Gary Lewis Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Gary that picture above is me holding my phone inside the access panel and pointing it fwd to the firewall. Without a light on (in the dark) you can see light from the engine bay shining around the seal, which means fumes and whatnot can also come right in the cabin and have been for years. I guess that is why I can't find my keys all the time! I knew it! The rubber cap/plug thingy was sitting inside that space in the debris that was blocking the bottom drain. Looking fwd to the pictures of where that plug came from and plugging it back up! Yes, you need a gasket there. Do you have A/C? If so there's a guy that makes those gaskets. As for the plug, I can take a pic of Dad's truck today and probably show you where the plug goes. But Dave already knows, so if I don't figure it out maybe he can take the pic? However, I'm thinking you have a plug in that hole, it is just that someone at the factory dropped an extra plug in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Yes, you need a gasket there. Do you have A/C? If so there's a guy that makes those gaskets. As for the plug, I can take a pic of Dad's truck today and probably show you where the plug goes. But Dave already knows, so if I don't figure it out maybe he can take the pic? However, I'm thinking you have a plug in that hole, it is just that someone at the factory dropped an extra plug in. Here's what the openings in the cowl look like. Your plug may fit the outer holes. However, your plug appears to rectangular save for that one angle and the outside holes aren't. So if it doesn't fit there then I don't think it is from your truck. I've looked all of the other openings in Dad's cab and there's nothing shaped like that. The only possibility is that maybe since Dad's is an '81 and yours is an '86 something changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I wanted to post a follow up on how vent system the clean-up is going. Based on advice from Gary and Rembrant, I took out the passenger kick plate and opened that square access panel (about 6" X 10") and found many interesting discoveries. 1) Some lazy stereo installer had routed a new radio antenna through the top of this panel just clamping the panel back down on the cable. The leak from that isn't that much so I'll consider my options and figure out if I can put a proper access hole with grommet. 2) Looking through the access hole, I can see that the engine bay airbox isn't actually flush against the firewall. I can see light around the edge so that needs to be fixed. This problem appears to have been around probably since the truck was first assembled. There are two threaded bolts that extend from the plastic of the vent shroud and the bottom one was jammed into the sheet metal bending it near the hole and appears to have never had a nut put on. The top nut was there but when I put a socket on it and tried to tighten it just resulted in spinning without tightening. I asked my daughter to watch what I think was the other end of the bolt and she said it wasn't spinning on the engine bay side so maybe the bolt is broken in the plastic??? I was able to clean up the debris that was blocking the rubber drain at the bottom of the space. 3) At the bottom of the access space, I found this odd rubber cap or perhaps a plug filler of some kind. This thing probably used to be rubber, but it has zero elasticity any more. Feels like a burned potato chip now. I put it under hot water for a while and it did feel like it softened enough to get back into it's home if I knew where that was. Anybody know where this lost sheep belongs??? Right end in the picture of the bare top of Dad's truck cowl is a hole that shape. I knew I remembered seeing one that shape on Darth. On the nut spinning, it probably stripped the T bolt when the trained monkeys on the assembly line tried to tighten it. I have some removed from old HVAC cases. Where was your truck built? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Right end in the picture of the bare top of Dad's truck cowl is a hole that shape. I knew I remembered seeing one that shape on Darth. On the nut spinning, it probably stripped the T bolt when the trained monkeys on the assembly line tried to tighten it. I have some removed from old HVAC cases. Where was your truck built? I'm not so sure, Bill. The plug looks to have two right-angle corners and two 45's. The hole on the right of the cowl doesn't seem to have any right-angle corners and the run across the bottom has a dog-leg in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac79 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I'm not so sure, Bill. The plug looks to have two right-angle corners and two 45's. The hole on the right of the cowl doesn't seem to have any right-angle corners and the run across the bottom has a dog-leg in it. The driver's side stays open, at least on mine, and is sealed in with the cowl cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac79 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 The driver's side stays open, at least on mine, and is sealed in with the cowl cover. Gary, I think that plug just looks weird in the picture. I'm sure it's what we think it is. Mine was pretty crusty as well, but some warm soapy water does bring it back to some usefulness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archeman Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Gary, I think that plug just looks weird in the picture. I'm sure it's what we think it is. Mine was pretty crusty as well, but some warm soapy water does bring it back to some usefulness. OK guys those pictures are perfect - much gratitude, that would have been hard to figure out any other way. And yes it looks like I have found the home for my plug there. This also helps explain why leaves were getting into my system so often and so fast. I took a picture of the top of the plug, so it seems that at the factory the plug was installed from the top based on the shapes. Re-installing it from the inside (upside down) might present an insurmountable challenge. I'll have to consider my options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 OK guys those pictures are perfect - much gratitude, that would have been hard to figure out any other way. And yes it looks like I have found the home for my plug there. This also helps explain why leaves were getting into my system so often and so fast. I took a picture of the top of the plug, so it seems that at the factory the plug was installed from the top based on the shapes. Re-installing it from the inside (upside down) might present an insurmountable challenge. I'll have to consider my options. Any chance you could try using a light and a mirror to see if a plug is installed? Bore camera or cell phone even. As for the spinnin bolt. As was referenced before. Those studs are threaded on each end with a âtâ in the center. The âtâ fits into a slot n the plastic housing and a nut tightens it to the box FIRST then when inserted into the firewall the second nut pulls it tight against the gasket. If its spinning then the other end is loose and it is the fault. Unfortunately the best way to correct this is with the passenger fender removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Any chance you could try using a light and a mirror to see if a plug is installed? Bore camera or cell phone even. As for the spinnin bolt. As was referenced before. Those studs are threaded on each end with a âtâ in the center. The âtâ fits into a slot n the plastic housing and a nut tightens it to the box FIRST then when inserted into the firewall the second nut pulls it tight against the gasket. If its spinning then the other end is loose and it is the fault. Unfortunately the best way to correct this is with the passenger fender removed Yes, I'd check to see if it is there. I'm betting it is. I wouldn't pull things apart to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archeman Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 Yes, I'd check to see if it is there. I'm betting it is. I wouldn't pull things apart to find out. OK, I'll get a peek up see what is lurking there. Perhaps there still is a cap in place. That may take a week or two. The truck is 3rd in line at the moment behind my daughters Nissan cooling system and my son's Cadillac brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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