Leaves & trash in blower motor

I park my 2011 Tacoma near an oak tree and it only has 5,000 miles on it. The dealer found leaves, trash, etc. covering the cabin filter and said it was also in the blower. Some of the stuff was from a tree 200 feet away. They had to drop the blower and clean it out.
Why is trash getting into the blower?
Anything that can be done to prevent it, short of a truck cover?
Thanks

 

I've had a couple of small leaves and maybe a piece of a napkin in there, I just clean it out and keep truckin'

 

I found debris in mine as well I parked in a covered area

 

Was driving my wife's Corolla the other day when the there was a weird noise from the glove box and the airflow from the vents just quit.

Got it home and took it apart, it had four Starbucks napkins sucked into/around the filter. They had been in her glove box. When you open the recirc vent, it sucks in just a couple inches above the open top of the glove box.



Absolutely no baffles or anything to guard stuff getting sucked in. No doubt the Taco is the same. And I'll bet the fresh air is similarly stupid. Looks like a good place for a cheap mod! Hmmm.

 

The debris that gets in mine is nothing like my old Ranger. I used to have pine needles that would assault anyone in the cab. They came out the vents like blow darts.

 

So if you didn't like someone you would just close your vent and turn it on high?

 

That sounds kind of cool. Any in-laws you don't like? Have them sit there.

 

I wouldn't have thought they would get that far in there. I try to avoid parking under trees in the fall. When I can't avoid it, I take the shop vac and clean 'em out pretty regular. I don't like the idea of them getting down into the fenders and sitting there holding moisture and promoting rust. I know I can't get them all, but I can damn sure try.

 

It is not Toyota exclusive, I can tell you that. I have seen this in every model of vehicle I have worked on. Unfortunately the fresh air intake is always not optimum. It is a draw at some point between filtering out stuff, and allowing good airflow with reduced noise. Mercedes experimented with a very restrictive fresh air intake system on one of their lower production models. It REALLY turned into a fiasco because sure, it filtered out EVERYTHING, but the restriction of the design to airflow caused extreme noise when the fan was on high.

 

Just pipe it to the fender like the Air intake

I've seen someone, may have been the guy that piped his air intake to the cowl put some mesh under the cowl. Solved his problems.

 

Maybe I am wrong, but I thought that guy piped his ENGINE intake to the cowl, not the AC fresh air intake. But I may have read a different thread.

 

That's what I meant.

 

Right, but here they are talking about their fresh air intake drawing in stuff, and trying to figure out a way to prevent it..... That is what I was pointing out. Or were you trying to make a different point and I am just blind as a bat. Hahaha.

 

Like this?

http://youtu.be/YwSFmztPqX4

 

I had a '97 Ranger that I parked in the same location for six years and never had a problem with it. Don't recall if it had a cabin filter, but it probably did and I always change/check them annually in all my vehicles.
Checked Tacoma out yesterday and removed the new cabin filter. Had leaves on it after less than 24 hours.
I guess the big round "hole" that sits below filter box is the blower?
Checked out the cowl(?) area grate and dealer had not cleaned it all. Why clean blower and put in new filter and not clean the cowl grate? Vacumed all around it out.
Personally I think the problem is that the holes in the cowl grate are too big. Too small and they would get blocked, but these things are big and lots of them.
Thinking of maybe getting some plastic screen wire and cut a strip to lay over cowl area when parked at home. Probably slide one side under hood and other under wipers.
Also, parked it facing away from trees.

 

It was 2 points. 1) put mesh under the cowl. 2) pipe the AC air intake to the fender.

Got snorkel!

 

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but are there any tutorials on cleaning out the vents?