Heating Problem
Discussion
Just bought an 89 SE. It is excellent condition with only 6000 miles. The only issue I have found is a heating problem. The car has AC. When you put the heat on, no air blows from the defrost vent or the heat pipes in the footwells. You can feel the heat is there when you put your hand on the vents. The fan works fine. There seems to be no way to switch the blowing air from the face vents and the one by your knee to the heat and defrost vents. The knob which is supposed to make the transistion seems to work fine with no binding.
I have read some of the posts about the vacuum pump. When I turn the ignition to the on posistion, I hear a pump behind me. Is that the fuel pump or the vacuum pump?
Help
>> Edited by mjannone on Monday 20th February 19:55
I have read some of the posts about the vacuum pump. When I turn the ignition to the on posistion, I hear a pump behind me. Is that the fuel pump or the vacuum pump?
Help
>> Edited by mjannone on Monday 20th February 19:55
That is the fuel pump. Vacuum pump is mechanical and turns on a belt with the waterpump.
Still, you may have a problem with the vacuum actuated controls for the heating system in the dash.
BTW, the knee and dash vents can be closed, are you sure yours arent?
And you are correct that only the foot and defrost vents will put out any heat.
Still, you may have a problem with the vacuum actuated controls for the heating system in the dash.
BTW, the knee and dash vents can be closed, are you sure yours arent?
And you are correct that only the foot and defrost vents will put out any heat.
Call your dealer and order manual section PJ (or the correct equivalent for your car) PJ is for 93 on. The solution to so many of these problems can be found over and over again for a measley £50 by getting the factory manual. Your problem is either:
1. the hoses have fallen off the heater box
2. the control cable from the direction knob to the operator cam has snapped or slipped
3. The vacuum pipe to the flap actuator has kinked? snapped or full off somewhere.
4. Some combination of the above.
First, get under the dash and check all the black trunks (4 each side) are fastened to the heater box (abve the chassis behind the centre console. Next, take out the stereo head unit and look through the stereo aperture. On the right, right at the back of the cavity, you should see a triangular curved cam thing. Does this rotate when you turn the air direction Knob ? If not, the cable is the fault. If it turns smoothly, either it's a vacuum fault or the heater flaps themselves are jammed/ Knacked. This is bad news as fitting a new heater takes hundreds of years !
Check these things and then get back. I'll try and check for your response in a couple of hours.
1. the hoses have fallen off the heater box
2. the control cable from the direction knob to the operator cam has snapped or slipped
3. The vacuum pipe to the flap actuator has kinked? snapped or full off somewhere.
4. Some combination of the above.
First, get under the dash and check all the black trunks (4 each side) are fastened to the heater box (abve the chassis behind the centre console. Next, take out the stereo head unit and look through the stereo aperture. On the right, right at the back of the cavity, you should see a triangular curved cam thing. Does this rotate when you turn the air direction Knob ? If not, the cable is the fault. If it turns smoothly, either it's a vacuum fault or the heater flaps themselves are jammed/ Knacked. This is bad news as fitting a new heater takes hundreds of years !
Check these things and then get back. I'll try and check for your response in a couple of hours.
lotusse89 said:
That is the fuel pump. Vacuum pump is mechanical and turns on a belt with the waterpump.
Still, you may have a problem with the vacuum actuated controls for the heating system in the dash.
BTW, the knee and dash vents can be closed, are you sure yours arent?
And you are correct that only the foot and defrost vents will put out any heat.
Is there and actual shutoff for the defost and heat vents by your feet? I do not think there is anything wrong with the heater. I can feel the heat in the defost and at my feet. It just will not blow.
Mike
Assuming te set up i the same as it is on the later cars, and I think it i, turn the fans and engine off and opn the bonnet. There is a box mounted in the bonnet below the windscren with some vents on the top. Move the adjuster in the car all the way from fully on your feet to fully on de-mist and make sure you can hear the mechanism in the bonnet box move. If you can't that can be the problem. Dirt can build up in there and prevent full movemnt.
filing which it is probably a hose issue. Worst case one of the less accesable ones is blocked. If that is the case i believe it can be cleaned with high pressure water but I think it is a job that requires a bit of knowledge. had that don on my S4s a couple of years back when she was in for a service and it sorted out a similar problem. Was not at all expnsive as it is not a long job so might be worth giving that a try if all the obvious stuff fails.
filing which it is probably a hose issue. Worst case one of the less accesable ones is blocked. If that is the case i believe it can be cleaned with high pressure water but I think it is a job that requires a bit of knowledge. had that don on my S4s a couple of years back when she was in for a service and it sorted out a similar problem. Was not at all expnsive as it is not a long job so might be worth giving that a try if all the obvious stuff fails.
