Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

DIY: Inside Air Vent Tightening

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    DIY: Inside Air Vent Tightening

    My buddy and I posted this on S-14,hope it helps out some people here...

    Ok, I can successfully report that all the air vents in both Archie's car and in my car have been fixed and are as tight as new. I'm really stoked because such a simple thing as a sloppy vent can be a major nuisance.

    We tried the method that was suggested where you rotate the vent all the way down and then apply additional downward force until it "clicks," but it was obvious that it was not going to budge or click without damaging the vent. So here's what we did instead.

    Find a thin, slotted screwdriver. It needs to be thin because you will be inserting it between the vent and its plastic housing. Shant had one that was bent, and the bend came in handy in helping to reach the pivot points for the vent. Here's a picture of what was used.



    If you look inside the vent, you can see the pivot points on either side. Familiarize yourself with their locations, then rotate the vent so that it is all the way down.
    With the vent pointed down, insert the thin screwdriver between the vent and its housing, as shown in the picture below. Gently pry the vent away from its pivot point on one side and then do the same on the other side. You will hear a "click" when the vent unseats from the pivot point and the vent will move slightly forward. Many times when you go to unclip the other side, the unclipped side will reseat itself on the pivot point, so hold it in place to prevent this from happening.




    When both sides of the vent are unclipped from the pivot points, pull the vent out towards you. You might need to pull slightly down as well.
    The following picture shows the vent. Note the "ghost-shaped" channel in the side of the vent. Remember when re-installing the vents that the head of the ghost is upwards, so that you don't install the vents upside-down.




    Next, get some o-rings that will fit snugly over the pivot point. You only want to put an o-ring on one pivot point--not both, as that would make the vents too tight. We didn't have any o-rings, so we cut up some 5/32" vacuum hose into thin sections, as shown in the picture that follows:



    Install an o-ring over a pivot point on one side of the vent housing, as shown in the following picture:



    Reinstall the vent, taking note of the position of the channel so that it can engage the pivot point. You will need to rotate the vent slightly as you insert the vent. It will click into place when in the proper position.

    Hope that helps.
    88 M3 Diamantschwarz
    89 M3 Zinnoberrot
    56 Isetta

    __________________________________
    ALL California E30 M Owners CHECK HERE
    http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=307420
    __________________________________
    LIKE ARCHIE'S on Facebook!
    www.facebook.com/archiesicecream

    #2
    Awesome! I just put a good used dash in my car, and the vents just fall straight down. I just figured there was no fix. I'm glad I saw this, I will do this mod tonight. Thanks!
    85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
    e30 restoration and V8 swap
    24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

    Comment


      #3
      FINALLY..... I thought i would never get rid of the two bended business cards holding mines in place. I'll take care of that this weekend.
      sigpic

      Comment


        #4
        sweet, I use some little bobby pins to keep mine from drooping down but I really hate it. Perfect day off project.

        Comment


          #5
          bouse
          Originally posted by blunt
          can you get me a deal on cases of their (fiji) bottled water? i wash my 02 in that shit

          Comment


            #6
            Or the eric Lukas terry towel bath robe E90 M3 sponsorship (c) method of using some soft velco.

            SILBER COMBAT UNIT DELTA (M-Technic Marshal)
            RTFM:http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=56950

            Comment


              #7
              OH NO, now I will never sell my extra vents, hehe


              Cool write-up. I'll have to do this on gf's car.

              Comment


                #8
                I removed mine, then stuck the furry side of velcro on the sides of the vents, then reinstalled them. Tight ever since. :D

                Comment


                  #9
                  I pulled mine out and placed a strip of electrical tape on top of the "stud". No problems since.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    to take out the vents, you know if you rotate it all the way up then push on the rotated vent's under side it will actually unclip and spin more allowing you to remove the vents. No screwdriver needed

                    All-Red/MHW style Professional Tinted Tail lights
                    PnP EMS, fuel injectors, wideband o2 systems

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by blueapplesoda View Post
                      to take out the vents, you know if you rotate it all the way up then push on the rotated vent's under side it will actually unclip and spin more allowing you to remove the vents. No screwdriver needed
                      Smart^^
                      Here is my photo gallery answering common questions about Ground Control Suspension, and e30 suspension problems in general.
                      Ground Control Gallery

                      The Ground Control facebook page: Dragged, kicking and screaming into social media to see what happens next.
                      Ground Control facebook page

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Excellent DIY

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Finally after 22 years their fixed
                          Thanks
                          Barry

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Good write up.
                            I got a fender roller now! LMK if you need me to roll your fenders or want to rent the tool from me locally.

                            Paypal: vdang5@gmail.com

                            Delta Auto Care
                            2875-C Towerview Road
                            Herndon, VA
                            703.435.1375

                            My Feedback Thread: Evil_Twin

                            Comment


                              #15
                              What a pain in the dick. I don't know what my problem was, but I had a hell of a time getting them out. The "spinning them upward and then push on the under side" method did not work at all. The screwdriver method was hard as well. I put the o-rings in, one on each vent, and now the things barely turn, and bind up and get stuck. It's not extra friction from the o-ring, its like the plastic is binding up somewhere. I have to push on them to turn them, otherwise they won't turn at all.

                              At least my vents don't flop around anymore...
                              85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                              e30 restoration and V8 swap
                              24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X