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Buick LeSabre Heating / Cooling

13567

Comments

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    I didn't read this post before answering the first!

    This might be low water level inside the radiator allowing air to get into the heater core. Then when you start the motor the coolant eventually gets pushed up and through but the air makes a gurgling sound which should leave.

    You'll need to check the radiator by removing the cap when COOL after sitting for at least half an hour to cool down. The radiator should be full. ANd the reservoir should be up to the cold mark and higher. If the radiator is low that means the system isn't sucking coolant back from the reservoir like it should.

    You'll need to find problem source such as leaking water pump, or plastic coolant elbow on hoses to heater, or radiator hose leaks.

    Water from the AC condensing can not drain out of the HVAC box and slosh around when going around corners.

    Water can be leaking in through sun roof drains and collect on floor in car, front and then back. Check carpets for squishing. Check under the front seats. Check inside the trunk.

    Water can leak in through the doors if plastic inner layer isn't sealed, often after work was done in door and the sealer wasn't replaced and they just stuck the plastic layer back on.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • stan67stan67 Member Posts: 3
    The coolant in overflow tank is a little dark. The top part of the overflow tank above the coolant is pretty dirty looking. When I took cap off radiator some of the coolant came out of radiator as if it were too full. I ran the car for a while and took it for a quick ride. Standing in front of the car, looking at the engine, the hose coming from the radiator on the right still felt cool while the hose coming from the radiator on the left was warm. Does this help narrow down what the problem might be<

    Thank you
  • dewc3dewc3 Member Posts: 35
    I have a 1997 Buick Lasabre and the temperature readout that is in the car blinks when we start the car up. When we have to turn the heater on, hot air will blow out on the driver side, on the floor like it should but on the passenger side it will blow out cold air. Why would it do that and how can I fix this. It doesn't matter if its the vents or floor or mid level, it's all cold air on passenger side. :mad: :sick:
  • dewc3dewc3 Member Posts: 35
    I have a 1997 Buick Lasabre, and when I turn on the heater, heat blows out the drivers side floor vent and cold air blows out the passenger side floor vent, why would that happen. Sometimes heat will come out the passenger side floor vents but more than not cold air blows out passenger side. Also the temperature light inside the car blinks for a long time then will stop after like 10 minutes or so could that sensor be going bad and have something to do with cold air blowing out the passenger side floor vents or do I have a seperate problem. Plz advise what can be looked at to fix...thankyou in advance for your help :sick:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Is it a dual temperature control system? Is there a passenger temp setting on the passenger door?

    If so it may be the actuator for the passenger broken. It's an electric motor with gears inside that sometimes crack and slip on the axle. Since in a dual control system it relies on indexing to determine how warm it is setting the vane for mixing hot and cold air, slipping means it loses track.

    You can take off the plastic hush panel above passenger legs with about 3 screws and a couple taps holding it to the firewall. It helps to take off the glove compartment door with about 6 screws under the hinge.

    Then you can see all this. Inside the red circle is a plastic motor housing with a rod that connects to the white plastic arm that moves the temperature mix vane inside the heater box.

    With the key ON try changing the passenger temp on the door and see if the upper actuator moves at all. Changing the temp on the main AC unit will move the rod at the bottom that's white plastic (not in picture but would be inside blue square).

    I'll bet your upper actuator doesn't move. It has two little screws on top and one small electrical connector that goes to the programmer box to take it out. But it's not easy. Some people take off the connection to the white arm that moves the vane and put a coat hanger through the glovebox to it and use that to move the vane for passenger from heat to cold. That was on a Pontiac which has slightly different geometry of parts from what I can tell.

    image

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    If it's a single control system, I have read one person finding the part of the heater core was not getting hot when he took off the cover under the dash. So he flushed the heater core, gently I hope, with water and compressed air, and was able to flush out rusty looking stuff and get all of the heater core warm.

