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STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

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STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby MU31TD » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:14 pm

Many might notice that if you drive along gravel or sand with windows and/or sunroof cracked at about 45km+ the cabin sucks in a lot of dust and exhaust fumes... I experienced this in two MUs already.

You need:
1. Isuzu Mu
2. Well ventilated area
3. Up to 3 filler foam cans (longer nozzle and upside down working cans are your preferences)
4. Long sleeve shirt, gloves & goggles (that stuff is toxic)
5. Rags
6. Trim Clip removal tool or a flat head screw driver.

Preliminary
All this smog gets in through the gaps in lower rear quarter panels. There could be many ways to block those. I used Builder's cavity expandable foam (aka "space invader foam"). Sikka is a good brand and three bottles were more then enough. At $12 per can at Bunnings it's a bang for your buck. I would recommend fire proof foam for obvious reasons. And search for a can that can work upside down as well as upright for ease of application. Longer nozzle also helps.

1. Access.
To get to the cavities you need to remove inner trims. Left hand side is fairly easy. You can do the hole job via a latch for access to your tools and bottle jack. Remove those for ease of access. For the right hand side you need a clip removal tool or a flat head screw driver will also do. Carefully remove the clips, they pop off like rockets. There's about 5 or 6 of them. Then pull the trim from the bottom outward and upwards. You should be able to slide it out from under the rubber mould that runs along the window edge. Navigate the seat belt through the gap in the trim.

2. Preparation
Now you need to get someone with small hands to wipe all the dust off with a damp cloth. I used Karcher pressure cleaner. Takes some time to dry tho. Get some rags, gloves, and long sleeve and goggles also recommended. That toxic stuff does not wash off with anything! Took 4 days till it washed off my skin. Next step is most fun.

3 Application.
3.1 Read and follow the instructions on the can. Should be done in a well ventilated area.
3.2 Apply the foam to fill the all the gaps where the smog can get through. But try to avoid filling the very bottom of the cavities. Moisture will get in there. At the very bottom there are holes for ventilation they should not be blocked or you risk rust.
Note: Foam expands up to 3 sizes of a can when drying so don't get fanatic.
3.3 Let the foam settle and check for any gaps. Fill any remaining gaps and give some time to till the foam is hard. Road test it. If needed repeat step 3.3.

4. Completion
Clean the trims on inside and assemble them in a reverse of step 1.

That's it you are done! No more diesel smell or dust.
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby bozza72 » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:13 am

Mine dust smell come thought the aircon, i have to run it with the doors open for about 10mins before it clears.
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby geeves » Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:30 pm

thats not a dust smell.Its a mould in the air con. You can by special spays to get rid of it it its annoying enough
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby wbski007 » Sat Aug 21, 2010 8:12 am

I used to do alot of driving on dirt roads in Texas and the only way to keep the dust out was to close all the windows and open the fresh air vents, this would pressurise the cabin and no dust would come in, if you opened a window, forget it the cabin would fill with dust!! back in the 50's few cars had A/C so you either keep the windows closed and suffered from the heat or opened them and died from the dust!! it was a no win situation.
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby andrewward » Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:55 am

can you do this over the firewall and under the dashboard ?! and doors ?! there is a very anoying rattling noise coming from the inside the dash on the left hand side ,dont want to take the dash out, maybe that foam can muffle the sound a bit , or maybe some other product i can use ?
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby NuTz4bikez » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:01 pm

I had an annoying noise which seemed to be coming from the LHS of the dash - Turned out to be the door opener, filed a lil off it and the noise is gone :)
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby MrRevhead » Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:36 pm

I know oooold thread, but just in case some sees it and want's to try it, do NOT use the house hold expanding foam mentioned here, it loves attracting moisture and will rot the crap out of your MU :o
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby MU31TD » Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:42 am

MrRevhead wrote:I know oooold thread, but just in case some sees it and want's to try it, do NOT use the house hold expanding foam mentioned here, it loves attracting moisture and will rot the crap out of your MU :o


If builders foam is no good, then what do you suggest to use?
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby MrRevhead » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:06 am

No idea, but that stuff was popular with drifters and race car builders until a few years ago when they all started to rust to bits
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby daisy » Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:53 am

Filling those back panels or any panels up gona get rust sooner or later inside panel condensate can't breath and rusts even new cars do it where they seal things up to make them quite ! Best to keep windows up put air on recirculate and pressurize cabin
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby haven » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:33 am

the expanding foam is moisture resistant, thats the whole reason its used to seal leaks. i did this foam fill a few wks ago on my mutrol more in a water proofing attempt than dust as there are drain holes in those rear guards, there are pics in my mutrol build thread. i painted the inside cavity first to prevent rusting but moisture can not get trapped between panel as its virtually airtight now. makes for good sound deadening too as it stops the flimsy panels along those guards from vibrating to much..

dust smell could well be coming from your air con / blower "bozza72" as the vent air intake is the grill across the top of your dash/bonnet. if your doing a lot of following others or driving in dusty winds then theres a good change your sucking it in that way, just set your a/c to recirc and it will prevent that.

avoid thinks like silicone based products as they promote rust on bare metals, despite the fact people commonly use it to insulate wiring etc... if you paint and seal the cavity first it shouldnt rust any different as it would without the foam.
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Re: STOP in-cabin dust & diesel smell

Postby Marcopolo » Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:19 am

Alfa Romeo filled some of the hollow sections in the mighty Alfasud with foam. One of the fastest rusting cars in the history of motoring.. :mrgreen:
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