Lack of airflow through the vents???? - Page 2

james brazier · 06-01-11, 11:11 PM

That flap under the dash / glovebox is working fine, must be something else, unless the fan is spinning but slipping somehow therfore not giving enough airflow, can these be taken apart??

msh · 07-01-11, 12:45 AM

Fan can't slip

U can check a lot of things, depending on how deep u are ready to dig

U can remove something to access heater, turn it on to max and feel, if some air is escaping in places, where hoses are attached to heater. U can even do that without removing anything - through glovebox, but u wont be able to see, where is your hand...

Or u can even remove whole dash and heater and inspect it by opening it

james brazier · 07-01-11, 03:27 PM

Ok i have pulled the blower motor, and tested it out of the housing that it sits in, that blows fine, the flap to stop air coming into the car is wide open (had my hand on it), and i can see and hear both the heater control moving and i can see and hear the other flaps moving, the only thing that i found was a small ish lump of grey foam was sitting behind the dash centre vents, so i am thinking that somehow in the deepest bowels of the vents ducts is the rest of it, which is a complete dash out job.

Even the air into the footwells is crap

So i am bit peeved to say the least that i haven't resolved the problem.

2.8 cab · 07-01-11, 04:49 PM

my cabriolet realy blows!!!!! not just a reminder of a wind somewhere.

james brazier · 08-01-11, 02:57 PM

I have now replaced the thermo fuse on the resistor and the fan seems a little better although the fan itself doesn't seem to turn that freely and is still weak on no 1 setting, i have actually lubed up the fan by taking it out of the black plastic housing and spraying some lube on anything that moves, time will tell if it solves the problem or i need another fan and resistor pack, it doesn't look like the vents/dash have been out of the car foam seals still intact etc

james brazier · 13-01-11, 08:02 PM

Well i may have partially solved the problem, there is a foam seal between the box that diverts the air and the main vents in the centre of the dash, it's rectangular in shape. basically that foam foam seal is now after 21 years nothing short of useless, it's like dust if you touch it.

I also saw the flap that shuts the air off to the centre vents, well it was more of a peek actually that too is made out of sort of foam and has a few holes in it.

the solution to the first problem was to remove the old foam, not hard just fell apart then make a new seal, what i did was used the same stuff you seal rear lights with, the 3m type black caulk on a roll that you peel the paper off. Lucky for me i just had enough now i have had this stuff sitting in the toolbox now for over 10 years and have occasionally used for all sorts of other things.

So can forsee a weekend in the summer with the dash out finally fixing this, for now it's better but not perfect

msh · 03-02-11, 11:10 AM

Otherwise, no changes during past three weeks? I just today discovered one possible cause of weak airflow with good working fan

james brazier · 03-02-11, 02:31 PM

and what was the other possible cause that you mention ????

msh · 04-02-11, 01:04 AM

LHD fan. I guess RHD heater is just mirror image of LHD one, and since the fan is centrifugal type, LHD and RHD fans should turn in opposite directions and have rotors with blades at different angles for this, so I guess - wrong fan will more blow air around it's housing than into tunnel. And, btw, part catalogues also mentions if fan is for LHD or RHD. So take your fan out and check in which direction it turns

I guess for RHD that should be clockwise and for LHD counterclockwise - when looking from up. Or u can even leave it in place and look into intake shaft with fan turning at slowest speed.

james brazier · 04-02-11, 08:30 AM

That flap works fine had my hand on it when i took the motor out originally, my problem is the failure of the flap material inside the heater housing it's foam, what a stupid fekking material to use.

06-01-11, 11:11 PM	#11
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	That flap under the dash / glovebox is working fine, must be something else, unless the fan is spinning but slipping somehow therfore not giving enough airflow, can these be taken apart??

07-01-11, 12:45 AM	#12
msh 4 ring whore! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rucava, Latvija Posts: 3,816	Fan can't slip U can check a lot of things, depending on how deep u are ready to dig U can remove something to access heater, turn it on to max and feel, if some air is escaping in places, where hoses are attached to heater. U can even do that without removing anything - through glovebox, but u wont be able to see, where is your hand... Or u can even remove whole dash and heater and inspect it by opening it

07-01-11, 03:27 PM	#13
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	Ok i have pulled the blower motor, and tested it out of the housing that it sits in, that blows fine, the flap to stop air coming into the car is wide open (had my hand on it), and i can see and hear both the heater control moving and i can see and hear the other flaps moving, the only thing that i found was a small ish lump of grey foam was sitting behind the dash centre vents, so i am thinking that somehow in the deepest bowels of the vents ducts is the rest of it, which is a complete dash out job. Even the air into the footwells is crap So i am bit peeved to say the least that i haven't resolved the problem.

07-01-11, 04:49 PM	#14
2.8 cab Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 37	my cabriolet realy blows!!!!! not just a reminder of a wind somewhere.

08-01-11, 02:57 PM	#15
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	I have now replaced the thermo fuse on the resistor and the fan seems a little better although the fan itself doesn't seem to turn that freely and is still weak on no 1 setting, i have actually lubed up the fan by taking it out of the black plastic housing and spraying some lube on anything that moves, time will tell if it solves the problem or i need another fan and resistor pack, it doesn't look like the vents/dash have been out of the car foam seals still intact etc

13-01-11, 08:02 PM	#16
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	Well i may have partially solved the problem, there is a foam seal between the box that diverts the air and the main vents in the centre of the dash, it's rectangular in shape. basically that foam foam seal is now after 21 years nothing short of useless, it's like dust if you touch it. I also saw the flap that shuts the air off to the centre vents, well it was more of a peek actually that too is made out of sort of foam and has a few holes in it. the solution to the first problem was to remove the old foam, not hard just fell apart then make a new seal, what i did was used the same stuff you seal rear lights with, the 3m type black caulk on a roll that you peel the paper off. Lucky for me i just had enough now i have had this stuff sitting in the toolbox now for over 10 years and have occasionally used for all sorts of other things. So can forsee a weekend in the summer with the dash out finally fixing this, for now it's better but not perfect

03-02-11, 11:10 AM	#17
msh 4 ring whore! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rucava, Latvija Posts: 3,816	Otherwise, no changes during past three weeks? I just today discovered one possible cause of weak airflow with good working fan

03-02-11, 02:31 PM	#18
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	and what was the other possible cause that you mention ????

04-02-11, 01:04 AM	#19
msh 4 ring whore! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rucava, Latvija Posts: 3,816	LHD fan. I guess RHD heater is just mirror image of LHD one, and since the fan is centrifugal type, LHD and RHD fans should turn in opposite directions and have rotors with blades at different angles for this, so I guess - wrong fan will more blow air around it's housing than into tunnel. And, btw, part catalogues also mentions if fan is for LHD or RHD. So take your fan out and check in which direction it turns I guess for RHD that should be clockwise and for LHD counterclockwise - when looking from up. Or u can even leave it in place and look into intake shaft with fan turning at slowest speed.

04-02-11, 08:30 AM	#20
james brazier Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 189	That flap works fine had my hand on it when i took the motor out originally, my problem is the failure of the flap material inside the heater housing it's foam, what a stupid fekking material to use.