3rd Gen 4RNR Dust Getting Inside Cab

[Applejack]

On a recent trip traveling some back roads (dirt/gravel) I was getting a ton of dust inside my cab. I made sure that all the windows were up, I even pulled over to make sure all my doors were shut tight, which they were.

This truck has seen many many miles of dirt and I have never had this issue.
Has anyone else had this problem come up? Any clues and where to look?

 

[4RunAmok]

On the left side of the 4runner, behind the rear wheel, there is an opening behind the bumper side dressing. It's supposed to be covered by a louvered door, I've heard of this falling off or staying open.

This is one likely source.

 

[Applejack]

Ahhh......thanks I will check this out.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Most modern vehicles are not completely air/water/dust tight, even with the windows up. I would check to make sure you don't have a pinched weatherstripping on any door or window, but there's always going to be something. Quick (dumb) question: Was your HVAC system fan on? And if it was, was it set to "recirculate" rather than "Fresh?" If your HVAC fan was turned off, what I would recommend in the future is that after sealing up the doors and windows, you put the system on recirculate and then turn the fan on with the AC. That should provide a little "Overpressure" inside the cabin which means that the spots where air is leaking will have air leaking out rather than in.

I have a 3G 4runner as well and on my recent DVNP trip I found that using the above methods kept my cabin fairly dust-free, though it cannot be 100% dust free. I was with 4 guys in pickup trucks with camper shells and I can say that compared to the pickup trucks, my cabin was much cleaner than the interiors of their shells.

 

[FLYFISHEXPERT]

On the left side of the 4runner, behind the rear wheel, there is an opening behind the bumper side dressing. It's supposed to be covered by a louvered door, I've heard of this falling off or staying open.

This is one likely source.

Here is what I did:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/20259-FLYFISHEXPERT-S-4Runner?p=723685#post723685