Re: More fumes- the duct tape test

["Alan W. Presley" <awpresley@earthlink.net>]

Hi again, Dave,    (see Dave's note below)


I would try this to track down the leak...

Big Al's™ Duct Tape Test(R).

(PLEASE NOT THESE IDEAS ARE FOR YOU TO FIND THE SOURCE, then you'll need
to fix this problem correctly.)

Get a willing passenger/test-sniffer to go with you when you test to
track down the odiferous eminations.

Put duct tape across the holes in the wheel wells you mentioned
previously.

Drive and see if you can make the smell return.

If no smell, you've found your problem, now fix it, but you really have
just fixed a symptom and not the problem.

If yes, try disconnecting the hoses off the fan housing.  The ones that
go to the heater boxes from the engine.  Tape shut the ports from the
fan housing (you don't want to loose your cooling, you know). Keep the
tape on the holes from the first test. You can drive for a while with
the ports shut, just don't leave it that way for a week or so.  The tape
will pull off, the cooling air will go everywhere but where you want it
to go, and you will have more problems to deal with...

Again, drive and see if you can make the smell come back.

If no smell, time to check those heaterboxes.

Next try ductaping the engine lid shut, keeping the other test-tapings
in place.

Try the side window glass, the popouts, the rear door, your assistant,
whatever else..

Try this cheap test before you take other random, costly repairs.

As I said before, you may fix the smell in the cab, but you will need to
fix whatever it is that's causing the stink.

(This is a shareware test. If you like this test please send $ to this
email address in support and developement of shareware tests and so I
can buy more ductape.)

Big Al    <----- driving a silver Squareback... oddly ductape colored.
awpresley@earthlink.net

***********************************


A bear in his natural habitat wrote:
> 
> Al,
> 
>         Thanks for the explanation.  The rear hatch seal is new and in good
> shape.  The engine cover seal is original and a little flat.  Maybe I can put
> some additional weather stripping in there to see if that makes a change.
> 
>         Are the heater box flaps inside the heater boxes or the ones controlled
> by the levers and cables?  I guess I haven't dug into that part of the car too
> much.  I do have Muirs book as well as a Chilton and Haynes at home so it looks
> like I'll do some reading this weekend.
> 
>         If I can fix this problem without having to weld all weekend I will be
> happy!
> 
> Dave