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Author Topic: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents  (Read 2329 times)

herdfan75

  • Jr. Member
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  • Posts: 81
    • 94 Capri XR2
Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« on: September 03, 2018, 04:07:07 PM »

Hi folks,

Just bought back my 94 Capri XR2 that I sold a few years ago.  The car has a horrible musty smell.  Everything is dry inside (had a hard top on and the convertible top is new), but there are leaves and such coming out of the AC vents.  Is there a way to access the ventilation system to clean it out?  I'm afraid there's an old mouse nest in there somewhere too as I am seeing pieces of carpet padding as well.  Yuck.

I need to remedy this before I can really drive the car.

Thanks all!
« Last Edit: September 03, 2018, 04:54:53 PM by herdfan75 »
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blueamber

  • Sr. Member
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  • Posts: 450
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2018, 01:15:03 AM »

The air for the vents comes in high on the firewall in the cavity where the windshield wiper motor arms reside.  It is usually filled with leaves and such.  For stray leaves in the vents, I use a bicycle tire spoke to grab them with the fan on and pull them out...
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herdfan75

  • Jr. Member
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  • Posts: 81
    • 94 Capri XR2
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2018, 10:14:23 AM »

Ok that's what I thought.  I'm hoping to be able to get a small shop vac hose down in there and suck stuff out.  It smells bad!  Can't even drive it right now.
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herdfan75

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  • Posts: 81
    • 94 Capri XR2
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2018, 09:50:35 AM »

Any suggestions on cleaning the vents?  Seems like I am not getting much air (pretty much none) from the left hand vent, but the middle vents and the right vent seem to be ok.  I pulled the front of the dash and was able to get some debris out but obviously cannot get my hand down in the tubes. 

Also, I planned on pulling the fan motor from the bottom of the box and see if there's anything in there that I can access. 

Can anyone suggest something I can spray down in the vents to eliminate the smell?  It smells like old musty rotted leaves. I was thinking of a vinegar solution with warm water and some citrus scent. I think if I can eliminate that and steam the carpets I'll be good to go.

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Rocketman

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    • 91 BPT AWD Capri & 1991 XR2
    • http://www.werbatfik.com
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2018, 02:30:01 PM »

Might have to get in deep on the vents. I bought a cheap endoscope camera for my smartphone that's good for stuff like this, they're ~$20 on amazon and can be snaked down into tight spaces for inspection. Overall a pretty useful tool.

If you find crap down in there, you can attach a thinner hose to a shop vac and route it in to remove whatever's down in there.
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


herdfan75

  • Jr. Member
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  • Posts: 81
    • 94 Capri XR2
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2018, 02:51:35 PM »

That's a good idea.  I thought about a smaller hose for the shop vac (I actually have a little hand-held vac) but haven't tried the hose yet.  I thought about borrowing a dentist suction hose since the vent tubes are so small! ;D
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herdfan75

  • Jr. Member
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  • Posts: 81
    • 94 Capri XR2
Re: Cleaning AC/Heater Vents
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2018, 03:19:56 PM »

I found an attachment for my small shop vac that has a 1/2 flexible hose that I believe will fit down in the vents (I can add to it if necessary).  I believe this is where the smell is coming from because I've cleaned everything else.  I'll report back!
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