A couple of weeks ago I turned on the heater fan in my 85' 240 and I heard a brief "snapping" sound which scared the hell out of me. After turning the blower motor to the high possition there where fragments of tree leaves blown though the 2 front vents. How did these leaves got in the blower motor casiong on the first place?

The ventilation seems to be clean now but I also get a moldy smell from times to times. I was reading some of the posts and FAQs and there was an article about making a custom air-cabin filter for the 700-900 Volvos.

The article was the following: http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/HeatingAirConditioning.htm#HomemadeCabinAirFilter

Has anyone tried anything similar on the 240 series?
There is the air intake for the Ventilation system. I have both Haynes and Bentley and they barely cover the Ventilation/AC systems.

I also wonder if the evaporator drain is plugged. How can I check this?
No wonder why all new cars are comming with Cabin Air Filters.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Michael

Here is Dave Shannon page on cleaning the AC drain with pictures :

http://www.homestead.com/volvo2/ACdrain.html
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'89 244DL M47 162K miles

Try the little openings in front of the windshield, they are the air vents. Volvo makes a cover for these called a snow cowl cover. IPD sells them for about $39.00 and are well worth it. Check other posts on the subject. The smell you are getting is due to the clogging of the air passages that run to the a/c vents. There is mold growing. Again check the posts on the problem, it can be cured. These vents run all the way down each side of the interior and there are a few clean-out points along the way. As in the area where the seatbelts attach to the door posts at the bottom. There is a plug you can remove and use a small hose to flush it. There are several posts and pics on the subject. Sorry never tried the fresh air filter. If the evaporator drain is plugged it will leave the carpet damp in that area. Oh yea DON"T PARK UNDER TREES, the result is clogged vents..
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Max..1989 244 DL 5 Spd., Bilstein HD, Turbo Swaybars, Poly Bushings all round, Turbo Wheels, Black leather interior, Electric mirrors, LED dash and gauge lights.

you mentioned the air vents and passages down the sides, how would that atribute to leaves falling out onto my passenger floorboard from behind the passenger side center intrument cluster side panel. have had it off several times and am unable to find the fresh air vent they are suspected of comming from. im about ready to get a leaf blower with a vacume attachment to see if i can reverse their course,( have covers on order from ipd) from the intake side. whoever left this jewel sitting under oak trees for a couple of years wasnt thinking. does the bently manual have a schematic of the air ductwork system?
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mike, 1988 Volvo 240DL 114k , , previous 79 & 81 Volvo 244s

Once leaves get into the cowl vent, they get sucked into the ventilation/heater system as well as the fenders and rocker panels. The '81 I have was parked for 22 years of it's life under a pine tree (needles) and a Chinese Elm (billions of tiny leaves). Every time the vents were opened or the heater turned on, tons of leaves and crap blew out of the vents, upper and lower. Eventually I had to pull the seats and carpets out and pull the inspection plugs along the rocker panels to vacuum out all the leaves and dirt that had accumulated over the years. At the same time, I pulled out the dashboard and was able to clean out all the leaves that had collected behind the heater housing and clear out the A/C drain hose. After all this work, the air conditioner and ventilation worked without blowing junk throughout the car, and the mouldy leaf smell went away.

I would say that the 240's cowl vent was one of Volvo's few really bad design decisions over the years, leading to the proliferation of rust and the early demise of many good cars.





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don hodgdon '89 744ti, '81 242t, '71 D-35

How much more difference would a simple air filter make.

I don't know of any way to access the underside of the cowl vent. A screen or some type of filter would go a long way toward preserving your brick if you could get one in there.


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don hodgdon '89 744ti, '81 242t, '71 D-35

I'd suggest getting that junk out of the system or you'll face problems with rust before long! Don't just treat the symptoms.