Thanks to everyone who helped me with my recent A/C issue, the van is running great and the A/C is cold on both sides again.

Now my new issues are the following:

1. Water is building up under the vent for the wipers, the wiper motor seized up ( I think due to the constant water flooding) and I can't seem to find the drainage spots where the water should go. I am thinking it's probably just a clog somwhere right? I get a TON of water that flows in behind my glovebox onto the passenger side floor if I start to drive when it's full of water after a rain.

Water Buildup: https://i.imgur.com/u26j1Tf.jpg

2. I have a lot of crud in my radiator, I don't know if the previous owner mixed the two types of coolant, or if this is rust or what exactly. My overflow resivor has nasty black/brown water as well. I figure my first step is to pull the thermostat and do a full flush? or should I just flush the radiator and hoses out?

Crud Under Cap: https://i.imgur.com/4EvCOVM.jpg

If I do flush, should I do the method of pulling the thermostat, and putting a hose right into that spot, and just let it run until it's clear, then fill back up with 50/50?


Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Wow. Both are ugly pics. There's two wiper well drains under the well in the engine compartment. Both are about 3/4 inch diameter black plastic tubes. One is near the alternator on the passenger side. The other is on the driver's side near the brake booster. Just wiggle and pull them loose. If nothing comes out stick you finger up in there till it does. Flush the tubes out with a hose or something long enough to get in there. I've done these several times. In my case tree seeds etc get in there and clog them.

That's among the worst cooling systems I've seen. Something is in there that shouldn't be. By all means flush the system. First I would disconnect the rad hoses and flush the rad with a hose. Then I would install one of those Prestone flush kits and and back flush the system first with the lower rad hose off then connect it and flush everything at once. Use a heavy duty system cleaner in the final flush. In a week or two drain it and see what the fluid looks like. If it's still cruddy talk to a rad shop and have it professionally flushed.

 

Thanks for the info on the drains, I found another post mentioning a "third drain" as well and that this is a very common issues with these vans.

Is this the flush kit you're taking about?
I know Walmart has these I just have never used it, but it looks straight forward.

 

Yup that's the one. Common? yup, as I said I've had to clear them several times. Either it clogs near the connection or down in the tube and sometimes both. I've only seen two drains. Could the third be the A/C condensate drain? Nothing to do with the wiper well.

 

I found the two drains, they were both clogged with mud and leaves. While trying to remove the hoses, they basically cracked and deteriorated in my hands. I think it would be pretty simple to replace with basic plastic tubing and some hose clamps.

Thanks again for the help, ill update after I flush everything this weekend.

 

Can anyone recommend a source for the plastic tubing/hose? Home Depot and AutoZone did not have anything that would work or was the same diameter. For now I just duct taped the crap out of the hoses since it's raining today, no leaks into the engine bay, and they seem to be cleared most of the way down since it's not backing up in the wiper well anymore.

I flushed the radiator this weekend, lots of nasty rust water came out. I ran a prestone 10 minute flush kit through, and it was pretty clear on the 2nd dump, so now it's filled back up with 50/50 and seems to be ok. I will probably do another drain and refill next month since I couldn't get 100% of the water out.