Here is what the HVAC system looks like on a 17 year-old truck. I'm sure this has to cause poor gas mileage. The air should blow a lot better now. Realize that the air conditioning system is right between the fan, and the rest of the duct work.

 

Well, im thinking it wont really cause any gas mileage drop or increase since its not related to the drivetrain. But, thats pretty nasty none the less.

 

It would be a drain on the horsepower if the A/C unit had to work harder to cool, though....wouldn't it? And, therefore, worse gas mileage?

 

Well, maybe not poor gas mileage, but poor circulation nonetheless. Since there are thermostats in the AC, heater core and the fan unit, I suppose they wouldn't work harder to cool/heat. Or, maybe they would. Either way, I agree, it was nasty.

 

Yeah.....thanks for sharing the nastyness....

 

Did mice do that?

 

what all has to be taken off to get that out and clean it...I'd imagine mine being 20 yrs old might be a bit dirty.

 

wow thats nasty.

 

Thats gotta be from mice, I have worked on older cars and never saw a thing like that before.

 

does anyone still wonder why some vehicles come with a cabin air filter?

 

I second Bob. How'd you get to that? Do a write or show us some pics. My 88 probably needs some of that attention.

 

that's amazingly bad.

 

First of all, that was not from mice. At first I thought there was a very dirty filter in there, then realized it was a mass of hair, dirt, leaf particles, etc..

As for taking it apart, I'll see what I can do to write up what you need to remove. My cab is completely bare right now, so I know that doesn't help. You should be able to get to most of it by removing the fan assembly (passenger side). Getting the dash out of the way would help immensely. The bottom of the A/C unit comes off, there's 3-4 screws and some spring clips holding that on.

For anyone needing to replace the heater core, that pretty much requires removing the dash.

 

I have an 85 and mine was pretty bad but maybe not quite like yours.

To access that it would be best to remove your dash compeletely and pull out the blower motor, then you will have full access to clean the crap out of the HVAC components. I thought it had to be mice when i saw mine but nothing was chewed apart, it looked like some insulation lining had just deteriorated, plus hair and string... taking off the dash only takes about an hour or two if you know where all the bolts and screws are. The trickiest part is the passenger side since that dash piece is separate. Two bolts alluded me for decent amount of time; one is accessible only through the farthest right vent and the other you will need a long extension to reach (directly up from center of glove box). Have fun and kudos if you decide to clean this out.

 

Wow! Even if that IS extreme, I would like to know what mine looks like before I get on the road. Besides being nasty, that must all but kill any cabin cooling efficiency, and I need all the AC I can get where I live (110+ often). Would love to know of a way I can check/clean my condenser for better cooling...

 

I just checked the FSM. Remove the glove box. The fan is held onto the cab with 2 10mm bolts on the side and bottom, and a 10mm nut on the top. 2 10mm screws hold the fan to the A/C. The best you'll be able to do, without discharging the A/C and removing the whole unit, is to take a vacuum to that side of the unit. There are 2 spring clips on the back of the A/C unit, which you'll never get back on (let alone take off), without removing the whole unit.

 

I found some pics, with just the glovebox removed.

Fan unit is on the right, carpet and the metal dash support cover the bolts and nuts from view. You'll have to disconnect the fan and thermostat connectors from the fan as well in order to remove it.





One more pic, showing the nut at the top of the fan unit. Also shows the bolt on the right hand side. From this pic, looks best to remove the dash pad completely.

 

geez, that's nasty man... looks like a whole cat climbed up in there and died, lol

makes me wander about mine and the 285k miles on it after an old lady had it for a while... I know she always ran the ac, so it was always circulating air, and the ac doesn't quite seem to keep up like it should... may take a look at mine when I get the chance. thanx for sharing this!

 

ha ha when i worked as a toyota tech i had to do a blower motor cause it didnt work so i took it out and found a 8 foot snake!!!!!!! and this was in a 96 carolla (cant spell)

but yeah thats sick man eww
















































makes me hungry!

 

There's a link in my sig for heatercore replacement. It's from my '94 pickup, but it's probably not terribly different from older gens.