need help figuring out passenger side of my cowl

[g-man]

My a/c fan blower died. Water on the passenger side floor board. Motor plug and the drain tube from the blower housing were wet. Verified the fan switch turns on 12v at the plug on the side of the blower. I guess the contacts in the fan are corroded but I haven't taken it apart yet. It's sitting out in the sun right now. I pulled the wiper motor loose but not off the front of the cowl/fire wall. I vacuumed some debris out from there but it only goes in about 2 inches and not to the cowl. I pulled the side vent off of the passenger side front fender and pulled the drain tube off the cowl drain. I was able to run a coat hanger up in the metal drain off the cowl but nothing there. When I look up in the vent (opening the vent to outside air and not recirculate) I see the metal screen at the top of the vent above where the blower sits. It is about 1/2 covered in leaves and debris. I think during a heavy rain the leaves catch some water that is backing up and then it runs down the vent to the blower motor.

SOOOO....my big question is how to get to that space and clean the screen and the edges of the metal cowl where the screen is welded to it?? Looking across from the driver's side access panel on the firewall there is a hump in the middle so it seems like it will be a meager attempt to run a shop vac hose over that way.

 

[g-man]

word of caution. If you pull the cover off the fan motor and pull it off, the brushes will come loose along with the springs behind them. Then it's a little tricky trying to get it all back in place. My armature was rusty where the brushes contacted it. A bit of soft brushing with a soft brass brush cleaned it up and got it working. I went in from the outside edges using a small forcept on one side and a pick tool on the other side to hold the brush wires tight...so as to keep the brushes in place while I slid the cover housing back onto the armature. Blower motor back running.

Now gonna try and clean that screen off in the cowl ....wish me luck.

 

[g-man]

NO WAY is a vacuum hose going all the way across the cowl. There is an access panel in the middle of the cowl behind and above the engine. But the hump is still inbetween the access hole and the screen. So I can't really see what Im doing from the center access hole. I'm starting to think about blowing compressed air or leaf blower up the duct where the blower sits to push the leaves and debris off the screen and at the same time running a shop vac hose up the cowl from the center access hole.

 

[86aggie]

I posted a few years ago about pulling the blower and seeing the same thing - screen in cowl. I did stick a shop vac hose up that 'shaft' to the screen and pulled some debris thru - I purposely cleaned the vacuum before hand to see what I was able to pull thru. I also stuck the vac hose on the exhaust of the vac and used that to try and blow the debris away. I felt like I got most of the debris out from around the screen. I've continued to have water come in when I go thru the car wash - it comes down the inside of the firewall, and drips down the outside of the plastic housing above the blower. Some other posts I have seen about the screen refer to the seal failing where the lower horizontal surface(that has the 'hump' in it, meets the sheet metal collar/ring rising out of it, that the screen sits on top off. I've been planning on getting one of those cameras on the end of a flexible shaft, that connect to an Iphone, so I could see what that seal joint looks like. Still not sure how I would get to it. At least one of the posts I recall took the entire cowl apart and rewelded it after solving for a leak...

On the subject of the blower itself - ignoring the debate over the quality of the aftermarket blower - I did order a new blower a month or so ago from Advance - $30. The second time I've done that in 33+ years - amazing difference in air volume and lower sound.

 

[g-man]

Thanks 86aggie for your reply. I did pretty much the same as you. That being removing the hose from the shop vac and putting it on the push side and stuffing it up from the bottom (after removing the blower) to push debris off the screen. I then went through the center access panel and vacuumed some debris from that passenger side corner. It's definitely a blind operation. But after going back and forth several times was able to remove the debris from the screen. Seam cracks could definitely also be a source of leaks but can see how it would get inside the vent and down to the blower if it were near the hump. I was thinking about a seam crack around the base of the screen in the metal where the screen is attached (spot welded?) to the cowl. To me it looks like a little curve upward all around the hole in the metal though so not likely.

If anyone has a cowl removed and has some good pictures of this it area it would be helpful.

