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General » rec.autos.tech » those crappy Ford dash vents
| those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791470] |
Sun, 09 March 2008 23:14 |
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I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
at least one broken vane...
nate
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791472 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 00:13 |
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On Mar 9, 6:14 pm, N8N <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote:
> I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
> pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
> inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
> of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
> assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
> them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
> by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
> an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
> forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
> voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
> at least one broken vane...
>
> nate
Well now I can... about five minutes ago! It's a beautiful sight.
just had to wait for the epoxy to dry on one vane (used a #50 drill
bit on the first one I tried, and that was too big for 14AWG wire
without glue.)
kinda proud of myself at the moment...
nate
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791490 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 13:17 |
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"N8N" <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:288b7834-5070-4b43-99b8-6231763d8a83 [at] e60g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150,
> actually
> pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
> inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto,
> because
> of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any
> given
> assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could
> fix
> them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes
> simply
> by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out,
> used
> an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit,
> I
> forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
> voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't
> have
> at least one broken vane...
When I sold my 1992 F150 back in 2006 all the vanes were still working
properly.
Ed
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791494 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 14:17 |
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On Mar 10, 8:17=A0am, "C. E. White" <cewhi... [at] removemindspring.com>
wrote:
> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:288b7834-5070-4b43-99b8-6231763d8a83 [at] e60g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
>
>
> >I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> > case a couple of you might not have... =A0I've got a '93 F-150,
> > actually
> > pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. =A0But
> > inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto,
> > because
> > of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any
> > given
> > assembly point every which way. =A0Well I figured I'd see if I could
> > fix
> > them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> > turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> > molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> > vanes pointed in the same direction. =A0You can remove the vanes
> > simply
> > by bending them slightly in the middle. =A0So I pulled 'em all out,
> > used
> > an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> > busted ones. =A0I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> > plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit,
> > I
> > forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> > Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> > needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. =A0Reassembled et
> > voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> > wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> > I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> > because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't
> > have
> > at least one broken vane...
>
> When I sold my 1992 F150 back in 2006 all the vanes were still working
> properly.
>
> Ed
Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
trucks are significantly different...
nate
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791508 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 16:36 |
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N8N wrote:
>
> Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
> I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
> of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
> experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
> trucks are significantly different...
>
The dash vents on my 93 Ranger are still working fine, and that's after
15 Arizona summers.
I have replaced the windshield on it, tho...as well as those on most of
my other cars...
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791511 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 19:03 |
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"N8N" <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
trucks are significantly different...
nate
Cleanliness is next to godliness or some such thing. Since I quit smoking
I dont have a problem with them ether.
Whitelightning
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791515 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 20:29 |
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On Mar 10, 2:03=A0pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
wrote:
> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
> I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
> of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
> experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
> trucks are significantly different...
>
> nate
>
> Cleanliness is next to godliness or some such thing. Since I quit smoking
> I dont have a problem with them ether.
>
> Whitelightning
hmm, my truck is a well cared for two owner truck (I bought it maybe
six months ago) and I have receipts for several windshield
replacements. One friend has a truck that he seems to replace the
windshield on at least every other year due to cracks, and my other
friend has just been driving his with a bigass crack across it, I
think he's waiting until he gets a fix-it ticket to bother replacing
it...
nate
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791519 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 23:01 |
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"N8N" <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:663b5541-6f9e-4f00-beb0-b994a589d9a2 [at] u69g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
On Mar 10, 2:03 pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
wrote:
> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
> I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
> of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
> experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
> trucks are significantly different...
>
> nate
>
> Cleanliness is next to godliness or some such thing. Since I quit smoking
> I dont have a problem with them ether.
>
> Whitelightning
hmm, my truck is a well cared for two owner truck (I bought it maybe
six months ago) and I have receipts for several windshield
replacements. One friend has a truck that he seems to replace the
windshield on at least every other year due to cracks, and my other
friend has just been driving his with a bigass crack across it, I
think he's waiting until he gets a fix-it ticket to bother replacing
it...
nate
I was referring to the vents issue, but reading my post I really wasn't
clear on that. Then again
the only windshield I had to replace for delaminating was the one in my 64
Falcon.
replaced in 1987. I've never had to replace one for cracks, but then I tend
to stay well back of rock haulers and trucks in general, and get around them
quickly when the opportunity presents it self. Of course I've only been
driving since 1971, so there's still plenty of time I suppose.
