How-To: 3rd Gen Mitsubishi Eclipse Dash Vents in an NB

[RotorNutFD3S]

I got the idea for this project from another forum, but as those instructions resulted in fixed vents that did not rotate, I wanted to expand on the idea and see if I could get the vents to rotate as well. It was easier than I thought it was going to be.

jester911 has an alternative walkthrough if you can't find or don't want to use the Eclipse vents, found here: Eyeball vent alternative... - MiataRoadster.net (http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread.php?227-Eyeball-vent-alternative)

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I tried this out and have to say that I'm very impressed overall. No more having to deal with drooping eyeball vents and installation is very easy. Compared to the eyeball vents, the Eclipse vents provide more directed airflow and when one or two vents are closed, produce much stronger airflow. It was nice to find that with the passenger side vents closed off I was actually getting pretty cold with the a/c on and the fan on "1" compared to not feeling much of the air at all with the eyeball vents at the same setting.

Note: this is for an NB Miata, I have no idea if this will work for NA Miatas. It most likely will work fine in the outer vents, but the center vents in the "tombstone" would be the area for concern.

First, remove the eyeball vents from your Miata. This job usually requires some force, but try to be as careful as possible. If you want the vents to rotate, you'll want the clips inside the dash to be intact. I used the wire method (loop wire through the eyeballs) and straight pulls but still ended up with one broken clip. After the fact I found that if you pop the outer ring of the eyeball vent off, pull the eyeball out, and then rotate the sleeve, it slides right out with no fuss. I'd obviously recommend that method.

You obviously need a set of four vents from a 3rd gen (2000–2006) Mitsubishi Eclipse:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6142/6043941690_e7e29c0d50_z.jpg

You'll then need to remove the internal flapper (held in via clips and easily pops out) and cut the vent where shown below. I used a hack saw and it was very easy to cut. I found it better to hold the vent while cutting as this prevented any wear damage from resting it on a hard surface. If you want to rest it while cutting, I suggest laying down something that will protect the face and edges of the vent. This makes more sense when you work on the project.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6046959445_a76b8d511a_z.jpg
Photo by MJohnny

Remove the rough edges with some sandpaper, 100-150 grit will do the job well, and clean the vents up.

You can remove the arm that controlled the internal flapper by cutting it off where shown below with some snips, this will allow the louvers to open past 90°, but not by much. Or you can just leave it in place, it won't disrupt the operation of the louvers.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6046959633_a8a660f2b3_z.jpg
Photo by MJohnny

Now you're ready to install your new vents, you have a choice of two options. First, you can push the vents in to where they "click" into place and this will allow them to rotate. So you understand how this works, refer back to the picture that shows the red cut line on the vent and notice the very slightly recessed ring around the vent just above that line, the clips in the dash of your Miata (one of them shown below) will hold the Eclipse vent in place via that ring and allow the vent to rotate.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6046952777_8dba43a0f5_z.jpg

As mentioned, I had one clip break off during removal of the eyeball vents. The Eclipse vent still stayed in place just fine, but it obviously was not as well mounted.

I shot a quick video showing installation for this option:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKac9eEcnS0

That being said, I found that I liked the second option and installed my vents in the fixed/recessed format, just looked a little better and more stock IMO. Once the vents are set, I found that there is actually no need to rotate them (and it keeps pesky passengers from changing things :)). But if you want to change it later on, just pull the vents back out slightly and they will stay in place and rotate just fine.

Not recessed/able to rotate:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6047502496_ae4fbb0633_z.jpg

Recessed:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6046951873_e09e337678_z.jpg

And some pictures of the finished product, the vents are positioned at the angle I found to provide the most airflow and adjustability in the fixed format:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6046950053_4980616b3a_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6208/6046949397_d2a6bd3487_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6047500492_b3786aaeed_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6046950979_f90eb7d4df_z.jpg

Good Luck! And feel free to post up any questions, comments, or concerns!

[Agent☣Orange]

Oh that's right, you were the one to do this. Great idea!

[LostSoulMiata]

Just wow, that looks so much better than the eyeballs!

[jnshk]

More helpful notes to contribute:

In my NA, the area around the vent holes is contoured a bit differently and I found that I had to machine down the diameter of the outer bezel ring. I used a drum sander attached to a drill press and some very careful applied pressure to achieve this.

At least on my 1997 car, the vent holes near the doors are actually slightly smaller in diameter than those in the center of the dash (probably due to the foamy vinyl layer covering on the dashboard) so I ended up shaving the diameter of the outside vents down slightly farther than 71mm for those holes, but I left the vents in the center around 71mm so that they don't have a gap.

Once you get them short enough to go all the way in, you will probably find that they can push in all the way or pull out about a half-an-inch. This slop can be fixed if you make a small groove/channel in the Mitsubishi vents. It will create a second groove for the clips in the dash to "lock" into, and now you can spin the vent without worrying about it sliding in-and-out all sloppy-like in the hole.

I used the small edge of a flat hand file to grind a ~3mm groove into the vent along the bottom edge of an existing "lip" on the vent. See the attached pics.

