Condensation on Inside of Windshield

The AC condensate drain should not have a plug. It's just open allowing any humidity to drip out of the cab undert truck. That may be something you want to check though, as the small hose can get plugged up over time with gunk and stuff. Do you ever have any mositure on the pass. side floor under glove box area?

The thing you're talking about unscrewing might be the actual AC refrigerant port. That is in the engine bay toward the front of the truck. A black cap on an aluminum tube. No need to mess with that.

 

When this moisture occurs, is it when there is a fast drop in temp?

If the cab has warm humid air in it and there is a fast temp drop with a passing front, even as little as 10*, the moisture in the cabin air will condense on the windows. All the windows, not just the windshield, although it may have the most.

If there is wet in the cab from a leak, this situation will be even worse. (more moisture in the cabin air)

If this is what you are experiencing, simply driving a few minutes with the windows open to allow entry of the colder air to enter will clear the glass.

 

I found a photo of the AC drain plug with a Google search, but I could find nothing of the sort, but I did see a small black hose, maybe 3/8" ID that is nearly impossible to get a hand in there, but it seems clear.

I got the new cabin air filter installed today. If it wasn’t for this thread, I would not have know of the existence of this filter. Entire pine needles were in there that I removed before I took the photo below. I don’t know if this has anything to do with all the moisture on the inside of the windshield, but obviously it needed to be replaced. Old one in photo below.

 

At a minimum that would restrict the airflow.

 

I have gone thru the entire inside, even behind the dash and under the carpet, and there is zero moisture anywhere. The seat belt is dry, but moisture is getting into the rear door on the drivers side somehow. I guess I’ll try slamming the door shut a little tighter for a while and see if that helps to compress the rubber seals better.

 

Another place to check is the third brake light. That’ll leak and collect at the rear seat floor.

 

Of fresh air coming into the cab while all windows are closed?

 

Yes.

 

Thanks. You must be a Sig P220 fan?

 

Not sure if is the cause of the condensation, but at least the filter was replaced. Was just throwing it out as a possibility.

I am, yes. Was my first handgun, way back in the early 80's.

 

Well, that filter needed to be replaced. Judging by all the crud in the old filter, I wonder if all that junk in the photo of the filter comes down thru those louvers under the hood and directly above where the cabin air filter is.

My P220 lived by my bed for years. It’s just a fun range pew pew now.

 

Outside air only to defrost. Got to get rid of the humidity like human breath.

 

Yes.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rust-varmit-and-ac-clogging-prevention-project.557970/

 

Exactly. There is a vent or two low down on the back wall of the cab, so there is airflow through the cab even with the windows closed.

A plugged cab filter greatly reduces this airflow, makes the defrost far less effective, and allows moisture to build up in the cab over time.

Time will tell if it’s the whole issue, that damp seatbelt thing sounds a bit concerning, but it may be condensation forming inside the door from a humid cab.

 

Interesting link and nice writeup. What year is your Tacoma? I tried finding something on YouTube about getting in there, but found nothing on the Tacoma but did get the impression that it probably changes a lot from year to year or gen to gen.

 

I just went to the store and there was hardly any condensation on the windshield and the defroster took care of it fast. I will be driving it tomorrow, so it should get well dried out and it will be a couple more days till we get more rain. It can’t be that simple by just changing the cabin air filter to fix my problem, but fingers are crossed.

 

'13 as noted under my name.

Post 30 in that thread contains a link on cowl removal. Its pretty intuitive as well.

While year models may vary slightly, for the most part they all work about the same. Nothing fancy or complex.

 

The way it is written, ‘13 5 made no sense to me, so I had to ask.

Thanks for the links. Looks like Toyota makes a replacement cowl cover. This would be a summer project for me as I’m not very mechanically orientated and I hate working on vehicles, but if it is something simple, I’ll try to tackle it myself. Only thing I refuse to have someone else do is change my oil and filter. At 74, even that gets more difficult every year. Just not flexible as I used to be anymore.

 

'13 is the year of course. 5 lug base AC (Access Cab) is the type Tacoma I have.

All 4wd and 'prerunner' models are 6 lug. Bodies of the 5 vs 6 lug vehicles are quite similar, suspension very different.

I'm closer to your age than you might suspect, and I agree, flexibility changes.

But the real kicker is you not enjoying working on vehicles, where I've mess with bikes, go karts, lawn mowers, cars and trucks all my life. While we can all learn new things at any age, it's helpful at our age if there is experience to back it up. Having a good idea of what to do makes some things much easier.

 

I don’t know when I lost the interest in working on vehicles. My first car was a 1948 Plymouth that I inherited from an uncle. Easy to work on 4 cylinder flat head, however, I got into it with my father once, and he switched spark plugs on me. I had to get back into his good graces before he would switch them back. The number of combinations that 4 spark plug wires could have is something I didn’t want to deal with. In high school, a couple of other guys and me put a 1956 Olds hemi into a 29 ford body. Back then I could look at a nut and know the size wrench I needed. Today, I can’t do that, cause it’s been too many years. I count on the knowledge of this forum.