Interior upper vent lever

[rtaylor]

Hi all. The uppermost lever on my heater control panel will only go to the two right detents, can't get it to go all the way to the left on my 71. Will this be a pain to fix?

[sblake01]

It was a pain on my 78. Not sure if a 240 setup is similar but the 280 has a plastic cam that was broken where that lever connects to it. I bought another control assembly and intended to just change out that part but once I had the old one removed it was easier to just swap the entire assembly.

[Arne]

Randy, both of my (at the time) functional '71s had/have issues with that. I suspect that adjusting the cable/wire that works when you go full left might help. If you get yours fixed, let us know what you did.

[EScanlon]

Shouldn't be, sounds like an adjustment to the cable is in order.

However, first a couple of questions:

Did this just recently start happening? If so, was it moving all the way to the left OK? If this is the case, it is very probable that the foam/vinyl face gasket on the Fresh Air Flapper Valve has come unglued from the metal and is now obstructing the flap from closing all the way. To fix this requires removing the Fan Housing (not just the fan/squirrel cage), to repair. However, you CAN check if this is the case by removing the Fan/Squirre Cage and looking through to the Fresh Air Valve (as this is what the lever actuates).

If it's been this way since a refresh or restore, it's more than likely a poorly adjusted cable. The connection for this cable is the Fresh Air Flap on the Right Rear of the Fresh Air valve. Simply reach back there with a 90° screwdriver, loosen the set screw for the sheath grip, push the lever into proper OFF position and re-tighten.

Hope this helps

Enrique

[rtaylor]

E. This just happened this weekend, It was working fine on Sunday, all the way to the left with no problem, smooth action. I guess I had to pay for all the fun at WCNs. I went to move it this morning from the middle detent and no workee. So I need to remove the fan housing. Now, dumb question, is this located under the air conditioner housing on the passenger side? Thanks. I'll detail the repair once made.

[EScanlon]

Yes, the fan/squirrel cage are mounted to the fresh air intake/valve. If you have A/C then usually that mounts in FRONT of that. And now, we're getting past my experiences as I've not removed the A/C plenum from a car in years (and that was a get it out of my way to get to the squirrel cage) and as a result I'm literally ignorant as to what to do to remove it.

But it does sound as though something is stopping the lever from traveling back. The only other possibility would be if somehow the cable got bent while the lever was in the middle position and the bend does not allow it to retract into the sheath.

Hope this helps

E

[rtaylor]

Finally got some time to work on the problem. It was a little chore to fix, but that is what three day weekends are for. I had to remove the AC unit from inside the car in front of the squirel cage. In order to do that I had to disconnect both AC hoses under the hood and pull them through the firewall. What had happened is that the cable had loosened up. A quick adjustment and tightening of the clamp was all it took. Lever moves freely now.

Next I removed the glove box to get at the top screw on the squirel house in order to pull the squirel house and peer inside at the flap, just cause I was there.

As you mentioned E there is foam on the inside of the flap to seal it against the housing. I might as well replace this stuff as it is disintegrating while I am there. What type of foam should I use? I went down to Ace and they have two types, open cell and closed cell. I bought both.

Finally, there are two ac grommets on the firewall where the hose passes through to the interior. Do you think these are still available. I would like to get new ones WIAI.

And one more question. Stephen probably knows the answer. There is a solid core silver colored bare wire, maybe 14 0r 16 gauge coming from the drivers side and going over the glove box. What is this for?

[EScanlon]

Go with the Closed Cell Randy.

Personally, I like the "skin" on it better than just the open pores of the Open Cell. Additionally, the Open Cell can and will absorb moisture. Granted in that space there is very little moisture to be had, but any moisture in the system can be bad.

Also, make sure it isn't too thick. Generally, an 1/8" or at most 3/16" of an inch is sufficient. Otherwise, you may have trouble with the flap closing unevenly.

FWIW

E

[EScanlon]

As far as the AC grommets, I don't know if they are or are not available. I have seen them offered on e-Bay, but I haven't really been looking either.

If you are unable to locate them and no one else chimes in, you might check the specialty hardware section at your local Ace, or even Home Depot or Lowe's. You'd be surprised at the items you can find there that you can make work.

HTH

E