    Apparently the part that was cold was what the air to the passenger side went through.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • dewc3dewc3 Member Posts: 35
    Thankyou for your response. And yes it is a dual control, there is a passenger temp setting on the door for that side. You said its not easy to fix I believe, but from the picture im looking at once I get to this part what are the steps in replacing this as I rather not use the coat hanger thingy....lol Sometime in a blue moon heat will come out for the passenger side but very rare...Would you happen to know the price in buying one to replace and what do I actually ask for as far as a replacement? I really appreciate your help as this is the surest answer I have heard cuz I have heard something bout an actuator thing once before so anymore help you can provide is very much appreciated
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    First, you must diagnose to be sure that's the bad part. If you get to the part and can move the white lever connected to the actuator to change it with your fingers, that means the gear inside the actuator is broken; it shouldn't move.

    Or you change the temp settings with the key ON and the actuator moves, but jerks or slips (the wheel inside slipping on the hub since the wheel has cracked), then you are ready to replace.

    The two little screws on top are difficult to handle and replace, according to people who have done it. One fellow tied fish line through the socket and the screws in case they dropped, but that's the level of difficulty.

    Go to Rockauto.com. Pick Buick. Then 1997. Then go to Heat and air conditioning. Then go to A/C vacuum actuator. Your system is CJ2 so I think you want the 2nd one that says CJ2 near the end. Note it says vacuum actuators for the group, but those are electrical. Because of shipping costs with rockauto, you might check your local dealer or other places on the internet, such as GMpartsdirect.com

    I would probably pick the local dealer source because if I got the wrong part, I might be able to return it for the right one. Or take off yours and check the parts number with the one on the rockauto or gmpartsdirect or what you get at the dealer.

    To verify the code RPO for your system, look at the spare tire cover under the mat in the trunk. The white tag lists all the options and base components for your car. You should see CJ2 listed instead of C67 (the manual temp control system).

    I think I just saw someone's writeup on how to do this replacement...

    Let us know what you decide.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • generic1972generic1972 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1993 Buick LeSabre with the automatic heat/ac controls. The outside temp has been reading 199 degrees, and recently it would only blow hot air out of the passenger side, when the temp controller was turned up to 90 degrees. If turned down to 85, it would blow significantly colder air. The drivers side has been cold no matter what. This has been going on for about a month.

    This week, the blower has been fading in and out, and I was thinking it was the automatic fan control, though it would do it regardless of fan setting. Then the fan quit altogether. Yesterday it blew faintly for about 2 minutes, then out again.

    Wow, bad week for this to happen.

    I saw that "sturgis larry" replaced the temperature sensor, and all was good again. My question, was that the external temp sensor, by the grill, or would that have been the rods under the hush panel? Also, do I need a new blower motor, or a sensor?
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Could be fan motor going out.
    Could be blower control module going out.

    Did you try changing the fan speed setting manually?

    Did you try hitting gently the fan housing on the firewall under the hood. A sticking, bad bearing will let go and the fan will often start running--a temporary fix until it can be replaced.

    The temperature sensor in front of the radiator support can be disconnected and reconnected to see if corrosion on the contacts are causing the problem in the reading. It's a fairly cheap fix.

    The blower control modules can be had for 90$ on ebay. First directly connect blower motor to battery with a fuse to be sure the blower motor works right before replacing the module.

    Or get a module, temp sensor from a recycling yard.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • lngfishlngfish Member Posts: 2
    1994 Buick La Sabre.

    It has temp cold warm-cold slider. It has PB's for functions (yellow lights in buttons). So I'm saying it is manual; ie no digital readout of setpoint or actual temperture.

    It does allot of stuff and it has been doing it for over a year.

    1. most of the time system works fine. yellow pb lights respond to pushing them.
    2. sometimes all yellow lites go out and system dead.
    3.sometimes you can hear relay(s) chatter over on the passeners side
    4.somtimes the AC compressor will start on it's own.
    5. Fuse looks fine.

    Flappers seem fine.

    thanks for any help
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    First place I'd go to would be the ground buss on the driver's side under the door sill plastic next to the carpet. The ground buss is wrapped in electrical tape against the bundle of wires that go toward the back of the car.

    Does the car have anything else that gives symptoms when the heater control acts up? You might try just hitting on the floor in that area to see if you can affect a corroded contact.

