An Old Article- Cabin Air Vent Refurbish

[GAHorn]

To repair your original Cessna cabin vents is easy. (And a whole lot cheaper than buying those ugly aftermarket addons). Simply go to the local hardware store and ask for felt weatherstripping. It comes in various widths and lengths coiled up in plastic bags. Disassemble the vent by first, simply pull it out completely into the cockpit by hand. (Notice that it has two spring-loaded plungers at it's base. When it comes time to reinstall them, one must depress these plunger-balls before inserting the vent into it's tube.) Unscrew the smallknob on the vent or the tempurature guage and remove the cup shaped end. Clean off all the old felt. Cut new felt to measure and glue it in place with 3M brand 1300L adhesive or suitable substitute. Be especially careful to get the felt inside the cup area in correct position as that is critical to creating an effective seal when the vent is pushed all the way into it's tube. After the adhesive is thoroughly dry hold the vent up to it's receptacle tube and compare the felt thickness to the inside diameter of the receiving tube. You will probably have to remove some material to "thin" it down slightly. It's easy to do with a wire wheel. Don't remove any more than absolutely necessary or the vent will not work properly. You want a tight fit so the vent will remain closed in flight against air pressure. Remember to slightly depress the plungers to assist inserting the vent back into place. When I did mine, I actually did the felt around the base first, then the felt in the cups last, so that the felt in the cup would still be not quite dry when I reinserted it. That allowed the cup-felt to take a "set" against the receptacle tube and effect a better seal. Now my vents are still original and work perfectly and stay exactly in whatever position I place them. It's a very satisfying repair you can do yourself and costs less than $5. Compare that to the $90 or so for Soros or whatever.

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