SEC door vent 'duh'

[steveb]

I have 1991 SEC & have discovered that the knee-roll ducts that match up to the door vent inlet actually don't go anywhere in the door - does anyone have an explanation for the feature?

Steve

 

[Francois]

As I see it, a lot of the parts in the SEC is the same as in the SE. Thus I surmise that this was supposed to go through the door on the SE to the pillar between the front and rear doors to carry airconditioning air to the back of the car.

This is propably just for compatability...

Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[steveb]

I don't actually have an answer - just very curious.

Since the SEC doors are not the same as SE (?) why have a trim manufactured with a redundant part?

 

[Francois]

I think the dashboard part of the car is the same as the four door versions' including the vent that goes to the door. But since there is no rear door to channel the air to in the SEC, I suppose they decided to just stop it in the door instead of pluging the vent.

This way they can use the four door trim for the SEC dash without changing anything.

 

[talbir]

The door ducts are for allowing air into the door.

Not because there are little people living in the door, but due to the fact that water/condensation/dampness will ALWAYS develop inside the door, mostly from the windows. You cannot get away from water getting into the door, no way.

So virtually all cars have some sort of system whereby air gets in to the door to keep the internals dry and prevent rust/rot.

BTW, the SE's and SEC's both channel air to the rear via two places ONLY -the air ducts under the seats and air duct through the centre console . Air is not channeled through the doors to the rear on any W126 or any MB for
that matter.

 

[Francois]

Talbir,

Thanks for the info. Shows yet again that I should keep my trap shut when I don't know anything about a topic.

 

[steveb]

Still not so sure - all my other cars have door panels that are completely sealed from the interior - the only opportunity for ventilation seems to be through the window seals & the drain holes at the bottom.

Also the ''duct' in the SEC panel seems to be blocked at the back by the panel board.

Completely off-topic, I found that Cleaner Wax (as per Meguiars/Zymol) does a good job or restoring dulled/lightly scratched console wood. And antique clock faces.

Steve