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90-96 passenger AC vents

Joined
Jun 20, 2002
Messages
2,510
Location
Tallahassee, FL
Corvette
none right now :(
I took out my vents yesterday (finally) to try to track down my squeak, and to fix one of the right/left adjustment knobs because it got pushed in out of reach...

What i found:

1. The vents are hard to get on and off, because you can't fit a torx bit screwdriver in the hole.

2. The right/left vent knob is held on by the smallest point that man could fabricate into plastic... thus, i am sure many vette owners have problems with them... the question is, how to fix? I am considering super glue, but i doubt it will hold.

3. I can't find anything that would cause my squeak, unless the screws were loose on the vent itself..

any ideas, comments, or random thoughts would be appreciated!
 
I have the same problem with my 90. One of the knobs went completely out of site but my vent was held on by phillips screws. Let me know if you find where I can get the vent.



Mac
 
Just fixed mine on my 95 last week. Very easy fix. get a set of torx screw drivers they fit in the hole. Go to Arts Corvette shop at http://www.artscorvetteparts.com/ he has them in stock. Buy the whole piece that snaps in behind the vent. Super glue will never work on that smallest piece of plastic known to the human race. I don't understand engineers, that piece could have easly been made out of metal.
Good luck.
 
any suggestions on where to get the vent? I don't mind that it is made out of plastic, but they could have made it a little bigger so it wouldnt break so easily... I will check chevrolet later to see if they have a reasonable price on it... otherwise?
 
There are a lot of different individual parts that make up that assembly. (VENT) I would call and talk to someone at Art's, they are very helpful and a lot cheaper than a dealer.
 
thanks, i will do that, i wasn't exactly sure what arts would have... i would feel stupid asking for a part like that if they had no chance of having it... thanks again for the info, i am going to call up arts today to see what they have.
 
Did this on my 95 a couple weeks ago. Had a similar problem as I have Torx bits that go into a driver. I borrowed my neighbors set which look like a set of screwdrivers with a Torx head on it and got in and out very easily. My assembly was just pushed back in and had become disconnected from the fron vent assembly. Simply connected it back together and reassembled, but I know it will one day come loose again. :(

Leon
 
i think sears has a sale on a torx set right now, not the bits like i have... the problem is that i am using the bits, just like you did... if i had the regular set i would be fine.... GM has to make everything difficult... who the heck invented torx screws anyway... i am already confused with the standard/metric nuts all over the place... pick something and go with it already!:r
 
No doubt. I figured since it was a domestic car I would find little use for all the metric sockets I have. Boy was I wrong. I wasted so much time working through standard sizes until I realized that I should just start out with the metric.

And I will be adding a set of Torx drivers to my tool collection to replace my bits. It's not like they will go unused. ;)

Leon
 
Sorry for the confussion about the torx screwdrivers. I bought them at Sears also. I meant that Art's has every part you can imagine for a vette not that he sells torx screwdrivers.
 
I am clear about arts now....

The one thing that amazes me though, is that there are standard and metric bolts all over the car, AND you need them both to do just about any job.... You can unbolt a metric bolt, and right next to it is a standard bolt... I wonder if the C5 is better?
 
Just repaired my passenger vent. First of all, the middle plastic plate that hides the torx screws has typical GM guaranteed to break away tabs so be careful.

Most people try to pull out the entire vent before discovering the screws behind the plate. They are difficult to see even if you have the plate off. The result is broken tabs that connect the vent mechanics to the face plate. Once out of the car you can glue the vent to the grill and it looks stock.

A quick and dirty fix for the front screw cover (and other plastic trim parts) if the tabs are broken is to use Earthquake Putty, the stuff that holds glasses and plates in place (use a lot of this in California). The stuff sticks to the plastic and firmly holds it in place. Just roll a ball of it behind the plate and press on. Trim any exposed with tweezers and no one is the wiser.

When reinstalling the vent, after pushing it into the air duct, you need to align it left or right so those sharp edges fit behind the vinyl in the vent opening. These edges look like sloppy manufacturing but they are what holds the sides of the vent in place. After getting the horizontal position you want, hold the vent in place and slowly tighten the torx screws. If it shifts even 1/8 inch, one side or the other will pop out.
 

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