Ran into my first issue with my 2016 CX-5 GT (kind of a odd one)

[blackcx5]

If it is truly the drain tube another the best way to test is to turn on the AC. After a few minutes condensation should start dripping out the drain tube. If not then its clogged. You can try to unclog it with a metal hanger or I'd prefer KlimaCleaner type product where the foaming solution helps break down gunk.

Never heard of the KooAid trick LOL.

LOL, not Kool-Aid... Lubegard Kool-It to clean the coils after the clog is removed. This also helps if you have musty mildew smell when you use air conditioner see link...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)


I'm almst certain OP's issue is a clogged drain.. tons of info on CX-9 forum...

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123813466-CX-9-Clogged-AC-Evaporator-Drain&highlight=unclog

My friend Acura TL has the same issue, his was a huge repair bill though, the drain hose got plugged and the water spilled over the condensate drain pan and the water spilled over the ECU located behind the center console the ECU got fried.


OP should get it fixed asap, not good to have any water trapped in the condenser coil areas, bacteria starts to grow fast. also corrosion starts to set in quick

 

[madar]

Here's the thing, when my a/c is on I DO see water dripping underneath the car, and no, I don't here water sloshing around when I make a turn.

 

[CX-5um]

Madar, do you live in an environment with snow? I wonder if your drain tubes somehow got bugs, dirty snow, or other external factor clogging it from under the car.

 

[madar]

Madar, do you live in an environment with snow? I wonder if your drain tubes somehow got bugs, dirty snow, or other external factor clogging it from under the car.

Yes, lots of snow last year. I guess that's possible. Bug problem has been terrible this year with the ridiculous amounts of rain and hot weather.

 

[CX-5um]

Yes, lots of snow last year. I guess that's possible. Bug problem has been terrible this year with the ridiculous amounts of rain and hot weather.

The drain tube is a rubber tube. Maybe its pinched. Perhaps a bug (bee/hornet) was attracted to the water and tried to get in but got stuck. I'd try snaking a long zip tie something not sharp up the tube to dislodge any objects prior to taking it into the dealership.

 

[madar]

The drain tube is a rubber tube. Maybe its pinched. Perhaps a bug (bee/hornet) was attracted to the water and tried to get in but got stuck. I'd try snaking a long zip tie something not sharp up the tube to dislodge any objects prior to taking it into the dealership.

Don't know about a clogged tube, was dripping pretty good when I got home. Made a puddle within a minute or two of shutting down

 

[madar]

you got a clogged AC drain, save yourself some money and time : you can easily fixed yourself, see tomcat1446's thread #19 in this link, he also linked a video from youtube titled "CX-5 water leak" stealerships charge like $175 for this, what a scam, they say they have to remove the dash to get to the AC unit, what BS..

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...a-c-drain-and-remove-musty-smell-easily/page2

you probably can hear water sloshing sound as you make hard turns, make sure to clamp that rubber tube before you remove it otherwise a whole bunch of water will start pouring into your passenger footwell... see thread#1 in link:

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...nclog-a-c-drain-and-remove-musty-smell-easily

get a can of compressed air and zap out any clog in that rubber hose or the white connector on the floor that drains to under your car, confirm by using a squirt bottle and squirt water into the drain tube and make sure it comes out underneath your car.

also, it may be a good idea to get a can of Kool-It from Amazon and spray the coils, to prevent mold and mildew if your drain was clogged.

Saw the video in this link about where water would be coming out if this little hose got clogged, it's where I'm seeing water. Pulled the panel out and gave the drain hose a squeeze to see if I could hear anything squishing around in there. Gonna be pulling this hose off when I have more time tomorrow, looks pretty simple and straightforward. This thing drains in the dumbest place behind a heat shield. Could be that maybe I have a partial clog, maybe something is moving around in there to cause an occasional clog. We'll see.

 

[madar]

And this looks like a drip tray to catch anything leaking from underneath. Notice the relief circled in red. Gets mounted right under the fan where leaks would occur according to the video.

 

[erhayes]

Get the garden hose out and go to work finding the leak site. Ed

 

[madar]

Get the garden hose out and go to work finding the leak site. Ed

yeah, threw a couple of buckets of water over the cowl area but that's usually not enough, will be doing the hose thing if nothing else pans out. Supposed to get heavy rain in a few days, so see what happens.

 

[CX-5um]

Madar, yes I think you have a partial clog.

 

[madar]

Well I pulled the little drain hose off, little bastard was tough to get off. Managed to snake a soft wire up it for about 16 inches, blasted it with a can of air, felt no obstruction and nothing came out, Also snaked a nylon tie wrap in the lower plastic part that the hose attached to, no obstruction there either. Big rain storm coming tomorrow night so we'll wait and see what happens.

 

[CX-5um]

Well I pulled the little drain hose off, little bastard was tough to get off. Managed to snake a soft wire up it for about 16 inches, blasted it with a can of air, felt no obstruction and nothing came out, Also snaked a nylon tie wrap in the lower plastic part that the hose attached to, no obstruction there either. Big rain storm coming tomorrow night so we'll wait and see what happens.

