I acquired an '88 Formula about a month ago that's been sitting in a forest out in the open for about two years. The car is in surprisingly good condition, but I was a little leery about what might've collected in the heater box over the last 25 years.
I've heard that because there are some "resistors" (to do with the slower fan speeds) inside the heater box, if crap collects in there, anything flammable can actually be set on fire by these coiled wire resistors when they get hot.
I've been holding off using my blower until I had look in there. But the weather's now changing and I need to use the heater. I'm also in the process of removing all the A/C hardware on the car. I don't like A/C, and as far as I'm concerned, it's all just dead weight... so out it comes.
Anyway, back on topic... I've seen worse in other member's pictures in this forum, but man oh man, I'm still glad I took it apart before I used the blower. Look where all the crap was sitting... right against the resistor coils!
And one of three neighborhood cats that seem to enjoy hanging around my yard. This is the only friendly one of the bunch.
I'm gonna crack mine open today! Yuck! are you going to sell the a/c system? I'm looking to add a/c to mine! Hmmmm.... Do you have more pics of the car? The bumper looks great! Ron
Most definitely true. However, I did this yesterday to my sons car, expecting a ton of filth. I was shocked to find it in pristine condition. Just like it came off the showroom floor. Amazing!
are you going to sell the a/c system? I'm looking to add a/c to mine! Hmmmm....
Gary (Karnak), who posted in this thread, has been invaluable to me in getting this car on the road. His son also has a Formula (without A/C) and he wanted A/C. So you know the rest of the story...
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Originally posted by f85gtron:
Do you have more pics of the car? The bumper looks great!
Heh heh.... yeah, the bumper looks pretty good. Gary used his electric buffer on the car and really brought the paint back to life. It certainly has its faults, but man oh man, does it ever look better than the first time I saw this car after it had been sitting in the forest for a couple of years!
I'll have to start a thread later with some before and after shots of this car.
Yeah, I'm more of a "dog" person, but I quite like this cat. It wanders in and out of the Fieros in my yard when I leave the doors open to air them out. As far as I know, it hasn't done anything in them that might cause me to "unlike" it.
I have mice that have made a nest in my heater box and didn't know it till i turned the blower on and promptly blew the nest onto my defroster and floor heat ducts. anyone have any ideas on how to clean out the defroster and floor heat ducts???
I have mice that have made a nest in my heater box and didn't know it till i turned the blower on and promptly blew the nest onto my defroster and floor heat ducts. anyone have any ideas on how to clean out the defroster and floor heat ducts???
Yuck!
I wouldn't want to be breathing remnants of those mice every time the heater/defroster was turned on. Honestly, what I would do in that situation is remove the dash to gain access to the ductwork, and then remove the ductwork to wash it out thoroughly. Although that might sound like a lot of work, removing the dash isn't as daunting as it might originally appear.
I wouldn't want to be breathing remnants of those mice every time the heater/defroster was turned on. Honestly, what I would do in that situation is remove the dash to gain access to the ductwork, and then remove the ductwork to wash it out thoroughly. Although that might sound like a lot of work, removing the dash isn't as daunting as it might originally appear.
Yup... mice and rats carries many germs etc that are dangerous to people.
Clean out needs Lysol or better to kill the germs. If thinking using a vacuum cleaner... Even w/ HEPA filters, Most vacuum cleaner are not good for this. Compress air just pollutes the area.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Does it only apply to '88 models? On my '85 the heater box is inside and those resistors are by the blower control module not the blower itself. Totally different layout.
No, it's facing the car like in the first photo but the blower motor housing isn't that big. Moreso the heater is accessible only from the inside and it's over the passengers' legs.
Also the resistors weren't there on your photo, they were inside the HVAC control panel.
[This message has been edited by cebix (edited 01-07-2016).]
Another thing you can do to eliminate getting debris into the Heater/AC box is to put some wire mesh to block anything getting in there from your fresh air intakes. The air comes from under the car and into the box through two rubber tubes. I put the wire mesh at the bottom of the rubber tubes. I checked my box years after doing this and didn't find any debris in my box. My hood latch seal has always been in good shape, so I think this was how I got debris in my heater/AC box.
Another thing you can do to eliminate getting debris into the Heater/AC box is to put some wire mesh to block anything getting in there from your fresh air intakes. The air comes from under the car and into the box through two rubber tubes.
Larry, those rubber tubes aren't "fresh air intakes". The tubes are actually drains for water getting into the cowl area from above.
Well, Maybe I mistook them as fresh air intakes. I've never seen drain tubes that big. My point is that not only need to make sure the box is clean, but to try and keep it from happening in the first place.
Just think how much water gets down into the cowl air intake when you've got the hose going full-bore on your car while washing it. The water's got to drain out, quickly... before it backs up and makes it's way through the heating duct system into the car!