    I have a 93 with the heater occasionally losing control--the unit defaulted to AC compressor engaged and cooling fans running for it but the controls didn't change anything. The electric door locks also wouldn't work while this was happening, so my conclusion was that the ground buss was common to both problems. I didn't get to find out because my wife made me trade it for a new bright red one before the problem started happening more often.

    http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC00977.jpg

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kelitekelite Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1998 Buick Lesabre Limited with 120k miles. I only get air and heat from the windshield and the floor. Nothing from the vents at all. What is the problem?
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Check the black plastic 1/4 in line for the vacuum to the heater unit from the intake manifold to the passenger side rear and to the front of the car down under the right front fender where there's a vacuum bottle that holds vacuum for when the motor loses vacuum at open throttle.

    The black plastic line connects next to the big rubber tube from the brake booster.

    Another check is run motor. Turn off but leave key at ON then switch different buttons on the heater control unit. If there is vacuum, you should hear the diaphragms moving vanes between different settings. You should have enough vacuum stored for about 10-15-20 seconds of changing.

    Then if you're getting vacuum inside,

    http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/fix_vacuum_line.php

    I replaced the plastic multiconnector with 1.25 inch pieces of 1/8 inch internal diameter gas line, free from friendly scrap box at NAPA.
    Others have used aquarium tubing.

    The black nipple layers inside the connector pull closed and block vacuum to the AC diaphragm first, with age and heat.

    Take off the under dash thin plastic panel. Take off the glovebox door at its hinge with about 7 screws. Then you have good access for arms and light to the programmer box sitting anagled on the corner of the HVAC box. The programmer is held on with 2 screws, a multiwire connector and on top a little connector that goes to the electric actuator on top.
    There is a plastic link at the bottom that comes from the electric actuator inside the programmer and snaps onto a wire rod with grooves on it that sets the throw of the lower vane for the passenger side IIRC. Top electric is for the driver vane temperature blend.

    The blue plastic vacuum line goes to the actuator for the AC vane that closes and forces air that would go to defrost to come out the dash vents.

    You can check for movement of the 4 diaphragms by taking off the plastic underdash on the driver side--all 4 are on that side. The back of the diaphragm is open and you can feel the diaphragm pull if you have motor running and switch the dash settings to different modes.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gohomeandcrygohomeandcry Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 buick regal ls. It has the digital dash, with separate heating and cooling for the passenger. About a month ago the heating system went haywire, no heat to the drivers side. following the tips posted on this site I began to troubleshoot the problem. !st I flushed the radiator. That seemed to fix the no heat to the drivers side. But the temperature coming out of the passenger side was 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the drivers. Again back to the forums. Decided to try charging the air conditioner. I put 16 ounces of freon in it. Violla the heat coming out of system is the same temp.on both sides. When starting the car I noticed the heat coming out of the vents was 120 degrees (when the engine warmed up) as the cabin warmed the temp coming out of the vents slowly came down to 90 then 85 and pretty much stayed there. I just wanted to post here to thank everyone for their help. I would have been lost without it. ;)
  • dcr2dcr2 Member Posts: 1
    Ext temp always reads 38 degrees. Replaced sensor in front of radiator. No help. I'm out of ideas.......
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    edited May 2010
    >louisiana1 asked:
    Whats up imidazol97? I have a problem with my 98 Buick Lesabre. Last Friday my blower just stop working with no warnings all. It was working fine 2hrs prior. I put a brand new blower on it and the new one wouldn't come on. Since my old one was already off, i got it tested Autozone. It spent like a champ. I checked all fuses and all of them lit up. I even check the ones on the passenger side and under the hood, they all tested positive. Later, I got a resistor off a used Buick and hooked it up and the blower still wouldnt work. Next, I got an a/c switch off a used Buick and still nothing. The blower still wouldn't blow. I've taken it 2 several mechanics and they're dumbfounded, they can't find out whats the problem. Im just tired of spending money and my problem isnt being fix. I'm in desperate need of help. Can you help me?

    You need to check with a meter to see if you are getting power to the resistor pack with the key ON and the blower motor switch ON. If you had the relay center loose and put in a new resistor, you sound like you are capable.

