Maintenance Heater Repair - when it Blows Cool Air not Hot Air
07-21-2014, 04:59 PM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: North Stonington, Connecticut
Posts: 107
Heater Repair - when it Blows Cool Air not Hot Air
First: Thanks to Sixshooter for the repair tip. It is appreciated.
Also, all of this is based on an NB (MSM). I suspect the NA cars are similar, though.
The repair itself is simple. I'd rate it a 2 out of 10.
The symptom: when you turn the heater **** to the hot side (red) the heater gives you a nice refreshing blast of cool air (not air conditioned). The fan, the inside - outside selector slider, and the A/C - if you have it all work fine.
Start by getting a good No. 1 Philips screwdriver - good meaning the teeth on the blade are straight, not chewed up. One of the screws was applied fairly tight by the factory....likely the same guy who does the oil drain plugs! A short screwdriver is easier to use here rather than a long one.
You may also need a pair of pliers. Just about any pliers will do, again, smallish will be easier. No need for needlenose or vise grips.
Oh.....a flashlight helps too. When you're working in the footwell, not much light gets by me. You may be younger and skinnier than me, but I'd still recommend the flashlight.
To actually do the repair, as always set the parking brake and put a chock under one of the wheels. You won't need the heater for a while, if you manage to roll the car over you!
First: Open the glove box and empty it. How many of you actually have gloves in there. You may wish to carefully set aside the registration and insurance. Consider taking care of any unpaid tickets before proceeding.
Once it's empty, the next few steps will be easier if you close it now.
Open the passenger door as far as you can. Face away from the passenger compartment and dive into the footwell upside down. I'd provide a picture of this, but you really don't want to see a picture of an old man in an unusual position.
On the door side of the footwell, looking up at the lower edge of the glove box, you'll see something like this:
In the grey metal bar near the top of the photo, are two screws, one black, one copper colored, and one pin protruding from the bar. Remove the black screw first, then the copper one. Once they are out, either store them safely, where you won't either lose them or where you won't roll onto them....You won't want to do that twice! Trust me.
The glove box tray latch can now be released and it can be wiggled out of the opening. There is only a pin hinge on the console side, so try moving it slightly towards the door. The metal bar will be hanging only from the console end now. It's likely to be an expensive piece to replace, so try not to bend or break it.
Using the flashlight, look towards the console, in the area previously covered by the glove box. It should look something like this:
On the right side of the photo (near the bottom of the opening in the car) you'll see a black flexible cable. Slightly further right is a straight black cable with a wire sticking out of the black cable and a coiled wire loop at it's end. That loop should be over the small metal lever arm near the coiled loop. See this photo:
On my car the coiled loop was simply hanging in space. If it's off, set it back on the lever arm. Also check out the copper colored clip that holds the straight black cable in place. Try to push it back so that the loop cannot come off the lever arm. Once it's in place, use the pliers to close the copper clip over the straight black cable. Gently.... GENTLY. Breaking parts in here will likely get expensive and be much more challenging!
Once you've done that, move the heater control on the console and verify that the lever arm moves. If so, you've been SUCCESSFUL
Now, simply replace the glove box, put the gloves back in it
Pick up your tools, including the wheel chock and take it out for a test drive.
Also, all of this is based on an NB (MSM). I suspect the NA cars are similar, though.
The repair itself is simple. I'd rate it a 2 out of 10.
The symptom: when you turn the heater **** to the hot side (red) the heater gives you a nice refreshing blast of cool air (not air conditioned). The fan, the inside - outside selector slider, and the A/C - if you have it all work fine.
Start by getting a good No. 1 Philips screwdriver - good meaning the teeth on the blade are straight, not chewed up. One of the screws was applied fairly tight by the factory....likely the same guy who does the oil drain plugs! A short screwdriver is easier to use here rather than a long one.
You may also need a pair of pliers. Just about any pliers will do, again, smallish will be easier. No need for needlenose or vise grips.
Oh.....a flashlight helps too. When you're working in the footwell, not much light gets by me. You may be younger and skinnier than me, but I'd still recommend the flashlight.
To actually do the repair, as always set the parking brake and put a chock under one of the wheels. You won't need the heater for a while, if you manage to roll the car over you!
First: Open the glove box and empty it. How many of you actually have gloves in there. You may wish to carefully set aside the registration and insurance. Consider taking care of any unpaid tickets before proceeding.
Once it's empty, the next few steps will be easier if you close it now.
Open the passenger door as far as you can. Face away from the passenger compartment and dive into the footwell upside down. I'd provide a picture of this, but you really don't want to see a picture of an old man in an unusual position.
On the door side of the footwell, looking up at the lower edge of the glove box, you'll see something like this:
In the grey metal bar near the top of the photo, are two screws, one black, one copper colored, and one pin protruding from the bar. Remove the black screw first, then the copper one. Once they are out, either store them safely, where you won't either lose them or where you won't roll onto them....You won't want to do that twice! Trust me.
The glove box tray latch can now be released and it can be wiggled out of the opening. There is only a pin hinge on the console side, so try moving it slightly towards the door. The metal bar will be hanging only from the console end now. It's likely to be an expensive piece to replace, so try not to bend or break it.
Using the flashlight, look towards the console, in the area previously covered by the glove box. It should look something like this:
On the right side of the photo (near the bottom of the opening in the car) you'll see a black flexible cable. Slightly further right is a straight black cable with a wire sticking out of the black cable and a coiled wire loop at it's end. That loop should be over the small metal lever arm near the coiled loop. See this photo:
On my car the coiled loop was simply hanging in space. If it's off, set it back on the lever arm. Also check out the copper colored clip that holds the straight black cable in place. Try to push it back so that the loop cannot come off the lever arm. Once it's in place, use the pliers to close the copper clip over the straight black cable. Gently.... GENTLY. Breaking parts in here will likely get expensive and be much more challenging!
Once you've done that, move the heater control on the console and verify that the lever arm moves. If so, you've been SUCCESSFUL
Now, simply replace the glove box, put the gloves back in it
Pick up your tools, including the wheel chock and take it out for a test drive.
07-22-2014, 12:33 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tampa, FL; Lake Jackson (Atlanta), GA
Posts: 1,902
Excellent!
Also check the range of motion to make sure you get to full hot and full cold. You can move the black part of the cable in the little clip a little bit to get more or less movement in either direction.
Also check the range of motion to make sure you get to full hot and full cold. You can move the black part of the cable in the little clip a little bit to get more or less movement in either direction.
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