Whitelightning
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791522 ] |
Mon, 10 March 2008 23:59 |
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On Mar 10, 6:01 pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
wrote:
> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:663b5541-6f9e-4f00-beb0-b994a589d9a2 [at] u69g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> On Mar 10, 2:03 pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
> > "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> > Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
> > I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
> > of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
> > experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
> > trucks are significantly different...
>
> > nate
>
> > Cleanliness is next to godliness or some such thing. Since I quit smoking
> > I dont have a problem with them ether.
>
> > Whitelightning
>
> hmm, my truck is a well cared for two owner truck (I bought it maybe
> six months ago) and I have receipts for several windshield
> replacements. One friend has a truck that he seems to replace the
> windshield on at least every other year due to cracks, and my other
> friend has just been driving his with a bigass crack across it, I
> think he's waiting until he gets a fix-it ticket to bother replacing
> it...
>
> nate
>
> I was referring to the vents issue, but reading my post I really wasn't
> clear on that. Then again
> the only windshield I had to replace for delaminating was the one in my 64
> Falcon.
> replaced in 1987. I've never had to replace one for cracks, but then I tend
> to stay well back of rock haulers and trucks in general, and get around them
> quickly when the opportunity presents it self. Of course I've only been
> driving since 1971, so there's still plenty of time I suppose.
>
> Whitelightning
Well, we'll see. I haven't broken anything (yet) on the truck while
it's been in my care, and there's nothing on the windshield that looks
like it could be the start of a crack (knock on wood.) Maybe my
friends are all ham-fisted and I'll have better luck.
I have, however, had to replace windshields on two vehicles due to
cracks and have one stone chip repaired on a third. Both of the ones
that cracked weren't due to stone impacts while driving, I just came
out in the morning to find them cracked. One was my old Scirocco - I
got to watch maybe a 1" crack at the bottom of the glass spread
halfway across the windshield during a long road trip. The other was
on the Impala; I just came out one morning to find it cracked. Both
were in the winter, so I suspect thermal stress. So based on that
alone I imagine sooner or later I'll at least need new glass...
nate
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791528 ] |
Tue, 11 March 2008 02:17 |
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"N8N" <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:663b5541-6f9e-4f00-beb0-b994a589d9a2 [at] u69g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
On Mar 10, 2:03 pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
wrote:
> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
....and my other
friend has just been driving his with a bigass crack across it...
nate
Nate, I'd imagine that the reason your friend has so many broken windshields
is that he drives around with big asscracks on them...
I'm sorry. That line caught my eye and I had to laugh.
CJB
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791531 ] |
Tue, 11 March 2008 02:49 |
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On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:29:28 -0700, N8N rearranged some electrons to say:
> On Mar 10, 2:03 pm, "Whitelightning" <white.lightni... [at] verizon.net>
> wrote:
>> "N8N" <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-
e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>> Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a windshield?
>> I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the habit
>> of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
>> experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
>> trucks are significantly different...
>>
>> nate
>>
>> Cleanliness is next to godliness or some such thing. Since I quit
>> smoking I dont have a problem with them ether.
>>
>> Whitelightning
>
> hmm, my truck is a well cared for two owner truck (I bought it maybe six
> months ago) and I have receipts for several windshield replacements.
> One friend has a truck that he seems to replace the windshield on at
> least every other year due to cracks, and my other friend has just been
> driving his with a bigass crack across it, I think he's waiting until he
> gets a fix-it ticket to bother replacing it...
>
> nate
I've had 5 vehicles in the last 20 years (4 of them Fords) and I have
replaced only 1 windshield.
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791537 ] |
Tue, 11 March 2008 03:30 |
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N8N <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in news:288b7834-5070-4b43-99b8-
6231763d8a83 [at] e60g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
> I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
> pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
> inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
> of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
> assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
> them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
> by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
> an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
> forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
> voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
> at least one broken vane...