Hmmm okay I'm stumped now.

Wait that panel cover. The water came from the section nearest the front passenger tire right? There may be a seal leak from that section. Gotta use a flashlight to inspect up that way.

Sidenote- you can give us a tutorial on the drain plug now

 

[madar]

Hmmm okay I'm stumped now.

Wait that panel cover. The water came from the section nearest the front passenger tire right? There may be a seal leak from that section. Gotta use a flashlight to inspect up that way.

Sidenote- you can give us a tutorial on the drain plug now

No, water was closest to the middle. Actually had no water show up today, had heavy rains and had the a/c on- was very humid today. So maybe I knocked something partially clogging or something. I used the tutorial by blackcx5 posted in post #18.

 

[CX-5um]

No, water was closest to the middle. Actually had no water show up today, had heavy rains and had the a/c on- was very humid today. So maybe I knocked something partially clogging or something. I used the tutorial by blackcx5 posted in post #18.

Yeah I sure hope so. A partial clog is probably the best explanation right now. No leaks after heavy rains indicates a non-external issue. Where exactly was the hose?

 

[madar]

Yeah I sure hope so. A partial clog is probably the best explanation right now. No leaks after heavy rains indicates a non-external issue. Where exactly was the hose?

There's a panel to the left of the passenger's foot that just pops off, it's under there.
It's in this link. Watch the video.

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...a-c-drain-and-remove-musty-smell-easily/page2

 

[billyjay]

you got a clogged AC drain, save yourself some money and time : you can easily fixed yourself, see tomcat1446's thread #19 in this link, he also linked a video from youtube titled "CX-5 water leak" stealerships charge like $175 for this, what a scam, they say they have to remove the dash to get to the AC unit, what BS..

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...a-c-drain-and-remove-musty-smell-easily/page2

you probably can hear water sloshing sound as you make hard turns, make sure to clamp that rubber tube before you remove it otherwise a whole bunch of water will start pouring into your passenger footwell... see thread#1 in link:

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...nclog-a-c-drain-and-remove-musty-smell-easily

get a can of compressed air and zap out any clog in that rubber hose or the white connector on the floor that drains to under your car, confirm by using a squirt bottle and squirt water into the drain tube and make sure it comes out underneath your car.

also, it may be a good idea to get a can of Kool-It from Amazon and spray the coils, to prevent mold and mildew if your drain was clogged.

Has anyone found a permanent fix for this? I’ve had to vacuum the water out of mine a few times now and the blower just died on us. I tried the link to unclogging it but it didn’t work.

 

[yrwei52]

Has anyone found a permanent fix for this? I’ve had to vacuum the water out of mine a few times now and the blower just died on us. I tried the link to unclogging it but it didn’t work.

This’s a design issue and you won’t be able to find a permanent “fix” for the problem.

In your case you want read through this entire thread and find any information to suit your symptom. IMO your problem is different from OP’s, and your water could be coming from outside source; hence affected the blower motor which was died. An easy way to figure out this is if you see water when it rains, or if you water the windshield in the area of air inlet with AC off, this indicates the water is coming from outside. The discussion here on the water leak is mainly caused by condensation from the evaporator of the AC unit. You will see water only if you keep the AC on for a period of time,

In both cases, if you don’t see any water dripping to the ground under the car, the drain hose is clogged.

Once you figured out the water source, you’ll have a better chance to fix the problem “permanently”.

 

[billyjay]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm sure it's a condensation draining issue, as it makes all of those sloshing noises during left turns now that we've been running the AC more than usual. When I shopvac it out, it typically drains for 15-20 min, so a lot of water builds up in there pretty quickly. One way I'm pretty sure it's not an outside water issue is that the problem recently happened after we'd been without any precipitation for nearly 5 days. Of course, there could always be two issues happening at once, but I'm pretty sure it's a clogged drain.

Seems crazy to me that Mazda hasn't really addressed this since it seems to be a common, pervasive issue across multiple Mazda models. Crazy, but not surprising, I guess..

 

[yrwei52]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm sure it's a condensation draining issue, as it makes all of those sloshing noises during left turns now that we've been running the AC more than usual. When I shopvac it out, it typically drains for 15-20 min, so a lot of water builds up in there pretty quickly. One way I'm pretty sure it's not an outside water issue is that the problem recently happened after we'd been without any precipitation for nearly 5 days. Of course, there could always be two issues happening at once, but I'm pretty sure it's a clogged drain.

Seems crazy to me that Mazda hasn't really addressed this since it seems to be a common, pervasive issue across multiple Mazda models. Crazy, but not surprising, I guess..

In theory the drain tube if it isn’t clogged should be able to get rid of all condensation water accumulated in the unit eventually even if you’re living in a high humility environment. If you can hear sloshing noises during left turns now, the drain tube isn’t functioning. Try to clear the blockage in the drain tube with methods mentioned in the thread, It’d be hard for me to believe if the accumulated water can be sloshing around when the drain tube is functioning.