Our 2008 Acura MDX started blowing black stuff through a/c system (driver and passenger sides). When I picked up a piece of it and crushed it in my hand, it would disintegrate into almost a powder-like substance.
We took it to the Acura Dealer and according to them interior filter and a/c vent look fine and they would have to take the whole dashboard apart to see if there is a problem. Has anyone ever heard of this or does anyone have an idea of what it could be? It’s not affecting the performance of the car and the AC seems to function just fine. This black net-like particles started last summer.
More than likely what you’re seeing is the gasket material breaking off the various blend/vent doors within the vent system. This is applied to these various doors to prevent them slamming or making noise when they move to their modes. Over time this gasket material breaks down and dries out where it breaks off the doors and comes flying out of the vents.
To replace these gaskets would require removing the dash board.
Thank you Tester for the reply. According to the Acura Dealer they have never seen this before. My concern is that by removing the dash board it will not be put back the way the manufacture did. Thanks again.
Disentegration of foam gaskets is not really that rare even if they state they’ve never seen it before. The car is a bit young for this kind of problem but if you live in a climate with extreme conditions of heat and cold that could possibly have something to do with it.
The repair would make it as new but it also depends on the competency and care that the mechanic uses in the process, which can be quite complicated. Complicated = expensive.
Weighing the costs against the benefit, I’m tempted to say that the cost would not be worth the gain. The only downside of not fixing it, other than errant particles out the vents, is a little air leakage around various doors and that should be negligible.
What would I do if the car were mine and I was faced with a huge bill for a few pieces of foam rubber? Try to live with it and blast the fan on HIGH while hopefully removing all or most of the loose stuff over the short term.
Thanks ok4450 for the info. and the High fan tip. I was told by the Acura Dealer to remove the dash board and to replace parts will be covered under warranty. Once the gaskets for various blend/vent are replaced could this problem come back in few years? I’m reluctant to have the Dealer remove the dash board without knowing their mechanics experience.