smell

[rangerman660]

Hey guys,
I have been lurking here for over 8 years, been through many crashes, thanks for all the info! I could use a little help. I have a 2005 ranger 3.0 auto. 151kmiles. I smell a weird coolent/burnt electrical smell specifically around the passenger side firewall near the a/c evaporator. I see water dripping out the bottom of the evaporator, but it doesnt appear to be coolent. The pass. floorboard is dry, so i dont think its the heater core. any idears?! any help would be awesome! thanks!

 

[adsm08]

Could the smell be described as "chemical" or anything like that? In that area it may be the A/C system that is leaking, and with the weather so cold out right now the system would be hard to test for proper operation.

 

[rangerman660]

Possibly. I actually smell it more when its cold outside?

 

[adsm08]

Hard to say over the interwebs.

 

[srteach]

There is a catch pan (engine side of firewall) for the condensate from the AC coils. It has a drain, which needs to be open and free flowing. If it is not free flowing, it will overflow into the cabin and possibly into the blower motor electrics. Check that the drain is not blocked with ice or dirt.
You smell coolant? Only one source for that ... coolant leak. Check for small leak (small enough to evaporate and not drip). Look for coolant tracks on heater core or loose hose connections.

I once had a vehicle with a kinked AC condenser drain hose. The heater produced steam into the cabin, and the AC never put cold air into the cabin. Found the water level above the heater and AC cores. Fixed the hose, everything worked correctly.

 

[rangerman660]

the water i do see dripping is dripping down the wheel well. i have been checking my coolant a lot, the radiator is slap full. the resavor is possibly low, i cant really tell if it has moved any. Its going into the shop monday. thanks all