Alot of tree trash has fallen inside the cowl vent area. I've seen brickboard posts that Art has posted with pictures of a homemade vacuum cleaner attachment....I think I can come up w/ something similar. My problem is alot more simpler....where do I vacuum? The pictures I've seen show some sort of body opening inside the passenger compartment..is it near the foot board area?

Bottom line..I think that the tree trash will plug up the body vent/drain system....or worse, it can cause rust to develop over time. Does anyone have a diagram of the 240 airflow design..that includes location of the potential places to insert a homemade vacuum hose?
Cabbie2169

Then you could install a fine mesh screen from the bottom side and fit it in real solid like.

Hmmmmm. Sounds like something to try out on a PNP carcass.

Doug Harvey

That cowling "chamber is an important part of the chassis structure, I believe cutting into it might weaken the car's body. The 940 is made so that the air intake grill in front of the windshield can be removed, not so on the 240.

Tha 240 cowilng drain is where many of our front leaks occur. If the leak is on the left side, the fuses get wet and corrode.

Pull up the plastic sill cover. It is tight so you'll need to pull hard. Then pull back the carpet at the sill. You'll see a plactic plug. Remove the plug and there you'll see the junk that has washed down from the air intake. Art's vacuum idea should work fine. I think there is an access plug by the back seat sill too.

I've worked out a way to add a mesh screen to the air intake on the 240. It works great. I posted pictures of the results in the images here on this forum but I can't tell you how to find them.

Mesh is a good idea. I just use the wide rolls of Scotch brand vinyl tape to cover the slats from october to january or so. This is easy on my car cuz it's black. Haven't noticed any problems with blowers or air circulation inside the car from this.

DS

Where is this "plastic sill cover?"

Bottom of door opening. It covers the rocker panel seam. Pull straight up and it pops off. Pull the carpet back and there will be a rubber/plastic plug on the inside of the rocker panel. Remove and clean. You "may" need a coathanger or some other tool to unclog the debris if it is a large accumulation. Other wise use a Shop Vac with a redcing tube or nozzle (IE> I used a Small Plastic Juice Bottle as the downsizer to a 1in plastic tube that was much more able to snake into the opening).

Searched the archives and found this article...I am going to give it try..

Yes, I've done this and it works fine. I posted images of the '88 240 on which I added the screens. I can't seem to find them in the Picture Gallery, however.

Briefly, here's how I did it:
1. I used an expanded mesh aluminum from a gutter guard. These are available from most Home Depot type stores. One guard is plenty.

2. I cut a cardboard pattern to fit under the grill openings. Your air grill is the same as on my '88 as far as I know, two grills. Earlier models have one long grill. The length of the openings is a little larger near the center and get smaller toward the outside of the car. You want a pattern that also tapers in the same way as the grill openings. Cut the pattern so it will slip into the largest opening and reach to cover the smallest.

3. Cut the mesh to match the pattern. When you go to fit the mesh into the grill opening, you may need to trim it a little.

4. Slide the mesh into the large grill opening and work it toaerd the end of the openings. I held onto the mesh with a pair of medical forceps from Harbor Freight. These lock when closed so you won't lose the mesh, although the mesh can't fall very far and you can pick it up easily. You will need to hold the mesh up against the grill openings in the next step.

5. I fastened the mesh to the grill using smzll zip-ties. I first softened the "tongue" of the tie by lightly rubbing it on a hot soldering iron. I then bent the tongue in a half-circle. It held this shape when it cooled. This shape allows you to feed the tongue down through the mesh, back up through the mesh and around the grill. Then feed the tongue through the other end of the zip tie, pull tight, and cut off the excess. I used black zip ties and put 6 ties on each grill. The ties look ok but if you can find my images, you can decide for yourself. I believe the mesh on my 940 is held by some of that black tarry putty car mfgrs use, Elephant snot, but I didn't see a way to use that stuff.

I've had these screens on for two years now and they have worked very well. The mesh looks similat to the mesh on my 940.

Hope this gives you some ideas. This mesh works better than the Snow scoop I put on my daughter's 240. For years I covered the air grills at night to keep keaves out. This is so much better!

got it. I copied this to my files....will do soon. Thanks,
Cabbie2169