    Since you say it had a resistor instead of a blower control module in the hole, I assume it's the standard AC without the digital readout and without dual controls.

    Those have a relay in the relay center that turns on and off the blower circuit.

    I believe it's the relay at the left side of the relay center-the passenger side. It's the third from the left (compressor, horn, blower relay).

    Most of those relays are the same part number, so the second one which may be cooling fan can be switched to the passenger side to see if the blower motor runs.

    Use a knife blade underneath to lift the flat spring catch the snaps over a prong to hold the relay in to pull the relay out. You might try checking for power on the brown wire which should be hot with ON. --from fuse 5D in IP fuse block, 25 A.

    the output wire is light blue and goes to the resistor pack.

    That relay should be the same part number as the horn and compressor and is a single pole relay.

    Another relay is involved and has a Dark blue wire and a Red wire to the two power connections and the out connection is purple and goes the the blower motor.

    This should be the relay in #5, the fourth from the passenger side. It is a single pole double throw. It connects either to the output from the resistor pack OR to a 30 amp red lead direct from power for HIGH speed. It's called the high blower relay.

    On these relays check the colors I gave you because the book has the circuit diagram mislabled as to which is the blower relay and which is the high/normal speeds relay.

    That fuse for the REd wire is in the underhood fuses--the big ones and is 30 amp. It's #3 fuse. I think there's a label on the inside of the relay cover?

    There's a third fuse involved and thats' in the IP fuse block, #5A called the Auto AC cruise. It appears to provide power to the heater and AC control on the dash.

    The high speed blower relay might not be making contact on their of the two contacts. Normally people have either the low speeds or the high speed working.

    But you can use a fused jumper on either of those relays for the input/output power leads and see if the blower starts to run. But best to use backprobing the contacts with a meter grounded to battery negative, to see if you got power where it should be with key ON and blower set for one of the lower speeds.

    You might use meter to check that ground on the blower motor is actually grounded to the negative.
    This info came from a 98 Factory Service Manual.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • louisiana1louisiana1 Member Posts: 6
    My a/c switch is manual and its not digital. Mine have levels. I tested the resistor with a testor and all three coils tested positive.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >I tested the resistor with a testor and all three coils tested positive.

    Measuring resistance won't check what needs to be done.

    You are looking for where the postive battery current is delivered along the steps in the line to the starter motor. When the key is ON and blower switch is ON, does power get to the purple line on the blower motor?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • louisiana1louisiana1 Member Posts: 6
    No, power isnt getting to the purple wire when I turn the key on. I also tested the brown wire with the light blue wire and still no power.
  • louisiana1louisiana1 Member Posts: 6
    I also switch the relays around and still nothing
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    edited May 2010
    Did you check each of the three fuses I mentioned?

    When you checked for power on certain wires, what did you connect the meter to for a ground?

    Your checks need to be methodical along the power route one direction of the other.

    The first place is to check for power at the BRN wire on the relay which is the blower relay. Then check for power on the Lt Blu output wire--all this with the on and the relay in the circuit. You'll have to backprobe the connectors or use a pin to piece the insulation. Also with someone turning the AC control Off and On you should feel the relay move as it makes contact.

    If you have power there then check power at the resistor leads. Terminal D is the LT BLU from the relay. It should have power all the time if the AC Is on.

    Then the Dark Blue from the resistors goes to the blower High speed switch relay.

    If you want a schematic for the circuits, I can photograph and send you a schematic. I still think work backwards from the high speed relay. Try bypassing to put the RED power wire directly to the purple wire at the relay --using a fused wire--to see if the blower runs. That will run with the key OFF and a back AC head unit. It's a direct connection. To find my email, click on my user name in this post and it's in the profile.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • tx_bubbatx_bubba Member Posts: 1
    GO TO THE LINK IN THE POST ABOVE !!!
    Softened plastic in connector blocking vacuum

    My 1998 had the exact same symptoms
    The guy has beautiful pics, good description, and he's right on.

    I ended up just cutting the lines on each side of the connector, and using 3/16 vacuum hose to connect the hoses - bypassing the failed connector.

