Fire!
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Postmaster
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Fire!
I thought I would share with you a hair-raising experience I had some years back. Maybe you can avoid the same problem.
My 83 has slots in the cowl panel (I believe 84 or 85 went to little holes).
I would park under a tree, small leaves would fall through those slots, go down into the evap core housing, where they piled up, getting wet and soggy from rain coming down there. Eventually, they reached the height where some sensor sticks into the housing (you can see it on the outside the the housing). Inside, the wet leaves bridged the two terminals, generated heat, and smoldered. This is with the A/C on. It was billowing smoke through the cowl, coming out the defroster vents, you name it. I shut it off of course, but that didn't help...you know how burning leaves keep smoldering. I got water and poured it down the cowl vent, down the defrost vents....water everywhere! I wasn't about to see my truck catch on fire!
I since have installed window screening under the cowl panel, which catches the leaves. I still have to vacuum them out occasionally, and no, I don't park under trees anymore. Hope you don't experience the same.
My 83 has slots in the cowl panel (I believe 84 or 85 went to little holes).
I would park under a tree, small leaves would fall through those slots, go down into the evap core housing, where they piled up, getting wet and soggy from rain coming down there. Eventually, they reached the height where some sensor sticks into the housing (you can see it on the outside the the housing). Inside, the wet leaves bridged the two terminals, generated heat, and smoldered. This is with the A/C on. It was billowing smoke through the cowl, coming out the defroster vents, you name it. I shut it off of course, but that didn't help...you know how burning leaves keep smoldering. I got water and poured it down the cowl vent, down the defrost vents....water everywhere! I wasn't about to see my truck catch on fire!
I since have installed window screening under the cowl panel, which catches the leaves. I still have to vacuum them out occasionally, and no, I don't park under trees anymore. Hope you don't experience the same.
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Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Southern California
I used to park my '81 under a grove of oak trees. Never had a fire. But it was annoying to hear the heater fan clicking against the dry leaves. Sometimes they would get blown out the A/C vent. I used to wish they made an aftermarket screen to cover the slots in the cowl. Didn't know you could remove it.
How about giving us a step by step instruction on how to remove the cowl panel and install a screen?
How about giving us a step by step instruction on how to remove the cowl panel and install a screen?
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: RI
As far as removing the cowl panel, it's a pain. In order to get it off without completely warping it, I had to take off the hood. Then there's a number of screws along just under where the cowl and hood meet. There's also a few screws that you get to through the slots in the cowl. Unhook the antenna and take off the windshield wiper arms and you're free. Putting it back together is the difficult part, having to line up the hood just right again.....
When I looked at the ducts under the cowl to the vents, it was full of leaves. The screen thing sounds like a good idea and I would like to hear how he rigged it as well.
When I looked at the ducts under the cowl to the vents, it was full of leaves. The screen thing sounds like a good idea and I would like to hear how he rigged it as well.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: East Coast
Happened to me twice. Now I clean out the box above the heater core annually. It's the heater resistor that gets hot. It dosn't cause a big fire, just takes a few weeks for the smell to go away though. It is pretty easy to clean out. All I did was pull the blower motor out, 4 bolts, and shove the vacuum hose down there. Dosn't take long. And the holes instead of slots didn't come until at least 87. My truck is an 86 and it has the slots.
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Postmaster
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Removing the cowl was straightforward as described. I left my hood on, the cowl came out with a little coaxing, did scrape up the paint on the ends though, so if you're a purist, remove the hood. I cut some screening, drilled some holes, screwed it down with washers. That blower motor removal method sounds pretty good.
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Same thing happened to me. I had my window down with the heat on. After a block, I thought someone was burning leaves outside, and inhaled deeply and thought that smells good. Then I noticed the smoke. I pulled over and turned everything off because I didn't know what was causing it. Fortunately it didn't catch too bad. Now when I smell burning leaves, I am not so quick to think of the good old days, but rather smile about what happened with my truck.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Dixie - Tennessee
Hmm...Sounds like something that I need to watch out far on my 1984 F-150.I guess that's why Ford went to the holes instead of the slots??
I also noticed that water comes through my floor vents when I wash my truck.Is this normal?I thought that it was a leaky windshield gasket,but it's dripping out of the ducts.
Nightrain
I also noticed that water comes through my floor vents when I wash my truck.Is this normal?I thought that it was a leaky windshield gasket,but it's dripping out of the ducts.
Nightrain
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: East Coast
Nightrain, sounds like it could be rusted in there. have someone spray water, crawl under the dash and see where it's coming from. Maybe you can seal it up. I'm pretty sure it isn't normal for your truck to leak water.
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From: East Coast
Nightrain, sounds like it could be rusted in there. have someone spray water, crawl under the dash and see where it's coming from. Maybe you can seal it up. I'm pretty sure it isn't normal for your truck to leak water. 
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this may be a blessing in disguise nightrain. there are little areas for the water to drain outta the cowl. sometimes these holes get clogged, they then rust it out and make a mess, hopefully for you the water just found another way out and didn't rust itself another way out.
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From: Dixie - Tennessee
Originally Posted by bigbrown84truck
this may be a blessing in disguise nightrain. there are little areas for the water to drain outta the cowl. sometimes these holes get clogged, they then rust it out and make a mess, hopefully for you the water just found another way out and didn't rust itself another way out.
I'm gonna check it out this weekend.I just noticed it today when I washed my truck.I haven't noticed it the past few days that it's been raining.
Nightrain