Gold Dust everywhere AND IN MY EYES!

Do you have the AC on? On my 328, the foam has disintegrated, and turning on the AC will blow particles around. Fortunately for me, the rest of the AC system is also broken, so I haven't fixed the foam

 

I'm guessing the foam in the seats is disintegrating.

Look under the seats.

Also, if the boot has foam padding, that could be the source.

 

I have the exact same problem. I think the source is is either the boot cover or the headliner in the top (they both seem to have some type of crunchy foam in them). Everytime I raise or lower the top I have to vacume the entire car. If you figure it out please post.

 

You've got the source!

The foam deteriorates from exposure to heat, ozone and old age.

It becomes dried out and starts dusting.

The only way to correct the problem, is to get rid of the old foam.

 

Or you could be driving on a Gold mine

 

+1

 

Again I have the same problem. I think it is from three sources...The foam in the boot cover, the foam(or glue) between the headliner and the top and the foam in the a/c duct..especially to the little vents...I don't dare open them. How to fix I don't know except to get rid of the foam. I secreatly hope that after all the foam disentergates it will eventually stop...how long could that take??

 

I have the same problem. Definitely the foam in the ducts. I removed the two screws holding the radio and guage console (328), dropped the console and removed the outlet pipe connected to the small vents. Then reached as far as my arm would go to try and dig most of the old foam insulation out that was loose followed by a vacumn hose. I still get some stuff that flies out of the vents but not as much as before.

 

Today I opened the passenger door with the air on and a chunk of foam flew out of the tube for the wing window vent. When I touched the foam it immediately disintegrated into a fine dust...but slightly different from the more granular gold dust under the boot cover and everywhere when I raise the top. Both are pictured below.
I am sure that these are both sources of dust and possibly there are more.
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That looks like the filter material from the ac/heat ducts. It'll eventually clear out.

The 'gold' dust is a different matter.

 

I took a high pressure air hose to it and tried to blow as much of it away and it helped to solve the problem.
It a real pain in the - eye's.
- Ron

 

You should be using a respirator and eye protection. That stuff can't be good to breath in, and probably not good for the eyes either.

I've had problems with old foam deteriorating in old Jaguars. It's not fun and makes a real mess. If you are going to play around with the seats, take them out of the car to avoid making the problem worse (ask me how I learned that lesson). And with the seats out, vacuum everything down really well. As for the top, sometimes there is a foam liner between the top material and the fabric. This breaks down as well over time, especially in hot climates or with lots of sun exposure. The only way to get rid of it is to have the top relined. It can happen in coupes and sedans as well when the headliner deteriorates and can be a real mess.