    Although the connector didnt look bad, I tried sucking on the blue one (to vents) and it was plugged up tight! Nice post! THANKS!!!
  • clearlakeclearlake Member Posts: 11
    I solved my 1999 LeSabre "programmer" problem for $1.79 for 2 or 3 feet of vacuum lines as opposed to a $2200 to $2700 estimate at a repair shop. Same symptoms of windshield and floor air discharge. I also bypassed the problematic connector with short pieces of vacuum line. Other than one episode of slow gate openings, mine has worked fine. After removing the glove compartment,the programmer is behind it, the hardest part, of course, is the removal of the connector block which means the removal of the "programmer". I worried about disconnecting the electrical and mechanical connections but things went fine. I have several pictures showing the location of the connector block and the interior of the programmer showing the vacuum lines to cut. I just don't know how to make them available.
  • wrightexectwrightexect Member Posts: 1
    I have a 93 lesabre limited, I have replaced the compressor, the lines, the actuator, the black box connected to it with the colorful lines, and all new sensors on the compressor. I have a dual climate control, that is digital. My temp. control always stays on economy??, when I jumped the compressor, it stayed on economy, the compressor works but no cold air, the Freon pressure is 175, and fuse 25 with 25 amps is fine. So no cold air, no working compressor and the digital control stay on economy. Can some one help me!!!
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    edited June 2010
    First, how did you measure the pressure of the freon? The pressure on the low side should vary between about, about 25 to 40 psi. That should be measured with the system running with the blower on high and stabilized for a few minutes before measuring.

    Your system came with R12. That's hard to find these days. Do you know the history of your car? Have you owned it? Just bought it? Has it been converted to R134a?

    Did you use a vacuum pump? Did you replace the expansion valve?

    Sorry to ask questions. I know only a little about the AC charging.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gsragtopgsragtop Member Posts: 1
    First off I would like to thank this forum for your help fixing my 1998 Buick Lesabre's AC. I had the classic programmer issue with the air blowing out of the defroster, and floor only. $1.60 at my local NAPA, and about an hours worth of time and my air is working great out of the vents as it should... Now another small issue has started, when I first start the car (EVERY TIME), I get about 15-20 seconds of HEAT before it switches to cold air. Also the temp on my display blinks for a little while durring this time. Other wise every thing works great, and its 100% better then it was this AM.. Any ideas on what I can do to fix this issue (as minor as it is )
  • clearlakeclearlake Member Posts: 11
    As you may know I had the same problem. My solution cost $1.79.

    That said, everything went along great until the same thing happened to me; heat for maybe 15 to 30 seconds. I was concerned but didn't know what to do. It stopped on its own and all is well. I am not a GM mechanic, but I wondered if one or more of the "doors" directing the air-flow hadn't stuck or the vacuum level dropped for some reason. I was ready to look at my by-pass surgery and see if something had slipped.

    I'm glad it's back to full performance.
  • rhmivrhmiv Member Posts: 1
    I am having a very similar problem. Where do you find the blower relay and blower motor to check it?
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >I get about 15-20 seconds of HEAT before it switches to cold air. Also the temp on my display blinks for a little while durring this time.

    Spend some tiime with the underdash cover and the glovebox off. When you start the car watch the lower rod for the driver blend door. It will move to the right for full heat until it senses a change in temp in the air streams. Then it will go to the normal calculated position for the requested air temp vs. the actual air temps. Then later start the car and watch the upper arm for the passenger side blend door control. It probably won't move properly because the electric actuator has plastic gears inside that have cracked and are slipping on the axle. This may be what causes the error flashing temp light: the programmer isn't able to sense the left and right end points of the movement for the upper door.

    Also you might have low freon charge.

    Replacing the upper actuator is the solution. If you can move the arm with a light force, that probably is verification the gears have split with age.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    The blower motor up to 1999 is on the firewall behind the engine. There's a round bulge with 5 screws. The power lines go up and on top of that same housing and the resistors or blower motor controller for speed sticks down into the air stream.

    The relays are in the relay center above the blower motor.