You are correct. I took the closer look by pulling up the cowling piece and see where the clean air intake is. The rectangular opening between the hood latch and the bottom of the windshield. Even though I've just about pulled my Fiero completely apart, I never pulled that piece up before. No matter how long you own a Fiero, there is always new things to learn. So that opening needs to be taken care of to keep debris from getting in there.
I have an a/c 86..just how much time does it take to open that up? And I assume you have to pull that whole assembly out?
20 minutes...In most cases you just need to work under the hood. The fan and the resistor plate come out quickly, no need to detach the assembly. Just look around in there and get what you see.
I have an a/c 86..just how much time does it take to open that up? And I assume you have to pull that whole assembly out?
To do a thorough job, IMO yes, it's best to pull it all apart. The biggest hassle is that the sealed A/C system then needs to be opened up to do so. I eventually cleaned the crap out of that particular Fiero when its A/C system was already in need of a re-charge. I couldn't tell you how long it takes as it was years ago I did this... and besides, I'm s-l-o-w. My other Fieros don't have A/C and cleaning them out is a whole lot easier process.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-09-2016).]
Originally posted by justaw: I have an a/c 86..just how much time does it take to open that up? And I assume you have to pull that whole assembly out?
If dry dirt, leaves, etc... 15-30 minutes and need a shop vac and wire hanger.
Cut wire and loop the end to prevent poking AC parts. Remove blower resistor Area to clean is right behind and left of hole. (AC evaporator is setup to move junk to this area.) Carefully feel w/ finger and move toward the hole then suck out. bend the wire as needed to get the rest. Don't damage AC parts w/ the wire.
If got wet and rotted or mold sets in then have to clean allot more and likely need to pull blower at minimum to inspect damage. mirror or small camera will help.
If dry dirt, leaves, etc... 15-30 minutes and need a shop vac and wire hanger.
Cut wire and loop the end to prevent poking AC parts. Remove blower resistor Area to clean is right behind and left of hole. (AC evaporator is setup to move junk to this area.) Carefully feel w/ finger and move toward the hole then suck out. bend the wire as needed to get the rest. Don't damage AC parts w/ the wire.
If got wet and rotted or mold sets in then have to clean allot more and likely need to pull blower at minimum to inspect damage. mirror or small camera will help.
I need to work on the a/c but at least this method may show me how bad it may be w/o disturbing the system.. good post..
Cebix, it would be interesting to see what your A/C looks like. Post a picture or two if you can.
Damn I was so sure of what I was writing but that must've been when working on some other car. I went to get a photo and... it's just as in the first post. When looking closer I guess you can take the heater out the front but I've cleaned it once from the inside (upper passenger leg area). I'm still pretty sure I saw the resistors inside the HVAC control unit and not by the blower but I guess my memory can be wrong there too... Sorry guys.
It's been a while since I've taken one of these apart, but thinking about this, would it be possible to make/put a screen cage for better term around the resisters to permanently resolve the problem of fires being started? or is my thinking wrong?
...would it be possible to make/put a screen cage for better term around the resisters to permanently resolve the problem of fires being started?
In theory, the "screen cage" is already in place under the entire cowl opening... but nothing works perfectly so it seems.
I suspect the reason why the resistors are positioned the way they are is to promote the circulation of cooling air through them. If you were to put a "screen cage" around the resistors themselves, you would need to do it in a manner that would still allow plenty of air to flow through them.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-11-2016).]
Originally posted by Patrick: In theory, the "screen cage" is already in place under the entire cowl opening... but nothing works perfectly so it seems.
I suspect the reason why the resistors are positioned the way they are is to promote the circulation of cooling air through them. If you were to put a "screen cage" around the resistors themselves, you would need to do it in a manner that would still allow plenty of air to flow through them.
Is not a problem only for Fiero. Many others can have same fire problems. Old cars didn't have anything to prevent crap buildup in the resistor pack. Same type resistors are used by most cars makers for decades.
Airflow needed to cool the "power resistor" sets. W/o enough air, the resistors can glow red hot or higher temp or even melt. (In general, Resistors are only ~0.7 to ~3 Ω each and dump Many Watts.)
Newer sets does use "screen" to prevent junk getting into the resistors but many only block one direction. Most current sets use Thermal Fuse(s) to prevent glowing but crap caught in them could still be problems. Many now use Sealed ceramic resistors, Power Transistors (like Fiero dash dimmer), etc, but need allot of airflow and could still be a fire hazard too.
Yes, The entire intake below the windshield is to screen out junk but parking under trees etc then crap will still get in. Fiero is now 30+ years for big buildup.
[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 01-11-2016).]
Honestly, what I would do in that situation is remove the dash to gain access to the ductwork, and then remove the ductwork to wash it out thoroughly. Although that might sound like a lot of work, removing the dash isn't as daunting as it might originally appear.