 

[86aggie]

Based on other posts and what I now recall seeing when I put my phone in the shaft, from the bottom and took a couple of pictures, I believe that a 'stovepipe' comes out of the 'lower cowl panel' and the screen sits on top of that. As I said above, when I go thru the car wash, nothing comes in to the footwell until I get to the blowers at the end of the tunnel. When it rains, there is no puddle or sign of water in the footwell. I know, don't go thru the car wash... It's too easy to have the carpet rolled back and use the free vacuum to suck all the water and soap up. Its not convenient to wash it at home, and for $30/month, I can go as often as I want...

 

[g-man]

SUCCESS! After the heavy rains from tropical storm Saturday...I am pleased to find my passenger side floor board is DRY!!!

 

[MarkBC]

There is that drain pipe inside the fender which clogs up with leaves (lower right in photo, I removed it when the photo was taken). But you have to take the fender off which requires removing about 734 screws and bolts. But I got mine clean, sealed as much as I could and we had a major storm last night with zero water coming in that side. There is a little bit on the other side but I think that's coming in the door trim.

Yes I wonder about rust around the base of that screen too. I was considering making a mod by cutting out a panel from above to gain access and make it removable. It's a bad design not having access inside the cowl.

 

[kevin in okinawa]

get a length of smaller diameter rubber hosing and ducttape that to the end of the shopvac...now you have a flexible vacuum hose! that can reach up into the small areas better

 

[86aggie]

my shop vac has a cone attachment. If I use a piece of hose that matches that end - smaller diameter, better sucking or blowing, right? No comments from the peanut gallery...

 

[micruz60]

Hot Topic!
Here’s some photos - passenger side derusted and resealed

Driver’s side before reseal

 

[86aggie]

How long did it take to remove the fender?

 

[micruz60]

I’m not finding the screen mentioned here:

I then went through the center access panel and vacuumed some debris from that passenger side corner. It's definitely a blind operation. But after going back and forth several times was able to remove the debris from the screen. I was thinking about a seam crack around the base of the screen in the metal where the screen is attached (spot welded?) to the cowl. To me it looks like a little curve upward all around the hole in the metal though so not likely.

If anyone has a cowl removed and has some good pictures of this it area it would be helpful.

Is it up in the cowl before the drain?

 

[micruz60]

How long did it take to remove the fender?

Probably two-three hours, presoak bolts with pblaster, the fiddly parts deal with the front grille and lower valence. Slight difference between the 60 / 62.

 

[86aggie]

I’m not finding the screen mentioned here:


Is it up in the cowl before the drain?

It would be about 6-8 inches towards the driver side from the drain. Under the solid section of the cowl before you get to the vent slots. Or, from the passenger seat footwell, directly above the blower motor.

 

[g-man]

I’m not finding the screen mentioned here:


Is it up in the cowl before the drain?

If you removed the fan motor under the glove box and open the vent and look up you will see the screen at the top. Like 86aggie said its about 6 to 8 inches from the passenger side of the cowl. It's about 6 inches in diameter and round and slightly domes in shape. The bottom of the cowl bends upward to form a lip. I assume the screen is spot welded to the lip. So the screen is not level with the very bottom of the cowl. But if enough leaves and debris pile up in there and it rains hard water can find its way down the screen, kill the blower motor and wet the passenger floor.

Fyi...In your images you are missing the passenger side down drain and the plastic tube that attaches to it.

 

[g-man]

I used a small shop vac from lowes with a small diameter hose and tubes. I wouldn't recommend it for anything else though. Gets clogged way to easy. My Craftsman is way better. I can't seem to kill the motor. Unfortunatey they got so pricey with the filters and parts that it's hardly worth rebuilding.

 

[86aggie]

This photo, from another thread, shows what we are referring to. I have hesitated to remove the motor/plate as everyone that has says it is beyond challenging to reconnect the drive to the end of that black rod

 

[86aggie]

I found a cheap camera/scope with an ‘eye’ at the end of a 4’ stiff/flexible wire. Connects by WiFi to my phone. This is looking behind the ‘top hat’. To the right is the sheet metal that would be directly below lower edge of windshield. Top is underside of cowl. This is after 30+ minutes of alternating vacuuming and blowing with a 1.5” shop vac hose Inserted thru firewall opening above rear of engine. Thinking of trying my backpack blower, aimed thru the same hole…