TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

makriegz · 05-29-2023, 10:23 AM

Hi all,

I know this is a 6 year old thread now, but it has the right title, so others can find it.

I have been chasing down an AC leak, and wanted to post some pics to help others, and also share my latest discovery, which is where I'm unsure what to do next.

I have a 2007 3124KS. The AC is a Coleman Polar Mach 9203c876. I couldn't find a brand anywhere on it, but as you start taking it apart, there are labels around with part number 9203c876.

To begin, anytime the AC was on cool, I had a constant drip (every few seconds) coming through the left vent (behind the selector switch, passenger side).

I got on the roof, started dismantling, and cleaned all this nasty gunk out. Made sure all the little holes around were un-clogged.

But that didn't change the leak at all, so I kept on. On the passenger side, I saw this sponge which people in the forum had described. I tried yanking on it but mine is pretty anchored in there and I didn't wanna mess with it too much.

So I started taking it further apart. By the way, I think it was Bill who shared this link about AC roof links, which was very helpful and gave me the courage to keep dismantling.

I had a bunch of nice shiny tape holding my evaporator cover on. Got that off to expose the evaporator coil.

I cleaned and felt all around. Discovered that water was pooling on that off-white piece of plastic in the center. And that was dripping off the left side, and through the left vent. I've got a video of it, here.

I could see what looked like the drain pan, but it was all locked in place. So I started dismantling these parts with high voltage warnings.

This exposed the drain pain.

There was a bunch of nasty gunk in the pan, and dammed up along the base of the coil. I think that means the initial leak couldn't get to the drain pan, because of the dam of gunk.

I got a toothbrush to scoop all that out. Jammed my finger down in the drain hole to clear that out. I also sprayed the evaporator coil with 409. Others had recommended "coil cleaner". Then I sprayed it with water so the gunk in the coil also dripped down. And I cleaned all that out of the pan.

Finally, this fixed the internal leak!!

But, there is still some water finding its way back inside. I noticed that when the water drips through the drip pan, it's pooling on the yellowish surface, the base of the AC. So I suspect that the water is either (1) coming in through a crack in the top of the yellow plastic, or (2) dripping off the plastic, pooling on the roof, and coming back in through a gap in the sealant at the base of the yellow plastic.

I've also been following the remaining leak, as it's been coming in through a few different places. I've found water dripping off of the front left spring-loaded screw. But more often, I've seen it coming in through this screw hole here, with water gathering all along that lip.

I took that shroud off, and found water pooling on top of the metal roof layer, near this crack.

I don't understand the anatomy of this part of the roof and AC. My best guess is that this white wood paneling with the crack in it is what's holding up the yellowish plastic. And it seems that there is water flowing through the crack, and then down through the screw holes. That's why I'm thinking the water is either dripping through the top or the bottom of the yellowing plastic, then finding it's way through this crack, and back inside.

My first thought was to seal up the crack in the wood, but then the water would just pool up there in the inner layers, which would become very problematic. Any ideas on how to trace down the potential crack in the yellow base?

Hmm perhaps I could carve out the big whole in the drain pan, and route a short length of tubing to bypass the yellow piece, and run the water straight onto the roof.

Hope this is helpful to others, and thanks in advance for any ideas.

05-29-2023, 10:23 AM	#19
makriegz Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 14	Hi all, I know this is a 6 year old thread now, but it has the right title, so others can find it. I have been chasing down an AC leak, and wanted to post some pics to help others, and also share my latest discovery, which is where I'm unsure what to do next. I have a 2007 3124KS. The AC is a Coleman Polar Mach 9203c876. I couldn't find a brand anywhere on it, but as you start taking it apart, there are labels around with part number 9203c876. To begin, anytime the AC was on cool, I had a constant drip (every few seconds) coming through the left vent (behind the selector switch, passenger side). I got on the roof, started dismantling, and cleaned all this nasty gunk out. Made sure all the little holes around were un-clogged. But that didn't change the leak at all, so I kept on. On the passenger side, I saw this sponge which people in the forum had described. I tried yanking on it but mine is pretty anchored in there and I didn't wanna mess with it too much. So I started taking it further apart. By the way, I think it was Bill who shared this link about AC roof links, which was very helpful and gave me the courage to keep dismantling. I had a bunch of nice shiny tape holding my evaporator cover on. Got that off to expose the evaporator coil. I cleaned and felt all around. Discovered that water was pooling on that off-white piece of plastic in the center. And that was dripping off the left side, and through the left vent. I've got a video of it, here. I could see what looked like the drain pan, but it was all locked in place. So I started dismantling these parts with high voltage warnings. This exposed the drain pain. There was a bunch of nasty gunk in the pan, and dammed up along the base of the coil. I think that means the initial leak couldn't get to the drain pan, because of the dam of gunk. I got a toothbrush to scoop all that out. Jammed my finger down in the drain hole to clear that out. I also sprayed the evaporator coil with 409. Others had recommended "coil cleaner". Then I sprayed it with water so the gunk in the coil also dripped down. And I cleaned all that out of the pan. Finally, this fixed the internal leak!! But, there is still some water finding its way back inside. I noticed that when the water drips through the drip pan, it's pooling on the yellowish surface, the base of the AC. So I suspect that the water is either (1) coming in through a crack in the top of the yellow plastic, or (2) dripping off the plastic, pooling on the roof, and coming back in through a gap in the sealant at the base of the yellow plastic. I've also been following the remaining leak, as it's been coming in through a few different places. I've found water dripping off of the front left spring-loaded screw. But more often, I've seen it coming in through this screw hole here, with water gathering all along that lip. I took that shroud off, and found water pooling on top of the metal roof layer, near this crack. I don't understand the anatomy of this part of the roof and AC. My best guess is that this white wood paneling with the crack in it is what's holding up the yellowish plastic. And it seems that there is water flowing through the crack, and then down through the screw holes. That's why I'm thinking the water is either dripping through the top or the bottom of the yellowing plastic, then finding it's way through this crack, and back inside. My first thought was to seal up the crack in the wood, but then the water would just pool up there in the inner layers, which would become very problematic. Any ideas on how to trace down the potential crack in the yellow base? Hmm perhaps I could carve out the big whole in the drain pan, and route a short length of tubing to bypass the yellow piece, and run the water straight onto the roof. Hope this is helpful to others, and thanks in advance for any ideas.