Who farted? - Heat exchanger removal

[fogcity]

I posted months ago on this but am going to try and tackle the problem tomorrow so I just wanted to get some ideas:

For probably the last 5k miles (3500 driven by me) I have an awfull smell come up when I pull the right heater handle. The p/o said that she accidently dropped some dog kibble in the vents and just hasn't fished it out. Not knowing about P-cars then I didn't know at the time that that doesn't make much sense. However, I got to say that the smell is that of burning, nasty dog food (or perhaps that's what rats smell like when they burn - I don't know). Anyway, I haven't tackled the ventalation system yet and am going to give it a go. Is there any place to look BEFORE I contemplate removing the (I assume) right heat exchanger? I'll follow Wayne's book on how to do that but is there anything else I should keep in mind?

The reason I'm asking for other places to look is that I would think that 5k or more miles would burn off anything that snuck up in there from undernieth, leaving nothing but ash which wouldn't stink. Looking at p/os records it does state that they "investigated" posible infestation but I don't know if it's related to what I'm smelling now.

And one last dumb question - Being that I live in urban SF and don't have a garrage or jack stands to work with, I plan on parking the right side of car on curb so I can crawl under there. Is there any problem with approaching this having the car leaning at an angle?

Thanks.

[ruf-porsche]

No jackstand, probably no torch, working out on the sttreet, and you expect to remove a heat exchanger? Surely there must be some P car owners that you know that has a garage and wouldn't mind helping you.

I think the minimum would be to look at the heat exhanger and where it bolts up to the engine, spray some penetrating oil (not wd40) crawl out from underneath the car and have yourself a beer. Do this for a couple of weekends before tacking the removal of the heat exchanger. and if you break or strip a nut or stud stop immediately, put whatever you took off and bring it to a shop.

Good Luck, and please post the outcome.

[limble]

I'm the kind of person who will try anything, but I wouldn't try this. I'm in the process of rebuilding my 2,2 engine. Even with the engine out of the car upside down mounted on a yoke and jack stand still had a hell of a time removing the heat exchangers.
All six nuts on a heat exchanger have the potential to be either stripped or frozen.

I know that's not what you wanted to hear so:
Buy a new allen wrench socket grinding one down will affect the hardness and it might strip.
A flexible extension to reach the nuts that don't access through the heat exchangers. I couldn't reach one of mine with a standard universal.
Again: "spray some penetrating oil (not wd40) crawl out from underneath the car and have yourself a beer."
Note:
On my 2,2 there are six nuts (per exchanger) three are socket head and three are regular hex nuts.
When you remove the socket head screws (nuts) you will find they are barrel nuts. Very unusual fasteners.

Good luck!
Mike

[jyl]

Wait a minute, do you need to remove the HE? If there is something rotting in your right side heat system, maybe you can locate it by disconnecting and sniffing. It should stink whether the car is running or not, right? Then maybe you can clean it out with a vacumn cleaner, water hose, compressed air, who knows. It just seems you should investigate all possibilities and make HE removal a last resort. I've been looking into removing my HEs and all the threads I've read make it sound like quite a difficult job that often leads to the mechanic.

[fogcity]

John - exactley what I was thinking. And, especially after reading those few responses I don't think I'll go for the removal just now.

But, I'll ask again: Wouldn't 5k miles burn off what ever would be in the heat exchangers? Where else to look for smell?

And, what's wrong with WD40? Liguid Wrench the way to go?

Thanks again

[350HP930]

I would also think that nothing stinky could last that long in a heat exchanger knowing how quickly oil gets burned out of my exchangers.

My guess would be that it is coming from somewhere after the heater boxes.

The only way that I think the kibble story could be true (and if you think it smells like kibble it probably is) is that she was transporting a bag in the passenger seat that might have been open, hit the brakes and probably sent a wave of kibbles over the dash and down the windshield defroster vent.

That would explain the right side heat kibble smell.

If this is the case then you need to start your investigation in the HVAC assembly beneath the windsheild vent.

Dissasembling the HVAC assembly in the trunk is also a lot easier endeavor than pulling off your heat exchangers and is more likely to fix your problem.

[fogcity]

Good show! I'll start there.
Thnaks

[ruf-porsche]

Fogcity I give this job a 1 keg beer job. You need to get stinking drunk either before you attempt this removal on the curb or after you starting stripping nuts or shearing off studs.

WD40 is really not a penetrating oil you need something that will dissolve (for the lack of a better term) the rust. If your HE squeak hit it with the WD40 that's about the only thing WD40 is good for.

[fogcity]

I know who farted!

Following all your advice I decided NOT to go after the heat exchanges (but I got the beer anyway); shees, I couldn't even find the flapper boxs. So, I went for the vents under the hood (front) and traced the path of air - of course I found nothing lodged. Then (after frustration of not finding flapper boxs) I wnet to the blower motor at the passenger foot well. I loosened the blower and what came out? - about a 1/2 cup of very charred dog kibble!

So I fed the dog and called it a successful morning. Thanks for all your help.

[Sonic dB]

Now this is a technical forum classic. A tip that we should all file away in the backs of our heads just in case.

Question: Perhaps its a good idea for all of us to clean out that blower motor area? Did you find anything in there other than kibble....such as dust bunnies etc?

[jester911]

You found the kibbles, but what about the bits?

[Allenk]

Hey cool forum! I was just about tp post some insignificant repy saying that removing the heat exchangers is too far from the from the problem and BOOM you found it. Just my $.02 I took the heat exchangers off my 2.2 while the engine was out and it sucked. That ws after spraying them with penetrating oil twice a week for 2 months-project car.

[john walker's workshop]

WD cleans benches and tool boxes real well.

[RoninLB]

WD-40 sucks, IMO..
and in that group, I'd rather keep CRC around the home garage. Break Free is also good.. but I was told not to leave it on blued things? ...........Ron

[pwd72s]

WD is okay for what it's initials mean: Water Displacement. Wanna break loose rusted nuts? PB BLASTER! Hell, there is even a can of it in Istanbul now...Ronnie...you know what to used on blued things...Birchwood Casey's "sheath", right? How IS your blued thing these days?

[ruf-porsche]

Originally posted by fogcity
Following all your advice I decided NOT to go after the heat exchanges (but I got the beer anyway);

Our advice was not to go after the heat exchanger, our advice was to have a beer, or two or three before starting the HE removal. Glad someone on this board listen to the advice given by all the experts.

[fogcity]

SonicB - no bunnies, just kibble. All and all it was quite clean. It's funny - before every now and then I would open the right vent to see if whatever was burning was still there; I think that kibble would have lasted forever.

Note to all - this would make a great prank on somebody because the smell is like a mixture of burning dog food, vomit and rot - just terrible and in no way tollerable.

[coolbreeze]

it really was kibble? i thought the guy sold you a car with his wifes hands in the trunk