forgot to add. DO NOT CUT any higher than my top cut. There is a frame member or something that sits just above my top cut. I lucked out and cut just below it. There is a channel that runs left and right just behind the brake line hose clamps. You can just see it in my first picture; black line that runs left and right. Use that as a reference.

Good luck with your fix.

ET JEEP

Thought I'd post this picture of the cover plate in place. The unused hole at the top is due to the frame member I found just above my top cut line.

medicjeep67

Hey ET JEEP!!! thanks a million just as you said, and hey thanks for the great pics!! fixed it in 30 mins and less then $5.00, dealer said most likely $400 + to even get into it..

HA!!! dealers not getting a dime of my cash!!

Thanks again, here is my finished product, I even sprayed it with under coating after i was done, looks like factory install...

ET JEEP

Good show, I like it. Glad ths fix helped you.

I see you cut a bit higher than me. That piece at the top is what I was touching.

Swartzeagle83

Hey there, I have a 2000 Grand Cherokee that has been having the problem you described with the water; it seems to be coming more from the firewall and less from the drain tube. I tried to clear it out externally with some weed-eater line, but didn't see any debris. Did you cut under the wheel well for ease of access or is it just impossible to access the drain otherwise?

Swartzeagle83

Well, I went to Lowe's and picked up the supplies to accomplish the task, and discovered that the drain tube on mine is apparently much easier to access than on earlier models. I was easily able to reach down and attach the tube and screw down the clamp, now it's just a matter of seeing if it works. Here's hoping. I am very glad that this thread is here, it at least gives me an option to try before I start drilling on drains and such.

powerslave1966

I'm assuming this would be a quick fix for a 96 too right? If I turn on the A/C, i get water all over the passenger side, even to the second row. Never get any water inside when it rains or when I wash her, it is kinda irritating, though.

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1995Cherokee

ahhh yes, when i bought my ZJ the AC wasn't working, but there was a large pool of water on the floor. will fix this as soon as i figure out why hot/cold air only blows out from the floor!

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huntingman2706217

the 06ish and 07ish titans and frontiers did this... when i worked there and people brought them in for wet carpet we already had kits to repair it... just like above... just ran a longer hose on it... except it was a 5min job on the firewall... lol

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97ZJ00

Thanks, this was really easy and worked perfectly on my 97 ZJ.

Leak was really bad and now 100% dry.

Used 2 inch hole saw to cut through wheel well, used few inches of 5/8 inch outside diameter tubing from home depot, and hose clamp as in pictures above.

Decided to use black gorilla glue duct tape to cover hole.

Thanks again!

ET jeep......Curious how in the world did you know where to make first cut to find this drain tube?