Help! black foam from ac

[hawkeye372]

The last couple weeks i have been driving around with the vents turned to the off position. the main reason is that the foam insulation has been breaking down and sticking to the interior parts Like the seats and center console. What a sticky situation especially when its around 90+ with the heat index of over 100. My dealer said that they can take care of the situation but....... it'll cost $$$$ in labor because they will have to take the dash completely off and vac all the black insulation out of the interior components. The other option is fill the gas tank full, put a old sheet on the seats and interior and run it for a 1/2hr with one vent open. Then close that vent and open another. Keep doing that until all vents have been open and closed. The service guy said this has been a problem for all XLRs. So since my service guy has promised me a free detail (because of the trunk leak problem) i'm going to take it in next thursday (14th) and have them work their magic. That way i'll be ready for the big car show in early sept..

 

[ccclarke]

It may not be as bad as they say. Remove the center stack metal trim piece and inspect the sticky-backed foam around the vents. You can replace it for next-to-nothing, and test it to see if it is the main culprit. I replaced mine for the same reason a few years ago and have never had a re-occurrence of the problem. It cost me an hour of my time -including buying new foam at a hardware store.

CCC

 

[hawkeye372]

Thanks for the info

 

[klaptrapper]

CC, what is the best way to remove the vertical bezzel to get at the vents? Does the lower (horizontal) one need to be removed first to get the vertical one loose? Forwarned is forarmed! ha
Thanks, Rusty

It may not be as bad as they say. Remove the center stack metal trim piece and inspect the sticky-backed foam around the vents. You can replace it for next-to-nothing, and test it to see if it is the main culprit. I replaced mine for the same reason a few years ago and have never had a re-occurrence of the problem. It cost me an hour of my time -including buying new foam at a hardware store.

CCC

 

[ccclarke]

Great question! You are correct. The lower/center console (transmission shift plate) can interfere with the removal of the center stack trim section.

1) Pull (or pry) the Shift Knob plasti-chrome trim ring downwards, and loosen the retaining fastener with a T-15 Torx driver. Remove the Shift Knob and set aside.
2) Using a plastic trim removal tool, (screwdrivers can scratch the metal surface!) pry the center/lower console trim piece upwards. It only needs to be pulled 1/2" away from the center stack.
3) Using the same handy trim tool, gently pry the center stack console trim piece outwards.
4) Disconnect the Hazard light connector to remove the center stack trim piece.
5) Inspect the sticky-backed foam tape that surrounds the twin A/C vents.
6) If the foam tape has deteriorated, remove the tape and clean/remove the residual adhesive with isopropyl alcohol.
7) Replace the foam tape with a similar-sized product available at most hardware stores.
8) Re-assemble in reverse order.


There may be other, harder-to-access foam tape inside the dash causing your issue, but this piece is very easy to inspect and replace, and because of its location, tends to be exposed to more heat, breaking it down faster. It's worth a shot before someone tears into your dash. (And wallet.)

CC

 

[klaptrapper]

Black Foam

Thank you CC. "Great answer"!

Rusty 06 V

Great question! You are correct. The lower/center console (transmission shift plate) can interfere with the removal of the center stack trim section.

1) Pull (or pry) the Shift Knob plasti-chrome trim ring downwards, and loosen the retaining fastener with a T-15 Torx driver. Remove the Shift Knob and set aside.
2) Using a plastic trim removal tool, (screwdrivers can scratch the metal surface!) pry the center/lower console trim piece upwards. It only needs to be pulled 1/2" away from the center stack.
3) Using the same handy trim tool, gently pry the center stack console trim piece outwards.
4) Disconnect the Hazard light connector to remove the center stack trim piece.
5) Inspect the sticky-backed foam tape that surrounds the twin A/C vents.
6) If the foam tape has deteriorated, remove the tape and clean/remove the residual adhesive with isopropyl alcohol.
7) Replace the foam tape with a similar-sized product available at most hardware stores.
8) Re-assemble in reverse order.


There may be other, harder-to-access foam tape inside the dash causing your issue, but this piece is very easy to inspect and replace, and because of its location, tends to be exposed to more heat, breaking it down faster. It's worth a shot before someone tears into your dash. (And wallet.)

CC

 

[daddyCaddy]

AC Vent

Thanks soooo much for your help.

 

[CNC]

Me too, years ago, but not an XLR

Hi Hawkeye,

Hope all is well with you (other than the black goo) in beautiful St. Augustine. I had this happen to me many moons ago with a Chevrolet Impala I owned back in the day. Unfortunately a fairly common problem sometimes at high ambient temps. Really annoying for sure.

Follow the steps others have suggested above in repair. As there is really no way to get the heat from stopping the adhesive from letting go in the future, other than as the dealer said, taking the whole dash apart and all the vent ducting out to replace the insulation. At that time I fashioned and put black aluminum window screen inside the vents behind the flappy thingies to stop the gooey black particles after I had done what I could to retain what I could get to. At least this stops it from blowing all over your interior. Yes, it may plug them up a bit, but you can always do it again if found to be necessary. At that time, The Impala did stop doing this over a period of time.

God Bless