Hello all. After once again cleaning out the cowl vents with shop vac and screwdriver, I went looking once again for a "fix" for this. I stumbled onto some third-party snow caps for 240s at (https://www dot wagonmeister dot com/snow-cap-for-75-85-240). They have them for later model 240s as well. They are certainly not inexpensive at $125 + shipping. So I am wondering:

(a) anyone have any experience with these specific parts?

(b) are these snow caps a really good fix for the problem? I have read about making covers from magnetic sheet material (https://www dot doitbest dot com/products/460613) but those have to be put on/off if you want fresh air, I think. That would not seem to be the case with these snow caps.

(c) has anyone come up with a better fix than the snow caps or magnetic sheets that look decent? in this day of 3-d printers someone might have done so.

Thanks for your help in keeping the debris out.

I have had constant issues with this before I realized what was going on with water in my floor board but also leaves clogging the drains so because I was so frustrated created a screen from fiberglass window screen and just used a nail glue to glue it across the top of my cowl vent the problem with leaves debris was solved, I plan to redo the hood anyway so it's a temporary solution, now I have to remove the cowl and try to clean out the drains next.

Hi,

I made these back in 2013.
I used windshield washer hose off a junkyard Volvo to grip the vent slots.

I made one pattern to cover one vent and allowed the front edge of the screen to hang over the front to go under the hood. This keeps the front edge from catching any wind and hides that edge.

The way it works out, one pattern can be design and cut to flip upside down and fit the other vent opening.
The cars vents are made in a mirror image of each other, so both will interchange sides.
There is no left or right or up side down. I store them in with my spare tire, under a seat, door pocket or glove box. They take up up little room. I unroll them, spread them out and push the rubberized ends down lightly with the hood up. Shut the hood and their locked down for sure.

To manufacture:
I split one side wall of two hoses and then pushed the screen of my pattern into a slit hose.
I used black RTV silicone sealant/adhesive to fasten the first hose solidly to the screen after dried.
This allowed me to lock the One end into a vent slot.
On the other end was done the same way after I adjusted the length of hose with screen trimming to pull the screen taut. I then removed that end and glue it with the same black RTV sealant/ adhesive.
The hose provides a trough to contain all the sealant you want to squeeze up from the ends.

Here is the photo I posted on the Brickboard back then. I think it was my first and only attempt to do that.
I don't think it saves into Brickpic's gallery from the Photo-bucket's site.
I'm not savy on how to get my pictures from my I pad collection into posts.
I have what called at the time, a garage door "mobile" that would like to post from last summer.
It might be unique to you guys. Only in a sense of what is hanging on weed eater line from it. It was not practical and had to come down. (:-)

The screens=
http://s1347.photobucket.com/user/fillbaggs/media/b9d3768372f7ee93ae964bebe7f09fce_zps0ab8de34.jpg.html?o=2d

Phil

Thanks Art!

Refreshed like a cold shower.
(:-)

Phil

Not pretty but effective

Agreeing with Art (as usual) that a screen is needed if we are to keep junk from going down into the cowl - creating a mess and problems down the road - I decided why not use screen? Duh! So after being unable to locate the roll of screen I know is around here somewhere, I went out and bought some more. It is fiberglass, 24"x84", and cost around $6.

I then needed a way to hold the screen in place. For several years I have been salvaging the little but amazingly strong magnets from the bottom of my Sonicare toothbrush heads. I use the brushes for cleaning small parts and, regards the magnets, always thought "save them, you'll find a use for them." My mother speaks!

So my first idea was to make something ala the nice, 3-d printed cover by Swedish Baklava mentioned before by CB. I found some of this white, translucent foam-like sheet material used to pad stuff in shipping (again, save it and find a use for it) to employ in drawing and cutting out a template of the entire cowl vent area. I held it in place with magnets while drawing the outline of the area with a Sharpie. Worked great.

I cut out the template and then used it to transfer the shape onto a piece of the screen material cut to 36" in length. The upper edge of the template is straight so I made that parallel to the edge of the screen. Thinking I would secure magnets in a hem around the entire screen, I left about 1" extra all around as I placed the template and then made my cuts. Note the cut-away for the passenger side window wiper.

I then spent a ton of time doing unfamiliar work trying to shape the piece with a hem. Sewing is not my thing. I managed to get this pinned into a reasonable shape and fit. But then was stumped as to how to sew it into place and with what. Normal thread seemed too wimpy and would likely deteriorate too fast over time with the elements. I thought about some fishing line my wife uses for making beads. While I was thinking about all this, I put the pinned screen in place on the 1980 and placed a large number - I think there were 21 - magnets all around. It seemed secure and looked ok, I guess. But I was still stumped about how to sew it all together and deal with the damn magnets attracting each other and mucking things up while I worked.



I was still worried that my original idea might not hold in place at high speed despite the plethora of magnets employed. Overnight a new and much simpler idea came to me - bolstered, perhaps, by my previous experience with the fiberglass screen. It is a pretty nice material - flexible, doesn't unravel or come apart. I thought, why not use the cowl vent members to hold the screen in place. That would likely be bomb-proof and might even look better. It certainly could be done more easily and without testing my sewing lameness.

