Dusty interior

[bad luck-SMB]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything after doing a search.
We have been enjoying our van on some dusty roads, but the rear of the van lets in so much dust. I think the weatherstripping is the problem.
Does anyone know where I can get it replaced with new weatherstripping?
Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

[BroncoHauler-SMB]

Some threads to read:

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f12/e350-door-seals-where-to-purchase-21112.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f9/to-much-dust-4656.html


Herb

 

[bad luck-SMB]

BroncoHauler,
That is exactly the information I was hoping to find.
Thanks for the links.

 

[stevecanyon]

Desert Dust in your Sportsmobile.

The problem is, indeed, the door weather stripping. But, even with new seals you'll have dust leaking in. The real solution is to keep the cabin pressurized when you are pounding down those impossibly dusty road - like those in southern Utah; Close your windows and turn on your heat,ac, or just the fan. The higher the setting the better.

 

[arctictraveller]

I found that ton's of dust was getting in around the area where the hinges pass through the doors. I noticed this because after a trip to Baja, there was a little volcano shaped pile of dust on the cabinets directly across from the hinges. I sealed them up with silicone and reduced the amount of dust entering by over 50% or more. I also discovered that unless I forcefully closed the doors by pushing at the top, they would not latch tightly. It's the same for both the side and rear doors, and easy to check. Once the first door is closed, grab it at the top and see how much play there is. It's a big difference with mine if I don't forcefully push them closed at the top. Those two tricks almost totally eliminated the dust entering from the back. Lastly, I cut a piece of furnace filter to fit into my Fantastic fan housing. I run the fan so it's pushing filtered air in which puts a little positive pressure on the interior. The amount of dust that collects on the filter material is amazing. When I removed it, it rained dust, so next time I plan to spray a little filter oil on it.

 

[carringb]

Note that AC MAX uses recirc, so use regular a/c on dusty roads to keep the interior pressure up.

 

[Stanvan]

Weatherstripping aside, unless there is a cabin air filter built i to the vehicle, dust will not be stopped. Regardless of the setting of the AC/Heat, air from the outside is forced in, to decrease the "chance" of carbon monoxide build up. Even if it's set to recirculate.

 

[arctictraveller]

Weatherstripping aside, unless there is a cabin air filter built i to the vehicle, dust will not be stopped. QUOTE]

Air drawn in from the front of the van will be much cleaner than air that gets sucked in from the huge cloud of dust that forms in the rear. It's not a perfect solution, but it sure helps. Just don't tailgate the vehicle in front of you, I always hang back quite a bit.

 

[86Scotty]

Embrace the dust. Kind of like those camp jackets/hoodies that hang in the (my) van and always smell like campfire smoke. It's a memory of a better moment.

That, or the vent/cabin pressure thing.......

 

[ShuttlePilot]

I respect the folks that have the desire to keep things clean as new. They have their thing. I however find it satisfying to hear the gritty sound of wiping off the simulated marble veneer counter top. Makes me feel I'm using it as it was intended.

Seriously though, I try to turn off the AC or blower motor when I'm in real dusty conditions as to not pack the dirt in the cores too much. There are times when it's just to darn hot or cold though. Space between vehicles in a caravan is a must. I heard from a friend that drives tour buses that you can always spot a rookie driver because they forget to turn off the HVAC (very loud outside the bus) before driving in a dirt parking lot. I assume it's a similar practice. Dust is inevitable so practice what you think is best for your ship.

- Eric

 

[lchukar]

Bug Screen velcro

One more thing to consider: my van has a strip of Velcro around the entire opening in the rear which is used to hold the bug screen door in place. But across the bottom the door seals are up against the Velcro rather than the smooth painted metal they were intended for. So I found dust would enter between the seal and the Velcro.

 

[1der]

well after we get home, all the gear gets taken out, pop top up, all windows and doors open ......

Leaf blower treatment is applied throughout!:d8:

 

[bigriver-SMB]

Heh... our process as well.

 

[schluchtenflitzer]

My experiance is that the dust will lie down on the weatherstripe and than while movement of the doors going offroad it will find his way to the inside. So new weatherstripe will not help much. Also the room where the rear lights are is the way for dust comes in. Duc tape all the rear doors did not help much. Best is to close all windows and pressurerise the inside with the AC low.

 

[martinli]

... Best is to close all windows and pressurerise the inside with the AC low.

This is exactly what offroad guys in OZ Australia recommend.
My experiance offroad in australians dusty bush roads was -> it works prety well.



cheers, Martin

 

[MarinBlaine]

Dust coming in the van is an evergreen issue that we can all relate to and ruminate on, like taxes and cranky politics.

For years we were trying all the solutions, stuffing towels under our rear doors, trying various configurations of A/C…max vs normal, etc.

And then last year a miracle happened.

I stumbled upon this thread:

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f12/big-dust-coming-in-the-back-doors-1433.html

And shared it with my very handy, patient and dexterous wife. In that thread, pay particular attention to post 11, where Jeffrey from Santa Barbara describes his supplemental weatherstripping placement on the rear doors; and post 37, where Marcel links the $11 Amazon cheapo weatherstripping.

My wife patiently duplicated Jeffrey’s install and BINGO the rear of our van has been almost hermetically sealed for the last year plus…like to the point where I’ve basically quit thinking and nearly forgotten about dust in the rear of the van.

Gamechanger. But I can’t help you if you don’t have a handy, patient, and dexterous wife.

YMMV. Proceed.

 

[doublevan2]

My first van (2005 vintage Fresno) had several holes drilled thru the van floor and behind sink cabinet drivers side - and cabinets behind drivers seat - obviously drilled in error and never filled in ! Discovered after driving the Cassiar and thru Denali NP and the Haul Road - so I used wine corks and liquid nails to fill them in. Still can't figure out where all the wine went !??

 

[doublevan2]

Question - which thread is Jeff linked too ? Thanks -

 

[arctictraveller]

well after we get home, all the gear gets taken out, pop top up, all windows and doors open ......

Leaf blower treatment is applied throughout!:d8:

Excellent idea, thanks…

 

[larrie-SMB]

I replaced the rear door gaskets with new OEM gaskets, https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f12/rear-barn-door-gasket-replacement-32466.html. They work great at keeping out the dust. The other thing I have started doing is spraying silicone lubricant on a cloth and wiping it on the gaskets. Since the silicone stays wet the dust adheres to it.