How do you keep fresh air vents from leaking?

[Mudmagnet]

Hey guys, my fresh air vents on my '76 j10 were leaking and rusting out the floors. i pulled the vents out and vaccumed out the 50 pounds of leafs and one animal bone. but i noticed that the rubber around the flaps are so old and cracked, at the bottom the rubber doesnt even touch the housing. do they sell these aftermarket or what? how do yall keep the water out? thanks!

[james1414d]

WELD THEM SHUT !! :P Honestly, keeping them clean and making sure the drains function is the best way. a screen under the cowl vent will help keep the debris out.

[710 Burner]

Ditto that. The water is getting backed up from the muck.

[Mudmagnet]

so as long as all the leafs and junk is outta there should be fine? back in there after you pull the vents out is there a drain down in that kick pannel? if so how you get to it?

[Chevelleguy]

Yeah, there's a drain. It is where three sheets of steel come together to form the air plenum. Some has gone as far as to remove the fenders and cut a hole in the plenum from the outside so the can get ALL the junk out. I have used a shop vac and a long piece of old garden hose taped to the vacuum hose so I could snake it down to the vents. It is a real PITA.

[djongeward]

Mine always do fine, but it never rains here. Any debris vacumes out just fine. The wag does seem to suck dust into the interior though. :D

[loganvilledude]

Mine always do fine, but it never rains here. Any debris vacumes out just fine. The wag does seem to suck dust into the interior though. :D

Ah just shut the windows and put the a/c on. Nothing like getting 12MPG and turning the a/c on and getting 10MPG:eek:.
I'm still running R-12 and she cools down just fine:thumbsup:.

[djongeward]

Ah just shut the windows and put the a/c on. Nothing like getting 12MPG and turning the a/c on and getting 10MPG:eek:.
I'm still running R-12 and she cools down just fine:thumbsup:.

It's those country roads down here. You can see me coming for miles. A/C? If I ran my A/C my engine would blow up. :o

[Mikel]

In my two FSJ's, I've enlarged the drains to about 1.5x2", to make sure stuff doesn't collect there. Those areas were FULL of decaying leafs and dirt, still wet weeks after the last rainfall.:eek:

[purduesd]

1.5" hole saw and a couple squirts of rustoleum did the trick for me. Now i can run a garden hose full blast into the cowl with no leak...

(Well except through the stupid windshield gasket...)

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/PurdueSD/waggy/t001.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/PurdueSD/waggy/t003.jpg

[joker7037]

Ok, so I understand the air is coming from the cowl (right below the wipers) right? So to clean out the vents is it done from inside the vehicle or outside? Just would like to check mine out, I seem to be getting soggy carpet everytime it rains.

[twmattox]

Me too... Clean from the cowl...or from inside through the vent???

[Mudmagnet]

I cleaned from inside the vent. sucked up like five pounds of leaves even an animal bone! they seem to be free of trash now but i wanna open up the drain holes more. those pics really helped a lot! thanks everyone!

[Rod2]

I took the vents out, cleaned out the crud, rebuilt metal surrounding them with metal, JB, fiberglass, and Bondo. Then I formed a piece of aluminum gutter screen to fit under the air grill in front of the windshield to keep large stuff from getting in (leaves, twigs, and the like). Small stuff--blossoms, seeds, and dust--wash on through.

[ThisGuyUKnow]

I kinda like occasionally having a leave hit me in the leg when it blows out of my air vent. I thought it was because my jeep was one with nature. Seriously thanks for the pics I have been avoiding tackling the vents because I wasnt sure if I had to remove the dash or what?

[Billygoat]

I have just been avoiding doing my vents because I am afraid of what it living in there! - LOL, at least my drivers floor is rusted thru so the water that comes in the vent drains right out :rolleyes:

(That is a hint to people to clean them out, biggest reason the floors rust out.)

[Long&Low]

How do you keep fresh air vents from leaking?:confused:

Don't drive, or park in the rain.....:thumbsup:

[backroadin']

My drains are completely clear and water still comes in. When it drains down from the cowl area, it goes right down the side and around the vent - and some water leaks right in around the vent. I need to reseal the vents. Of course, it leaked even more before I cleaned it all out.

[18cherokee]

i read somewhere that you should silicone the screws that hold the cowl vent & that rubber trim that sits under/infront of the windshield. have a look at purduesd top pic.....

apparently where there's a way... water will find it & apparently those screw holes are another entrance spot....... ie the water runs striaght under there down the fire wall etc??? i wouldnt be surprised as my screws have lost thread & dont grip, ie they're a little loose, so who knows?

imho cleaning from the inside was a genuine PITA - the vents are hard to access without having to remove, or move, air conditioning bits & then theres the control cable that goes into the vents themselves that have to be dealt with.

from my (limited) experience the water seems to track into the cab from a lot higher than the vents themselves - so i plan to silicone as mentioned above. the reason i say this is that my vents are clean from debris, when it rains you can see it coming out from the exterior lower drain holes quite easily.

if this idea fails, i dont know what else to try.

& adding some fly screen mesh cut to size under your cowl grill is a good idea too.

[fivepack]

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=88998

[letank]

from my (limited) experience the water seems to track into the cab from a lot higher than the vents themselves - so i plan to silicone as mentioned above. the reason i say this is that my vents are clean from debris, when it rains you can see it coming out from the exterior lower drain holes quite easily.

Exactly, it is coming along your rusted windshield gasket contact area.... wait a few years and you will see the rust pushing the gasket.... sad but true.... the water comes from the top or the side of the windshield gasket.... and leak down the A pillar to pool under the carpet.



& adding some fly screen mesh cut to size under your cowl grill is a good idea too.

The fly screen works for the debris but because the water is still leaking you better cover the roof.... but if you suspect that the cowl is leaking you can get some magnetic vent cover, it comes in a pack of 3 and cost $10 at your local hardware store, from deflecto-O Hardware: http://deflecto.com/ and search for vent cover.... the search does not give you a specific page, the 8x15 is the right size for our fresh air intake. It is paintable and I have been using the first set for over 10 years... very practical for those snowy nights.... so you do not have to melt the snow to have defrost... remove the cover and your air vents are clear.

[brubakes]

Ah just shut the windows and put the a/c on. Nothing like getting 12MPG and turning the a/c on and getting 10MPG:eek:.
I'm still running R-12 and she cools down just fine:thumbsup:.

I wish my AC was working and then to even get the 10MPG. :)

[twmattox]

Well, I am still dealing with this (have been dealing with a lot trying to get this rig road worthy again). I have no idea how you guys were able to remove the vent in the kick panel (the A/C unit was in the way of mine). So, I have tried to access it through the cowl. I snaked a hose as far down as I could go...and pulled out a ton of stuff. Not sure if I got it all or not...but certainly got a lot of stuff out. Later this spring, I plan on hitting it with a garden hose to make sure we are cleaned out. I would love to remove the fenders and do it right, but don't have the time (and am a touch worried about getting it all back together right afterward).

[billyj7175]

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=88998

Now that's some funny stuff...

I guess I'll add that to the compounding list of things I need to do to my Jeep...

[[]V[]AXX]

That's it...my fenders have got to come off. I thought the shop vac got most of it, but I'm not taking the chance...

[twmattox]

Someone on here had an alternative (drilling a 1.5" hole immediately under the vent INSIDE the rig). That may be more up my alley...

[El_Diablo]

good luck getting a drill at the right angle under the dash and even if you do you could end up with a nasty fender bulge if you slip and go through, hitting the inside of the fender