06 318i Droplets under Car

Tiesto

I was visiting my parents at the weekend, and shortly after leaving, received a call from my Dad saying to check my car, as he noticed some form of droplets where the car was parked.

I checked the oil gauge and its reporting 3/4 full.
This evening, I let the car run for a couple of minutes and then checked, and there were another couple of droplets.
My mate however said it could be to do with the Air Con.
The aircon was on full when I did the test...
I turned the engine off, put a white sheet under the car and left for 10 minutes.. Came back to find nothing on it, so it could be the air con...

I suppose the best way to find out is to take the car to the garage, but just trying to get some info here first. Could the air con lead to droplets under the car?

Thanks alot.



Thanks alot

rebel.ranter

Hi, this is most likely the air con as you said, water in the air condenses on the air conditioner.

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-That-Leaking-From-Under-My-Car?-Understand-Your-Cars-Leak-Language-and-Save-Money&id=3189446


Water

On a hot day, clear water dripping from under your car is probably condensation from your air conditioner and nothing to worry about. All it means is your air conditioner is doing its job by de-humidifying the air inside your car.

Pete67

Aircon will cause water to appear under the car on a warm humid day. The water in the moist air condenses on the cooling coils when the aircon is running, and is drained off underneath the car. Perfectly normal.

Tiesto

ok thanks for the advise guys.. but ye both mention warm day..
Its pretty damn cold tonight

rebel.ranter

Well, a cold condenser will cause moisture in the air to form into droplets on the cold pipe, doesn't matter how warm it is outside really, however it will probably be worse on a warm day if that helps!

Tiesto

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Well, a cold condenser will cause moisture in the air to form into droplets on the cold pipe, doesn't matter how warm it is outside really, however it will probably be worse on a warm day if that helps!

that does help, thanks!!
I will leave the air con off for a couple of days, and see the result then..

cheers for the info.

rebel.ranter

Well there is always water under the centre (towards front) of my car (also a BMW) if I park up after driving with aircon on (which is nearly always).

TJJP

There is an occasional problem with these 3's where the steering rack may leak fluid out of endseal and into track rod end gaiter. This would suggest a PAS fluid (PAS - power assisted steer fluid) leak near the wheel on either side.

The AirCon suggestion is far more likely though and would see water under the car engine in a more centralised location. Quite likely in the humid weather we are having at the moment as the a/c is probably drying out the air in the car.

Tiesto

TJJP wrote: »

There is an occasional problem with these 3's where the steering rack may leak fluid out of endseal and into track rod end gaiter. This would suggest a PAS fluid (PAS - power assisted steer fluid) leak near the wheel on either side.

The AirCon suggestion is far more likely though and would see water under the car engine in a more centralised location. Quite likely in the humid weather we are having at the moment as the a/c is probably drying out the air in the car.

crap. I think it maybe the PAS fluid as I went to put some better material down under the car to collect the droplets and i noticed a wet patch on the ground which seemed to be beside one of the wheels. The roofing beside the wheel appeared to be wet aswell..

TJJP

I wouldn't freak out just yet, could also be the window washer bottle (if it's on that side). They can leak from the bottom where the pump is located.

Perhaps fill the washer and leave it overnight and see if it's full in the morning. Check the PAS fluid level too (to see where it's at, put a small line with a pen) and then keep an eye on it over a few days.

Tiesto

ok thanks TJJP.
Ill check out all options tomorrow