r3v droopy vent fix

[twothrees]

I fixed my droopy, center vents so I thought I'd pass it along. I didn't see anything in the archives so I don't think this suggestion is redundant.

I am calling this the "r3v droopy vent fix" since it will only cost 50 cents and 5 minutes of your time.

With temps along the Gulf Coast already hitting the the high 80's, I decided I better fix my vents so the a/c would actually blow on my face and body.

My thought was that a thin, black, plastic washer inserted between the vent and its housing would work. I found what I was looking for at ACE Hardware in the plumbing section. It was a black, fiber(plastic) washer with a large enough inner diameter to fit around the vent dowel(?) where it attaches to the housing. Plastic was used so it could be cut, is flexible and it would not gouge the vent and/or housing.

I simply cut the washer in a "<" so that the washer, when carefully inserted, would slide around the dowel and click into place.

I used one plastic washer on each vent, only on the inner side. See my pen pointing to the spot. I used a small, thin pair of scissors to cut the washer and insert it.

I hope it works as well for you as it did me.

Doug

[Eric Giles]

Yes, there is a previous how-to on this, but I haven't seen it in quite a while so your post is a good reminder of how to fix this. I did the same thing on my E30 M3, but I used a spare rubber o-ring that goes to one of the A/C lines-it's been two years and it is still working fine.

BTW-what part of the AL Gulf Coast are you located?

[twothrees]

BTW-what part of the AL Gulf Coast are you located?

I live in Fairhope.

[maco325e]

I'll do that, thank You.

[Cobra Jet]

will the washers come loose or fall out if rotating either vent?

On my center vent, the left one (closest to driver) is loose, or should I use the correct term "droopy", where it will rotate towards the bottom and not stay stationary in a certain position...

I'm assuming the use of the washers will correct this?

Is there a way of removing the center vent module to make a more permanent repair or can they only be removed if the dash is out of the vehicle?

[kronus]

I've always been irritated by this. Thanks, added to my TODO

[twothrees]

will the washers come loose or fall out if rotating either vent?

They shouldn't fall out if they are the right size and cut correctly.

On my center vent, the left one (closest to driver) is loose, or should I use the correct term "droopy", where it will rotate towards the bottom and not stay stationary in a certain position...

I'm assuming the use of the washers will correct this?

Yes, my passenger side was the droopy one. I still used one washer per side. If you only fix the one side and not the other, it will look off.

Is there a way of removing the center vent module to make a more permanent repair or can they only be removed if the dash is out of the vehicle?

I saw a thread on this recently on how to remove the vents. You can do a more involved and expensive fix by buying a new vent.

[AlarmedBread]

I thought you were supposed to just jam a penny in each side, cheaper and easier. :)

[browntown]

The how-to I rememeber seeing and used suggested taking a cd spindle blank (the clear cd sized disk at the top of a spindle of cdr's) and trim into a pie wedge, and shove in.

I suppose a matchbook and penny would work as well.

[Draccent]

I just used a business card and trimmed it to fit. I then colored it with a sharpie....can't even tell its there.

[franco90]

The how-to I rememeber seeing and used suggested taking a cd spindle blank (the clear cd sized disk at the top of a spindle of cdr's) and trim into a pie wedge, and shove in.

I suppose a matchbook and penny would work as well.

I used a cd spindle it works great