Hah - just got in from my final session of about about ten fixing the a/c and heater in my 89 N/A, so I now consider myself an expert! Assuming the SE is a similar set up, my advice would be:
1) Buy the service manual (it was the best investment I ever made and has great pics and descriptions of the whole heating and a/c system).
2) With the engine running, check you are getting vacuum from the tube leading from the vacuum reservoir mushroom on the LH fuel tank. This tube leads over the door frame into the passenger dash on my RH drive model.
3) Check that this tube then branches into two, and none of the connectors have fallen off (one of mine had), or hoses kinked.
4) Check these two tubes each lead to the LHS of two little vacuum switches attached to the back of the heater box (two of my hoses had fallen off). These switches work on a cam (which also works a lever attached to the screen/footwell flap spindle) and are all controlled by the lower RH dial on your heater control panel ).
5) Check your two lower heater controls have not been accidentally switched...mine were.
6) Check the two vacuum switches actually depress and release when the cam is moved (one of mine was slipping off)
7) Check that there is a tube coming out of the RHS of each vacuum switch and leading to the vacuum actuators on each of the two flaps (mode flap opeerated by RH switch and fresh air intake flap bythe left hand one).
8) Lift the bonnet and check the fresh air intake flap moves up when the RH dial is fully clockwise and down when anticlockwise (mine wasn't).
9) Ensure the LH dial and cable are all connected and work the heater valve OK
There are other things that might be your problem, but if you couple the above steps with the advice from the others you should be off to a good start. Let us know how you get on.
cheers,
Si
1) Buy the service manual (it was the best investment I ever made and has great pics and descriptions of the whole heating and a/c system).
2) With the engine running, check you are getting vacuum from the tube leading from the vacuum reservoir mushroom on the LH fuel tank. This tube leads over the door frame into the passenger dash on my RH drive model.
3) Check that this tube then branches into two, and none of the connectors have fallen off (one of mine had), or hoses kinked.
4) Check these two tubes each lead to the LHS of two little vacuum switches attached to the back of the heater box (two of my hoses had fallen off). These switches work on a cam (which also works a lever attached to the screen/footwell flap spindle) and are all controlled by the lower RH dial on your heater control panel ).
5) Check your two lower heater controls have not been accidentally switched...mine were.
6) Check the two vacuum switches actually depress and release when the cam is moved (one of mine was slipping off)
7) Check that there is a tube coming out of the RHS of each vacuum switch and leading to the vacuum actuators on each of the two flaps (mode flap opeerated by RH switch and fresh air intake flap bythe left hand one).
8) Lift the bonnet and check the fresh air intake flap moves up when the RH dial is fully clockwise and down when anticlockwise (mine wasn't).
9) Ensure the LH dial and cable are all connected and work the heater valve OK
There are other things that might be your problem, but if you couple the above steps with the advice from the others you should be off to a good start. Let us know how you get on.
cheers,
Si
LotusEffect spot on with the cams!
I had the same problem little Vacumn switch had slipped up with in it's saddle so CAM wheel was not actuating the. You can try 2 things firstly Lie back on the drivers seat twist the heater knob put you hand up behind the dash and heater panel while twisting the know try to locate the cam it is actuating you will then feel a little switch just above it if you push the button and your Vents change this is your problem, Next try to push it down not to much or your cam will bend it (hen it becomes a "switch" of a job)set to low if you can get it into position again try ang get a tiny little bit of locking compound onto the saddle and the switch. if you can't get it pushed down it becomes a "Switch" of a job
Binacale off
Leather heater surround panel off
RAdio out
Unscrew the saddle with a Magnetic Screw driver it is so easy to loose those little screws
reseat it
Put it all back together
CD
I had the same problem little Vacumn switch had slipped up with in it's saddle so CAM wheel was not actuating the. You can try 2 things firstly Lie back on the drivers seat twist the heater knob put you hand up behind the dash and heater panel while twisting the know try to locate the cam it is actuating you will then feel a little switch just above it if you push the button and your Vents change this is your problem, Next try to push it down not to much or your cam will bend it (hen it becomes a "switch" of a job)set to low if you can get it into position again try ang get a tiny little bit of locking compound onto the saddle and the switch. if you can't get it pushed down it becomes a "Switch" of a job
Binacale off
Leather heater surround panel off
RAdio out
Unscrew the saddle with a Magnetic Screw driver it is so easy to loose those little screws
reseat it
Put it all back together
CD
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