    Are you having a blower motor issue? Or is air coming out the wrong vents due to vacuum problems?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • theabbottheabbot Member Posts: 4
    About a two weeks ago I noticed a loud squealing noise coming from the passengers side down by the glove compartment whenever I turned the A/C on. It would subside after a few mins. A couple days ago I noticed a sloshing water sound from about the same area. Whenever I made a left turn, a decent flow of water would spill onto the passengers side carpet. As of Sunday, there is no air at all coming from the vents. I can feel the compressor engage when I turn the a/c on, but no air comes from the vents. Is it the Blower Motor? Or something else?
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    No air from any vents when the blower is ON? Different speeds? Do you get any sound of rushing air? Probably not after the squealing noise. Probably a bearing frozen up in the blower motor.

    However, you can open the hood, open the two little clips on the plastic opening under the passenger side windshield wiper, and inside you'll find either a filter for the incoming air that goes into the cabin or you'll find nothing. If the filter is there, it fits into a plastic skeleton frame. Pull it out. Look down inside and you'll see the blower motor's squirrel cage--the fan part. See if you can rotate it with your fingers. Then turn on the blower motor and see if it rotates?

    There also are problems with the electrical connector for the blower motors--it's right next to them under the dash inside.

    The water is supposed to drain out the rubber tube that's under the passenger side of the firewall behind the motor. Hard to get to, but if someone supports the car safely and can crawl under, they can use a piece of thin wood or something to poke into the tube. It may have a flattened end that water pressure is suppose to push open or some other way to keep air or water from coming up in from the road. When you push something gently up into it, water will probably start rushing out. Goop of some kind probably has clogged it. Prepare for a bath if you are under the car.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • theabbottheabbot Member Posts: 4
    No air when the blower is on. No matter the speed. I was able to get to the squirel cage, and it turns freely with my fingers. However, when I turn the blower on, it does not move. I noticed that there is a hood looking object that slowly covers the cage when I turn the blower on. It moves in a jerking motion until it covers the cage.
    I guess I will have to get under the dash to see whats going on there, and clear out the water tube under the passengers side. Thanks for your advice.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >hood looking

    Can you pull it out from the cowl opening?

    >fan doesn't move

    Connector not making contact? Some have contacts that burn.
    Or the blower motor brushes have stuck in their channel where they slide. As they wear they don't move forward and lose contact.

    Try tapping up on the blower motor with a vibration from your shoe or fist while the key and controls are both turned ON. See if it makes contact and catches. That would tell you everything else is working right.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    Hi,
    I have a water leak in my 2005 Buick Lesabre. It happens when using the air conditioning. The leak appears to be clear clean water. It's coming from under the dash on the passenger side. The dripping is approximately three inches from the floor board hump. The amount of water is enough to saturate the carpet on the passenger side. I suspect it is a problem with the drain from the condensation removal of the cars air conditioning.
    Any help with thoughts about this problem would be greatly appreciated.

    Is the drain for the condensation under the dash on this vehicle?

    Thanks, Deamer1
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Deamer1,
    I apologize that your vehicle has a concern. Have you had anyone look at the vehicle to diagnose the concern? Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    edited July 2010
    Mariah,
    If you mean have I taken it to a dealership for them to diagnose the problem...no.
    I know how the basics work. It is most likely a broken piece of plastic, a misplaced, worn, split, etc drain hose. Most likely it will be something similar.
    I just don't know the specifics of what I will find when I remove the uderpanel of the dash and get started on the repairs.
    What I did do was pull the car into the gagage, disconnected the battery, mopped up most of the water, opened all the car doors, put a large fan blowing air into the car at the wet spot. I left it there all night...it is now dry and no spots in the carpet.
    So, that is where I'm at on this problem. I was hoping someone had words of wisdom for me on this site with this situation. :)
    Thank you for your concerns,
    Deamer1
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    You're welcome! :) If you decide to take the vehicle in please let me know. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    The drain is below the passenger side of the firewall. I believe it's a tube with a squared end. Probably the tube is clogged with some kind of goop. Push some kind of soft wire or something up into it and the water held back in the AC drain pan will probably come gushing out.

