Cleaning evap core for better a/c function

[jb1016]

Mods: Can we make this a sticky?

First off, props to the guys on the FSC forum for this thread, and to IndyAnne for posting a link to it. But I figured it might help some more people get the most out of their a/c if we had a thread dedicated to it here. My a/c was working pretty well already, but I have always wondered if it could be better. So I decided I would clean my evaporator and post up some pics. My truck is a 93, so hopefully in the future somebody with a 95+ will post pics, since the process is slightly different for the different dashboards.

So you start by taking off the glovebox door and taking out the glovebox liner. The liner is held in with 7mm screws -- you'll need that socket a few times before you're done. Now you should see this.



The silver box on the far right is the ECM; it's clipped onto a plastic tray. All you have to do is grab it and pull to the left and it slides right off the tray. I unplugged it to get it out of my way (I disconnected the battery first). Next you have to get the tray out of the way. There are two 7mm screws on top in the back. They weren't very hard to get out for me. The one on the right is kind of down in a hole, and tougher to get to -- I was worried because I couldn't get my ratchet back there -- but it wasn't in very tight, so it was no problem to just turn it with the socket and a short extension. Once you have those two screws out, the tray should just lift right out. There are two more screws under the tray, but the tray just rests on them, and I didn't have to loosen them to get mine out. Those two screws are visible in this next pic on either side of the black electical connection.



Now you're looking at the blower motor housing. At this point, if your truck has one, remove the courtesy light mounted on the bottom of the dash under the glovebox (one 7mm screw). Unplug the two electical connections to the blower motor. Now the housing cover comes off. It's soft-sided and isn't attached to anything; it just fits over stuff. Here's a picture of it out of the truck so you can see what I mean.



Now, you're ready to disconnect the hose, undo five more 7mm screws (you might actually need the ratchet or a driver handle for these), and take out the blower motor. It's a tight fit, but it will come out from under the dash without breaking anything -- it's all in the way you turn it. In this next pic, you can see that the top side it flat-shaped; that's the side you want up, or else it won't fit. Pull the hose out from under the dash first, and then pull and wiggle until the whole motor comes out.