So I cut a strip of screen material from the remaining 36" long piece. I measured and guessed I could get away with a strip 3.5" wide. Once I did this I began to "weave" this through the cowl vent members slowly. I found a small tweezer with a bent end helpful in doing this. I went slowly and worked out a pattern that seemed to look ok and solid enough. I then used only 3 magnets per side to hold down the extreme edges. This took about 20 minutes per car.



Only time will tell how/if this will work. But I think it looks ok - better actually than my original idea. It should provide the needed protection and doesn't need to be put on/off. It will likely not last forever. But I certainly have spare material now and could manage the 20 minutes every few years (if that much).



Maybe this approach can work for others? Cheers

I guess I'm surprised by two things. One, you stuck with Sonicare through Philips' purchase and put up with a lot more of those magnets coming unbonded from those expensive brushes than I thought a person could. And two, the screen woven through the louvers looks as good as it does on your car!

For a while, years back, I'd treat the outdoor cars to a cowl slot covering made from some kind of shelf liner I nicked from SWMBO's collection -- a rubberized waffled material with roughly 1/4" holes for breathing I held it in place with a piece of foam caulking backer rod (1/2" diameter I think) pressed into the end louvers. Have a pic somewhere, I'm sure, as I've not done much to Volvos without taking photographic notes.

Unlike your fiberglass screen, this shelf liner deteriorated seasonally. After a year, it needed refreshing.

Only thing I'd warn you about is the magnets. Unencapsulated, they will probably leave rust stains. Nice magnets though. I've saved them too. Usually did not need to break them off of the tuning forks, as that is how they'd die.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Welding is easy, it's like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire...you're on fire...everything is on fire, and you're in hell.

As Art has pointed out that the magnets I scavenged from old Sonicare brush heads may be prone to rust, I bought a package of these, super strong and somehow plated magnets at the local hardware store.



They offer similar, if not better, holding power and are way better than the cheapo ones sold direct from China that I have seen. These cost $8 for 10 magnets.

Hi Art,

I too am surprised by how basically decent the result ends up looking. That's the main reason I posted about it. I think it should work pretty well too.

For the record, I have never had any magnet come off a Sonicare brush head on its own. It has always taken considerable force with a nice, cam-locking pliers to get them loose. The brushes themselves seem to get splayed out a bit faster than I'd like. But that happens to all of them. I have also never had an issue with the outfit. I have had good service with several free replacements when a battery refused to charge. They also have a good recycle return program to keep the dead batteries out of the landfill.

Thanks for the heads-up on the magnets and potential rust. I will keep an eye peeled. I have a buddy who bought some other small, high quality magnets that seem like very shiny, silver metal. Perhaps those would work better. Next time I see him I will snatch some from his collection to try.

Cheers

Love a creative solution! I've used fiberglass screen behind my upper grill and across the opening of the lower (below the bumper) grill to keep debris out of the beat exchangers. Has worked perfectly for 15 years.
--
82 242 6.2L coming...; '15 Honda Fit; '16 Subie X-Trek

I wholly agree that the best fix is a garage. It would offer many other benefits as well such as being able to work on a car when it rains (as it does here very, very frequently). Our garage got turned into additional living space: shop, storage, clothes washer/drier, beer fridge, etc. I looked into extending what was the garage out toward the street thereby making a new garage to be used for the intended purpose. Saw an architect, submitted plans to the county, they wouldn't even look at them because the addition would encroach into the front setback from the street. Sheesh! The wife will not consider any of the typical car-port options either. Plus, my collection wouldn't fit an any normal garage.

Understand. Many of us have to deal with lots of "help" we're getting from local laws, ordinances and spouses/partners.

"has anyone come up with a better fix than the snow caps or magnetic sheets that look decent? "

Yes -- garage or car port. Chuckle.

Following along.....

Yes, this is a good discussion topic, because it addresses a problem that is often fatal to the 240, even where you live, the best place in the world for decent 240s. Trees.

You and I have been thinking about this for some 20 years I guess, and still nothing, besides taking some of those trees and building a garage.

I don't envision the snow caps being much use to keep the clogging leaves and seeds out of the flow-through ventilation system unless they themselves have screens to clean. I look at the accumulation under the sun roof cover on a parts car. The wind drives debris into every crack. That stuff doesn't fall straight down.

Someone more creative than I am could design a durable plastic screen attachment to be fitted in or threaded under the cowl slots. And yes, 3D printing would make prototyping and versions to fit all three cowls affordable to the hobbyist.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"The most beautiful peonies I ever saw," said Paul, "were grown in almost pure cat excrement." -KV

do a search on the BrickBoard. Swedish Baklava (sp)
He 3D Printed a set for his Volvo 245 87 wagon
Your in the PacWest the heart of computational stuff

Thanks. I found it. Very interesting although his goal was more extensive than mine. I wish his design was for earlier models since I have both an 83 and an 80. I guess I ought to look into a 3-D printer and learning how to use them.