    Dirt, pollen, mold, mildew, leaf particles, etc., can get into that area and form a muck that blocks the drain.

    If you can park your car in some way to leave room underneath to crawl under from the side, you should see the rubber drain. I cannot see mine from the top of the engine compartment. Do not lift the car with the scissors jack for changing cars and get under. It is dangerous to do so. Jackstands are a must for solid support.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    imidazol97,
    Thanks for responding. Great minds think alike!
    What I have done so far...removed the dust shield from under the passenger side of the dash. Laid on the floor board until I slightly cracked several ribs :) I carefully observed under the dash and finally came up with two spots which had a water droplet suspended from them. I touched each with a corner of a paper shop towel to wick the droplet off and then observed additional droplets forming. Repeating this often, I figured I wasn't getting the proper draining of the AC water.
    The plastic parts under the dash are many and packed in a close space.
    My time was limited so, I had to quit for a time....which was a good thing. I finally came up with the same idea which you provided for me.
    Again my time was limited. I have not jacked up the car and put it on stands yet. That is what I intend to do and then see if the drain is blocked. It may well be that is the problem.
    I'll keep you informed if you would like, as I progress.
    Deamer1
  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    I've got the car jacked up and placed jack stands under it. Crawling under the car, I haven't found a drain line yet for the A.C.
    From inside the car, under the passenger side of the dash...a drain line runs down and goes under the carpet and is angled as if it stays under the carpet and going toward the rear of the floor panel on the passenger side.
    I haven't figured out how to loosen the trim so I can raise the carpet up to trace it better, but I took out the back seat and lifted the carpet up on the passenger side of the back seat floorboard...It's wet...real wet. Could the drain hose possibly run to the rear seating area and come out there?
    Any words of advise are always welcomed.
    Must go crawl under the car and see if I can figure this out.
    Deamer1
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    I got under mine and left it running for a while to see where the drip comes down.

    Behind the right front wheel look across and up under the car. There's a large cross beam. There is a 1.25 inch round bar about 2 inches behind it. I think that's the sway bar. The drip comes down just behind the big square crossbeam at about the point where the sway bar comes downward and bends to go horizontally across. I didn't try, but I suspect a long arm can reach upward to the area where the tube should be hanging. It will have some kind of system designed so it's not open except when water's weight is forcing water out.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    Hey! Hey! imidazol97,
    I really appreciate you and your input to my problem. It may sound like nothing to others, but your input helped me solve my problem and I want to share it with others. This is a situation which I'm sure will be experienced by others. It's easy to fix once you have good information about the problem. You have helped me and I'd like to provide some input for others.
    I jacked the car up using a floor jack. I blocked the rear wheels, and put jack stands under the frame in the front end. Your input helped me locate the A.C. drain, but it took several attempts for me to find the drain hose.
    The A.C. drain is located almost in the center of the car, high in the dash. I'll describe the location from the underneath of the car as that is where you'll have to unplug the drain hose.
    The A. C. drain hose on my 2005 Buick LeSabre is located high above the point where the manifold meets the catalitic converter. These cars are so low to the ground that I wouldn't have found it without jacking the car up and putting it on Jack Stands and crawling under it.
    Above the catalitic converter is a small drain hose coming out of the dash. It's approximately a 1/2 inch line. It extends out of the dash approximately two inches, then bends down in a 90 degree bend for approximately three inches. the end of my drain hose is like the neck of a balloon. Coming out of the dash it is a round hose, but at the end where the water comes out...it has flat sides that go together. I found some sort of gunky matter in the outlet end of the hose. The water coming out was only a drop once in a while, nothing like it should have been. The blockage caused the water to back up inside the car and spill into the passenger side of the floor board.
    I took a 5/32 inch copper rod approximately 25 inches long and used it to open the drain hose. A couple of flicks of the rod and splash! I got wet. The drain was open, then I had to address the moisture inside under the floor carpet.
    Wishing everyone well and hoping your problems are small. :)

    Deamer1
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    edited July 2010
    Thanks for reporting back. That will help others.

