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240 wagon right rear side vent purpose?

Motakitty

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Location
San Jose, ca
I have a 91 240 wagon and my question is about the vent on the right rear quarter panel. What's it purpose? Can i get away with blocking it off with a metal filter piece? It looks like the vent is there to vent air from that cargo area by where the gas filter neck is. I need to replace mine as it got melted due to an outside fire so i need new paint anyhow so body work is in order no matter what. Thought might be a good time for some mods
 
it's so you won't suffocate sleeping in your wagon with all the windows rolled up... also I kinda remember something about a fan
 
It vent's the cabin air pressure, when I redo the V8 wagon, I will put one on the left side also, thinking of putting ones on each front fender.
 
I have a 91 240 wagon and my question is about the vent on the right rear quarter panel. What's it purpose?

Wikipedia said:
In 1970 a flow-through ventilation system, where vents were added towards the rear of the car (on the exterior under the rear window on the 142 and 144 and as a grille next to the right side taillight of the 145)

Make sure the air duct inside didn't get melted.

GR-12991_14.png


... also I kinda remember something about a fan

:nod:

https://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=264386
 
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Wow, didn't know this was a thing. totally awesome. I need to recreate this stuff. Maybe a new product?

Would be cool to see you offer one. I like mine. Great for camping in the car.
The condensation from breathing (worse when it's 2 people and a dog) quickly creates a dripping rain forest in the car, especially when it's cold outside.

My one pointer to others wanting to do the same is to find a way to mount the blower such that its vibrations are isolated, because that little cargo area acts like the body of an acoustic guitar. I think the cantilevered mounting volvo suggested would do it somewhat effectively. I initially screwed mine to the underside of the wood panel but it made it way too loud to use at the CFM we needed. Now it rests on a foam pad and is much quieter.
 
Would be cool to see you offer one. I like mine. Great for camping in the car.
The condensation from breathing (worse when it's 2 people and a dog) quickly creates a dripping rain forest in the car, especially when it's cold outside.

My one pointer to others wanting to do the same is to find a way to mount the blower such that its vibrations are isolated, because that little cargo area acts like the body of an acoustic guitar. I think the cantilevered mounting volvo suggested would do it somewhat effectively. I initially screwed mine to the underside of the wood panel but it made it way too loud to use at the CFM we needed. Now it rests on a foam pad and is much quieter.

Good feedback!!! Its been way too long since I've gone camping and slept in the back of my 240 but I know the feeling of its being a moisture trap and i can see that fan setup being a great alternative to it.

Do you let it run all night? Do you have a backup battery? Is yours tied into the blower motor controls?
 
Great idea! My dad made one for when he drove this 240, probably 25 years ago now, using an old 240 interior fan, which proved to make more noise than move air sadly.

I've been looking at compact SPAL radial fans for this use. I bet a smaller one or one with the motor 'in' the fan could be fitted behind the interior panel quite easily.

Both for camping and during driving.
 
Good feedback!!! Its been way too long since I've gone camping and slept in the back of my 240 but I know the feeling of its being a moisture trap and i can see that fan setup being a great alternative to it.

Do you let it run all night? Do you have a backup battery? Is yours tied into the blower motor controls?

It does run all night. I have a deep cycle battery and calculated the amp hours of the fan and compared it to the battery, and I was not at risk. I think the fan is 2.5A max, and the optima battery is 55 Ah, so in theory I could run it for about 24 hours on full blast, but we almost never use it on highest setting, probably 50% most of the time. I control it with a PWM controller rather than the resistive setup for efficiency and smooth speed adjustment. I installed the knob right on that rear cargo panel, since I usually don't need to use it while I'm driving.
 
Great idea! My dad made one for when he drove this 240, probably 25 years ago now, using an old 240 interior fan, which proved to make more noise than move air sadly.

I've been looking at compact SPAL radial fans for this use. I bet a smaller one or one with the motor 'in' the fan could be fitted behind the interior panel quite easily.

Both for camping and during driving.

Someone in a thread a while back mentioned that they were planning on using a boat bilge air fan, and I think it's the right choice- design to evacuate moisture from a compartment quietly and with low energy consumption. It's what I used at least.

https://www.amazon.com/SEAFLO-Line-Marine-Bilge-Blower/dp/B00F7ANK7S

Gi8EHuJl.jpg
 
I think the fan is 2.5A max, and the optima battery is 55 Ah, so in theory I could run it for about 24 hours on full blast, but we almost never use it on highest setting, probably 50% most of the time.

2.5 amps x 24 hours = 60Ah

A battery will still need something above 0% state of charge to start a vehicle. 1.25 amps for ~8 hours is probably safe...assuming the battery is fully-charged when parked, although the alternator will take a beating charging the battery back up.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
 
2.5 amps x 24 hours = 60Ah

A battery will still need something above 0% state of charge to start a vehicle. 1.25 amps for ~8 hours is probably safe...assuming the battery is fully-charged when parked, although the alternator will take a beating charging the battery back up.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

Hey, an optima guy. That's cool. Yeah 55~=60, which is why I said about. The PWM conserves energy that isn't being used by the fan. I also have a digital voltmeter wired up on key pos I, so when I run the fan, I usually wake up and check the voltage at some point in the night. Alternator is a 100a bosch unit, so it should be plenty capable of charging the battery. I also keep a rechargeable jump start battery pack with me. And jumper cables.

I'm also considering making room for a second battery tray and second yellowtop, but it hasn't been a needed item yet.
 
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