97 camry recirculation duct location

I'm trying to eliminate odors within the venting system. The directions tell me to spray this stuff into the return duct under the passenger dash area but I can't find it. I have removed the plastic panel that hides the blower motor and can see pretty much everything under there but the only visible vent is the one that blows onto the feet. Where is the duct that sucks air from within the cabin when you put it in RECIRC mode?

Reply to
badgolferman
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I have noticed vents under the front seats, could those be them? Or do those provide heat for the rear passengers?

Reply to
Mark

Spray some of that stuff in that area on the passenger side and you will see where it is getting sucked in, WBMA

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Take a strip on something very light, like a strip of tissue. Turn on RECIRC and move strip until you find where there is a vacuum. HTH, davidj92

Reply to
davidj92

You should not have to remove anything to get at the intake for the return duct. The intake has grillwork over it, the ducts that supply air to the passenger's feet do not. You might have to use a flashlight or drop light to see the intake.

B-G sells stuff called Frigi-Fresh that is very effective. You should ask at car dealers to see if they carry it.

Reply to
Ray O

Passenger side or driver's side? I couldn't find anything on the passenger side and even Haynes manual doesn't show it. I know it exists, but where?

The dealer is the one who recommended Frigi-Fresh and told me to do this procedure. I couldn't find that brand at auto parts stores and bought a different kind that claims to do the same. Do you think I should return it?

Reply to
badgolferman

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

I took a tissue and held it all over the underside of the dash -- on top of the blower, all around it, driver's side -- I even held it up to every vent I could find inside the car. It's incredible to say, but I can't find any return duct or area that sucks the air back into the system. I may be forced to use the outside air vent, but the problem there is the stuff will get diluted with too much outside air. Maybe I'll have to spray it in then close it back to RECIRC. Any other ideas, fellas?

Reply to
badgolferman

Goferman. Few things... Are you trying to eliminate mildew/musty odors? if so the source for them is probably the heater core or the ac evaporator areas, if you spray your odor eliminator stuff into the blower( you said you can get to it),which is upstream of the htr/evap that will distribute it to the rest of the system. If you spray the stuff at the base of the windshield, and than set it to RECIRC, (like you wrote in your reply)nothing will happen since you close the outside air intake, and the stuff will just sit there. While the shop manual does not mention where the INSIDE air intak is, it does say that you need to remove the glove compartment to gain access to the blower unit, you might find the INSIDE air intake there. Based on the illustration of the air distribution in the system (shows that the only difference between outside air to inside air(RECIRC) is a door that blocks one path while opening the other) I would guess that the INSIDE air intake is part of, and right at the blower unit. HTH JerryR

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

Passenger side.

There is a door that moves from the fresh air intake to the interior intake when you switch the HVAC control from fresh to recirc. If you have your head under the passenger side of the dash and switch from fresh to recirc, you should be able to hear the door make a noise as it seals shut. If you have your head under the dash with a light, you may even be able to see the door open and close.

I read in one of your later posts that you sprayed from the outside and then switched to recirc. That should work, although not as effectively as spraying through the interior intake.

B-G is only sold through dealerships. Another brand, Ozium, is sold at some auto parts stores and is OK but IMO not as good as B-G Frigi-Fresh. I believe GM dealers sell an air system cleaner as well. I don't think there is any harm in trying the stuff you brought.

Reply to
Ray O

I know you probably know what you would be looking for but my neighbor who works on cars and myself couldn't find it. Yes, we stuck our heads in there and looked with a flashlight while the other one moved the switch back and forth. I know it's there, but it must be awfully deep inside the dash. I decided even if I could see it I wouldn't be able to get to it easily anyway so that's why I sprayed it from the outside. Now I've been driving around for a while with the heat on and the fan on high trying to get the smell of the spray out of the car.

Reply to
badgolferman

You guessed wrong ;-) I went out and looked under the passenger side of the dash on our '97 Avalon and couldn't see a thing other than the vent that blows air to the floor. Of course, I didn't remove the underside cover to see what was there.

Looking at the '97 Avalon factory repair manual, it looks like the recirc intake is above the blower motor, which is to the left of the vent that blows to the floor on the passenger side. It looks like the intake is behind the center console.

Yes, we stuck our heads

Good luck!

Reply to
Ray O

I saw a product on 2 Guys Garage that is an aerosol that you spray in a vent and it foams up inside the evaporator case, kills the mold and when it dissolves it drains out throught the evap drain. Don't know if it's any better, but it might be easier to use. davidj92

Reply to
davidj92

That's pretty much the same stuff. However the directions told me to spray it in through the return duct inside the cabin and since it wasn't visible anywhere I ended up spraying it in through the outside air vents. The smell of the spray is still within the venting system so I can't really tell if the other smell is gone yet.

Reply to
badgolferman

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