    Be aware there's a rubber like pad under the carpet that holds the moisture underneath. You might want to try lifting it at edges to blow air under if you park car in a garage in some way to dry it. Or lift it at edges with wood pieces and park in the hot sun with windows cracked enough to give airflow on breezy days.

    Is there water pooling in the area under the front seats especially on the driver side? If so, there's a connector of 4 tan wires that corrodes and you lose communication between the driver door module and the three other door modules.

    Bonneville owners have had lots more problems with leaks and water from sunroofs and door liner leaks along with an occasional windshield leak. Add in wheel hump leaks in the trunk along with some others. Some of them take the seats and everything out to hang the carpet and mats up to dry.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    Hi imidazol97,
    The amount of moisture in my car was more than I thought. Originally I thought there was a little moisture under the passenger side carpet near the top where the carpet goes up into the dash area. The water had actually saturated the entire carpet padded area under the passenger side and went completely to the rear floor board section on the passenger side.
    I took out the back seat, disconnected the battery, pulled the rear passenger carpet up as much as I could (wasn't enough) When I put my hand under the carpet it was saturated with a lot more to spare.
    I took five shop towels and packed them under the carpet. When they were saturated I pulled them out, rung them out and put them back under the carpet. I did this maybe ten times. I still had the car up on jack stands so water was running slowly from the front passenger side under the carpet to the rear. There was a lot of water in there and still some in the carpet padding, but not as bad as it was.
    I need to remove the plastic trim holding the edges of the carpet along the door frames bottom, but don't know how these come loose. Do they pop out?
    The weather here was in the 100+ heat index so I parked the car outside, disconnected the battery and opened all the doors. I wedged some small 2x4 pieces under the front carpet near the dash and the rear carpet just at the back seat. I left the car like this all day. I has dried some more, but I really need to remove some of the trim to raise the carpet better to dry it out. Would you know how to remove the plastic trim along the bottom of the doors which hold the carpet in place?
    That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Still working on drying it out.
    Deamer1
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    The carpet retainers that are the door sills snap in. There are three snaps shown along the bottom and one snap at the end that is raised upward--that one looked like a rear door retainer.

    The factory manual says you can use a fan pointed at the wet area. They don't mention the under layment. Maybe that's only behind the rear seat or under the front floorboard.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • deamer1deamer1 Member Posts: 7
    I removed the trim using a inexpensive tool from Harbor Freight. They have a set of five (5) trim tools under $10.00 The wide trim tool lifted the plastic trim with ease.
    I lifted the carpets in the front and rear floor board area as much as I could...blocked them up with a short piece of 2 x 4, placed the car outside as we had two days of 100+ degree days. I disconnected the battery, opened all doors, placed a box fan on a stand for each area and let it blow air under the carpet area for two days. It is drying, but isn't completely dry as of today. I will do this until it is dry.
    Another thing I tried is to blow my shop vac into the areas using the exhaust heat from the electric motor. It works, but is best with a smaller amount of moisture, not like what I experienced. The most difficult to dry is the rubber padding attached to the carpet back which is located under the front seat without removing the seat. Wicking this area and using a fan is working, so I will continue.
    Deamer1
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Sounds like you are working it out yourself just fine.

    Does the car have drain down protection on the battery? I believe LeSabres do--maybe a Custom might not. But if you leave the headlights turned on or the doors open, the power is turned off after about 10 minutes. Same for trunk and overhead lights.

    You might not have to disconnect the battery is my point.

    If you are in an area of the country where you get dry humidity days, I always used those where the hot sun was shining into the car and I leave the windows down an inch on one side of the car to suck air through the AC unit to dry out the accumulated moisture that stays in the drain. You might get even more drying on those days than on high humidity days.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • tvaleriotvalerio Member Posts: 3
    There is no control of the temp by the A.T.C. I opened a door in the heater box [non-permissible content removed]. to allow A.C. to operate. I now have A.C. but no control of the temp. I think it may be the control unit. Where is it located under the dash ? What does it look like ? Is there an interchange with other G.M. vehicles ? Or should I be looking elsewhere ?

    Tony
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