Recently I noticed a buzzing sound coming from the dash. I changed fan speeds and the frequency of the buzzing changed so I knew something was in the fan. Once I got it apart I found several leaves inside the fan. Cleaned them out and no more noise until yesterday. Now the same noise is back. I can only assume more leaves. How are they getting into the system?? I've looked the system over and I can't see a way in.

 

Leaves or pine-needles? Pine needles seem to be very good at getting into any vehicles heater box.
Is this a older first gen Ranger? they seem much more susceptible to pulling in leaves through the cowl vents than the newer models.

 

It's a 2003 with a 3.0 V-6. They are definitely leaves and not pine needles because it sits under a tree at night. Leaves are about the size of a silver dollar.

 

What this means is that they are getting in through the vents in front of your windshield.

The way the vents are made is that there is a stand-up under one side that prevents water from getting in - and it has got filled up because the normal drain channel down along both sides can't get rid of them all.

What I will suggest is that you try first blowing compressed air down into the vents in front of your windshield to drive out most of the leaves - if this does not work, run water from a garden hose down into the vent slots and try poking with a coat hanger wire to unplug the outflow channel along both sides.

At the back of the fenders, just ahead of the firewall there is a channel that junk should wash out through. If it has gotten plugged, it may be necessary to pull off the fenders on both sides and clean it out thoroughly.

~and don't park it under a tree no more...


*AIR flows in through those vent slots, and around the firewall top and down along both sides.
If the down flow area has gotten plugged by big leaves it will get blocked and back up. Debris has no where else to go but into the recirc vent - and that is how it is getting in there.

I recently found the same thing in a twenty five year old Festiva

Undo the backs of your fenders just ahead of the doors - and I bet a whole mass of leaves fall out

I'm guessing you may have to pull apart your recirc system to get rid of what has already got in there

~But it might not be that late

 

My wife was driving the '93 Ranger and smoke started coming out of the vents. Leaves had packed in around the step-down resistor and had actually caught fire. There was not enough fuel to get the plastic plenum burning.

 

There ya go - the last thing you want is to be getting mesquite smoked while you driving down the road....

This is just one of the reasons my turbo-toy is in the shop until the entire dash can be pulled out and re-done

Something else that can happen is dirt and dust can find its way in, and since the smallest passages in the ducting are through the A/C evap and the heater core - it gets deposited there, both blocking air circulation, and creating a fine environment for yucky mold and mildew to form when the humidity is up.

If you have what seems like a good fan in your recirc system, but the air flow out of the vents is pathetic it could well be that it's time to open their "BOXES" and vacuum or blow out those two components.

Sometimes pieces of the ducting fall out of place too, and the only way to restore good airflow is to get in there and go look.

YOU DO NOT want to have a shop do this if you can help it, because it CAN be a long and therefore very pricey job to do. It might also not be covered under warrantee.

But anyone who is careful and methodical can trace out the ducts and/or R&R a dash panel