Because the clips on the center vents and the outer vents are different (at least on my '97), I had to make some slight changes to the groove/channel on the center vents. The metal clips in the center vent holes do not "lock" as tightly as the plastic clips on the outer vents, so I had to make the groove a bit deeper and shaped more like the original groove at the top edge of the vent body. I used a Dremel with a 1/8" tungsten carbide cutter (p/n: 9901) bit and sort of dragged it along the groove in order to make it deeper and more rounded. A word of warning: DO NOT LET IT CUT TOO DEEP. I got sloppy and had to reinforce the inside of one of my vents by bonding some of the scrap that I had removed from the bottom to it.

I would also suggest gently filing a couple of spots on each side of the groove so that you can turn the vent to a vertical position and pull it out without destroying anything. The vents have a flat spot along each side, and this is where you want to file the material down just slightly lower than the rest of the ring. It will give you a "low spot" in the groove where you can pop the vents out more easily when need be.

The end result is good though. All of the vents stay firmly in place and spin easily enough, and with the right voodoo I can still remove them without breaking anything.

On a long term note: I rarely ever change the rotation of these things (usually just open or close them), so it may not be worth all the effort that I went through.

573574575

[miata5620]

I have been keeping my eyes out for these vents on the cheap just haven't found any yet that are cheap enough.

[jester911]

Can't go wrong with the evilbay vents. 3 bucks each.

[miata5620]

This Is true but I would like to be able to rotate them which you can't with the evilbay vents but who knows maybe I will give in and get over the idea on rotating them.

[jester911]

You might actually be able to get them to rotate. I didn't try to since that was not important to me.

[Clarence]

mitsu evo sound like "wow they are cool" you can find these in cars easier to find.. yaris hatchback has the same vents for example

[morr]

Very cool! Any more info on that window switch panel? DIY?

[Ktdubya]

I picked mine up last week. And they are in my se now. I love this mod

[RotorNutFD3S]

Glad to hear it! I don't think I could ever go back to the stock eyeball vents, for such a small component of the car, I'm spoiled now.

[revlimiter]

Damn. This looks fantastic. My NB might need this.

[bovaco]

I just got my vents off ebay last week, paid $17.00 shipped for 4. Took awhile to find them on the cheap, seems this mod is getting popular and the prices are beginning to show it.

[jester911]

Glad to hear it! I don't think I could ever go back to the stock eyeball vents, for such a small component of the car, I'm spoiled now.

I totally agree. It is amazing how a small thing like this makes a big difference with looks and functionality.

[phrenetiK]

cost me 25 on fleabay awhile back. havent put em in yet though lol

[jnshk]

Glad to hear it! I don't think I could ever go back to the stock eyeball vents, for such a small component of the car, I'm spoiled now.


I totally agree. It is amazing how a small thing like this makes a big difference with looks and functionality.

I agree as well. This had nearly as big an impact on the cockpit experience as the shorty console and perhaps as much as the Nardi wheel as well. You don't realize what a significant difference a small change can make until you experience it.

[Lambretta]

Great idea and mod! I'm gonna try this on my NA.....thanks for posting!

[Cedge]

Recently did this mod to my 95 M and it made a huge difference in both looks and functionality. I found the trick to getting the new vents to swivel. Once the outer diameter of the new vent has been reduced to the same size as the old vent, round or bevel the back edge of the outer ring so it can't dig into the rounding of the dash recess. This lets the new vent bottom out nicely in the hole and swivel smoothly with just enough friction to stay where you put it.

Steve

[jnshk]

I should have put a tag on my earlier post (single post #4 (http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread.php?342-How-To-3rd-Gen-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-Dash-Vents-in-an-NB&p=3024&viewfull=1#post3024) in this thread) to indicate that it was more specific tips for NA cars. Others wanting to add these vents to the NAs might find the pictures especially useful, as it illustrates where the new groove should go.

[SteelReign]

I did this today and the instructions worked out very well! Photos very helpful. I bought a mini hacksaw from walmart for $3. One thing I'd like to add:

I found it hard to pop out the stock vents. I tried a flathead screwdriver to pry out the rings but they wouldn't budge and I was scratching up the vent rings (mine are silver). After giving up for the day, I found a great video on how to pop them out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZUrH4C7EL4

Like the video, they do "pop" out. I believe there may be two clips holding the eyeball rings in place. If you can slip a card under the clips holding them, they'll pop out. I was able to pop out the first with little resistance but later I had to use 2 "credit cards" to hit both clips at the same time. No need to try and force them out, they'll pop right out. Oh, and don't use cards you care about, as my cards were torn up.

Thanks for the write-up. My old car was a 2000 Eclipse so it makes me feel nostalgic! My passenger won't feel so cold and I won't feel so hot anymore!

[cbaylis77]

Side by side comparison.

[Sean5294]

I did this mod a few months ago. They came out great!

[ozbrock]

I love mine, here are a few pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/glowin3232/96677E60-13AE-4CD1-9F23-379E67FAB459.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/glowin3232/media/96677E60-13AE-4CD1-9F23-379E67FAB459.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/glowin3232/B57BF48D-93E7-4193-9FAB-E6B7DA9BFA81.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/glowin3232/media/B57BF48D-93E7-4193-9FAB-E6B7DA9BFA81.jpg.html)