A mystery

[tmcalavy]

This morning bright and early, like 5:30 or so, the lab and I jumped into the 93 ranger to run to the local stop-n-rob and get a pack of smokes whilst the morning coffee was brewing. About half a block from the house, smoke starts pouring out of the center top vent on the dash. It lasted for maybe 30 seconds or so and didn't kill the truck, radio, lights, heater/fan, etc. and didn't smell like anything electrical so I just rolled down the window and aired out the cab. It did and still does smell like a leaf or paper fire in the cab though. My best guess is a leaf, receipt or other something went down the center top vent up by the windshield and got burned up. I've never been into a ranger dash, so I don't know if this a logical conclusion or not...everything electrical still works okay and nothing seem amiss under the hood. Opinions on this mystery? And, yeah, there was no place to pull over and bale out at the time...narrow Miss. road with deep ditches on both sides.

 

[adsm08]

Pull the blower resistor out. It probably has a leaf stuck to it.

Postin' from teh Galaxy

 

[Mark_88]

I'd say pull the fan out while you're there and clean out the cigarette butts that the squirrels have been putting in there...those pesky smoking squirrels do it to my truck all the time...like my truck is their friggin' ash tray...and check for those little shot bottles because they like to drink too...I'd even bet there's a few used condoms in there somewhere if they believe in safe sex...

The fan is only three small screw bolts and it pulls out easily...

 

[tmcalavy]

Okay, cool...didn't know that about the fan. Will I find the fan/blower resistor when I pull the fan or is it somewhere else?
And yeah, those damm squirrels are something else. When I first changed the air filter on this new-to-me used truck I found all kinds of squirrel/rodent stashings in the bottom of the air box, but normally the only one tossing butts n shot glasses around the cab is me...but the squirrel condoms are a real possibility. I personally gave up on that concern almost 30 years ago, as well as that kind of fun in the truck cab...old age sux.

 

[Mark_88]

Yep, getting old is hard on the body...gets the mind too...I can't even remember where I put my box of condoms so sex is always a problem...and squirrel condoms are very hard to detect since the little buggers are lacking in the size area.

Once you pull the fan out you can pretty much access the source of collected leaves...they probably enter through that little hatch that opens when you open the air vents...right from the cowl area...so cleaning that out helps to reduce the numbers considerably...but a PITA to try to clean if they are accompanied by road silt...which generally leads to a rotted firewall.

You can try a power washer if you see anything in the cowl area, but the exits are on both sides of the cab behind the fenders and if they plug up you may need to pull the fenders out a bit...this can be done without removing the inner fenders on Gen I and II...as I've done this a few times.

But I guess you'd have to start by simply looking in there to see if there is anything to worry about...a flashlight helps immensely since it is mostly covered...

 

[adsm08]

The resistor is next to the fan, oddly shaped plug out in the engine bay on the air box. Unplug, then two 8mm machine screws.