[joeinoregon]

If your front heat is blowing luke warm and you are noticing foam debris flying out of your vents, you may have lost the cheap, foam covering to the heater redirector "blender" flaps (which are perforated with 6 holes):


By removing the center console, you can gain access to the vent where the main deflector flap sends outside cold air through the heater core:



By using aluminum tape for patching vents and ducts, you can use small pieces stuck to your hand* to tape over the vent holes:



*requires contorting body and arm to reach up into the vent.

There have been other posts on this topic, including those that suggest you take the dash off. These would not have the "quick and dirty" label and will take much longer than 60 minutes to complete.
http://1705.net/archives/1085

(note: pictures of blender flap were taken by shoving iPhone camera up vent and using the photo timer)

[erik.wahlstrom]

Interesting. Did you discover this by accident? Or was this the goal? Did you remove the seats?

[Phaeton]

Is there a DIY out there for the slow method of taking apart the dashboard?

Why is it perforated with holes and not solid metal to begin with? I'm a little bit hesitant to tape up that area since I don't know how the system works. With that being said - this would work great for me as the van spews out random pieces of foam.

[sfcameraman]

Is there a DIY out there for the slow method of taking apart the dashboard?

Why is it perforated with holes and not solid metal to begin with? I'm a little bit hesitant to tape up that area since I don't know how the system works. With that being said - this would work great for me as the van spews out random pieces of foam.

I took apart my dash about two years ago due to the heater core failing. The heater core is buried behind the flaps, down in the vent's plastic box of hell. While I was in there I covered the flaps, which were still functional. The foam was sticky and disintegrated when I touched it. My thinking is that moisture, especially any moisture with radiator fluid vapor, just kills that foam.

The flaps need to be covered. Why they used foam, I don't know... maybe sound deadening? Aluminum tape works just fine as a replacement. The flaps are there to redirect air, if I remember correctly, from heat to cooling system.

Look in forums for heater core replacement. I seem to recall someone writing up a few ways to tackle it. It wasn't easy, but it was doable with decent tools and some patience. My mechanic would have charged a fortune just for the labor of getting to the heater core... so it was worth a full day of work.

If you pull out your dash to replace the flaps, I highly recommend replacing the heater core at the same time, it is a cheap part that will probably fail, eventually. Also, it's a good time to vacuum the several pounds of dust out and remove all those pencils and crap that fall through the dash cracks.

[Phaeton]

I took apart my dash about two years ago due to the heater core failing. The heater core is buried behind the flaps, down in the vent's plastic box of hell. While I was in there I covered the flaps, which were still functional. The foam was sticky and disintegrated when I touched it. My thinking is that moisture, especially any moisture with radiator fluid vapor, just kills that foam.

Are there any tubes and/or solenoids I should replace while the dash is apart? I intend to replace the dashboard support beam as well - I'm very nervous about that one!

I bought the foam recommended on 1705.net. I figured I might as well since the dashboard support beam is coming out anyway.

[erik.wahlstrom]

If you do this, you'd be doing us a great service if you documented it well!    It's on my todo list, eventually.

[evlove]

Awesome trick, I'll be doing the quick and dirty tonight if needed.  Just picked up a camera on a three foot bendy extender from Home Depot, just $99.  After taking a few quick looks around, I found out why the defrost stopped blowing air - my three year old daughter has been using the air vent slots in lieue of a piggy bank.  So far I've found enough change to get a coffee at Starbucks.  Im sure its jammed the directional flappers somewhere.  On a good note, there's still good foam on the blending flaps.


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