94 Camry LE: Foam blowing out of vent - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

fidelio · 09-15-2008, 02:22 PM

The air vent on my 1994 Camry LE blows out little pieces of foam. These bits of foam break apart as soon as I touch them. There is also a strange smell from the vent. Do I need to change the cabin filter or something similar? I searched for help on this, but it seems that they didn't have cabin filters on models before 2001(?).

Thanks in advance.

Mike Gerber · 09-15-2008, 06:03 PM

This is pretty common. Toyota uses this foam to seal where pieces of the duct system connect to each other. As it get old it dries up and get's brittle and some of it blows out in to the passenger compartment. It is more common on the generation 4's rather than your generation 3, but it can happen to any year. Nothing really to worry about. Your duct system is probably operating at 98% efficiency now.

As to your other question, you are correct in that your car does not have a cabin air filter. You car probably has some mold built up in the a/c system. This is also pretty common in many car makes, not just Toyota. You can try spraying some Lysol in to the vents just in front of the windshield, while moving the selector lever in the car to the various vent positions, including inside and outside air. If this doesn't help, most auto parts stores sell a kit with some chemical to get rid of the moldy smell. Personally, I think Lysol works just as well.

Mike

xtremeskier97 · 09-15-2008, 09:02 PM

What I do is set the system to fresh air and roll down all the windows. Then I have someone spray Lysol in the fresh air vent under the passenger side windshield wiper while I sit in the car with the blower on high, changing the vent selections.

I usually do this when I clean the car (once every month or 2).

Mazeraski · 09-16-2008, 02:02 PM

Hmm...I'll have to try the Lysol idea. Mine smells a little funny sometimes.

islandboy57 · 09-16-2008, 07:28 PM

I've had foam get blown out on the gen 3.5. Hasn't happened in a while, but as Mike pointed out, it's just insulation from the insides.

What I do is press the A/C button to turn the A/C off but have the fan run, a few minutes before I reach home or wherever I'm going. That way there isn't much moisture left in the vents when I park my car and go about my day.

Mike Gerber · 09-16-2008, 09:16 PM

"What I do is press the A/C button to turn the A/C off but have the fan run, a few minutes before I reach home or wherever I'm going. That way there isn't much moisture left in the vents when I park my car and go about my day."

Some cars now have a system to keep the fan running for a few minutes after the engine has been shut off, to accomplish the same thing. I think it's GM models, but I'm not certain. This really sounds like a good idea, especially in warm climates where the A/C is used constantly.

Mike

islandboy57 · 09-16-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

Some cars now have a system to keep the fan running for a few minutes after the engine has been shut off, to accomplish the same thing. I think it's GM models, but I'm not certain. This really sounds like a good idea, especially in warm climates where the A/C is used constantly.

Mike

I think that's a good idea to automatically run the fan for a bit afterwards to dry the ducts and vents out. The last GM car I've driven was an '08 Malibu Classic and it didn't have that feature. Maybe it's on the redesigned Malibu and its variants.

My aunt has an '04 Accord and her A/C has a weird smell for the first 5-10 seconds. She's started to run the fan before she gets to work/home but it hasn't gone away. I'll check it out for her the next time I see her. I have to change her windshield wipers and cabin air filter.