>
>
Last place I worked we used to do lots of stuff with Magna suppliers to
Ford. Most of our projects involved interior trim (made by Decoma Group).
We also did work with Collins & Aikman (Manchester Plastics), which also
made interior parts for Ford. I don't remember now which plant actually
made the vents for the F150.
From what I recall, those vent vanes you mention were made pretty much
exactly the same (cheap) way for everybody, including the vents Decoma made
for Chrysler and others.
What usually happened when they fell apart was one vane of the set would
stick, immobilizing them all. People would then force the assembly to try
and get them moving again, and the tie-bar would break, setting all the
vanes adrift.
--
Tegger
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791559 ] |
Tue, 11 March 2008 12:53 |
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"N8N" <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f6c30a00-038f-49ca-ba1d-e167888ac274 [at] b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> Weren't you the one that also said you'd never replaced a
> windshield?
> I'm starting to think that you lead a charmed life or are in the
> habit
> of sacrificing small woodland creatures to the Ford gods, because my
> experiences and those of several friends owning similar model year
> trucks are significantly different...
I've replaced plenty of windshields over the years, mostly because of
rock strikes, but when I sold the 1992 F150 it still had the factory
installed windshield. I think it was the only vehicle I owned for more
than 3 years that didn't require a windshield replacement. Probably
the biggest reason the F150's windshield survived so long is where the
truck spent most of its life. It was down on my farm and mostly
operated on rural roads, not here in the Raleigh area - also know as
Rocktopia. I swear there are so many dump trucks dropping rock on the
road around here I think the windshield business must be a gold mine.
As for my F150, it was never garaged, and spent a lot of time on mud
and dirt. Although the windshield held up well, the headlights looked
like crap after about 10 years. The inside often looked like I had
shoveled mud into the floor boards (nice "vinyl" cover floorboards -
no carpet). Maybe my dash vents survived because I whacked my kids any
time I caught them fiddling with them. I really loved my '92 F150. By
far the best truck anyone in my family owned as long as it was on
reasonably dry ground. Its only weakness was an inability to handle
even wet grass when the bed was empty if you let one of the front
wheels drop into even a moderate hole. If the truck had 4WD, I
probably would still own it. If Ford still made them, then I'd ditch
the POS Frontier I have now in a minute. Unfortunately Ford decided
they rather make Chevrolet Trucks, or should I say caroids.
Ed
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791565 ] |
Tue, 11 March 2008 15:35 |
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On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 15:14:57 -0700 (PDT), N8N <njnagel [at] hotmail.com> wrote:
>I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
>case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
>pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
>inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
>of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
>assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
>them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
>turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
>molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
>vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
>by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
>an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
>busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
>plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
>forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
>Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
>needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
>voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
>wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
>I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
>because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
>at least one broken vane...
>
>nate
Many vehicles vents become broken , not just f150's , many times the
cause is from spraying cleaners/polishes and these seep into the pivoit
points of the vanes and dry there nearly glueing them in place.
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| Re: those crappy Ford dash vents [message #791615 ] |
Wed, 12 March 2008 22:40 |
|
On Mar 11, 10:35 am, samst... [at] aol.com wrote:
> On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 15:14:57 -0700 (PDT), N8N <njna... [at] hotmail.com> wrote:
> >I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> >case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
> >pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
> >inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
> >of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
> >assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
> >them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> >turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> >molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> >vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
> >by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
> >an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> >busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> >plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
> >forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> >Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> >needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
> >voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> >wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> >I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> >because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
> >at least one broken vane...
>
> >nate
>
> Many vehicles vents become broken , not just f150's , many times the
> cause is from spraying cleaners/polishes and these seep into the pivoit
> points of the vanes and dry there nearly glueing them in place.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
You could be onto something there. Most people I know with the vents
all messed up are regular smokers (of one leaf or another). They
(especially those prone to the black market smoke) often spray those
air freshening sprays into the vents to that it's blown throughout the
car to mask the smell.
Then again, my 98 Ranger's previous owner was a smoker, stoner
methinks, and all my vents are intact. Sticky, but intact. Maybe he
just never moved them? I should take them out and clean them before
one of them breaks.
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