OK There is three levers in my 73 to control heat. I imagine. What do the levers do?

Be nice

i got this


lever one: top one.....FRESH air fan speed and vent control

lever two: directs where the FRESH air should go....defrost, vents, feet.

lever three: directs where the HEATING air should go...again up middle and down

lever by the shifter....opens flapper valves and directs HEATING air into cabin...


b

Thanks B, I'll go out side and mess with it. Joe

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Dec 1 2005, 12:33 PM)

i got this lever one: top one.....FRESH air fan speed and vent control lever two: directs where the FRESH air should go....defrost, vents, feet. lever three: directs where the HEATING air should go...again up middle and down lever by the shifter....opens flapper valves and directs HEATING air into cabin... b

so says you........

QUOTE (TROJANMAN @ Dec 1 2005, 02:46 PM)

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Dec 1 2005, 12:33 PM) i got this lever one: top one.....FRESH air fan speed and vent control lever two: directs where the FRESH air should go....defrost, vents, feet. lever three: directs where the HEATING air should go...again up middle and down lever by the shifter....opens flapper valves and directs HEATING air into cabin... b so says you........

feel free to add anything else.....



b

While we're talking about it, I'm trying to figure mine out also...

4 questions. (in order of importance to me)

1-If left is defrost and right is feet, how do I turn the vent off?

2-My defrost vents point "out", causing good visability in the corners but no visability in the other 90% of the windshield. Does this sound right?

3-(The helpful writing says "Max defrost, top levers up, bottom lever down." It's my understanding that this should activate an electronic "heater coil" to aid in defrost.) Should I feel a noticible difference in heat when activated?

4-Should the blower (top lever) control both heat and vent speeds?


I know 914 and effecient-heating aren't words that belong in the same sentence, but this can't be right!

Thanks,
Bryce

QUOTE (Buckeye '73 @ Dec 2 2005, 08:18 AM)

1-If left is defrost and right is feet, how do I turn the vent off?

I believe it's the other way around--left is feet, right is defrost. For shutting the heat off, push the lever between the seats all the way forward and down. For shutting the "fresh air" off, push the top lever on the dashboard control panel all the way left.

QUOTE

2-My defrost vents point "out", causing good visability in the corners but no visability in the other 90% of the windshield.  Does this sound right?

More or less. A bit less than more; I think the defrost vents should blow out and up which would be just off-center of the driver's straight-ahead view.

QUOTE

3-(The helpful writing says "Max defrost, top levers up, bottom lever down."  It's my understanding that this should activate an electronic "heater coil" to aid in defrost.)  Should I feel a noticible difference in heat when activated?

Nope, no extra "heater coil" in the system at all. The only heat is provided by the heat exchangers. What it's telling you is to turn off the fresh air (top lever left), aim the fresh air downward (middle lever left), and aim the warm air up (bottom lever right). Plus pull up the heater control lever (between the seats) all the way up and aft. When this lever is pulled up far enough, the heater blower fan in the engine bay turns on to help push air into the heat exchangers. If that isn't done, the engine cooling fan provides all of the air that goes into the exchangers.

QUOTE

4-Should the blower (top lever) control both heat and vent speeds?

Nope. Just the fresh air speed. The amount of warm air you get is controlled entirely by the lever in between the seats.

--DD

QUOTE (Buckeye '73 @ Dec 2 2005, 08:18 AM)

1-If left is defrost and right is feet, how do I turn the vent off?

My '74 car has small levers at the vents themselves to "shut" them.

I find that the heat seems to work better if I leave the windows down just a little, but I live in central Arizona.

John

P.S. Is that better Joe?

I think that you will find that after 30 years, you will always get fresh air (cold) into the heating system.

The true cure would be to replace the seals in the little black mixer valves...DD would know if those are available...

OR, to get through the winter without any cold air...

Unplug the hoses that go from the fresh air box to the mixer valves...

Then you must plug the mixer valve holes...use a suitable cover of duct tape, spray can cover, or coke can cover...whatever fits...seal it tight.

Now,,,you will have fresh air flowing into the front trunk...

If you have any (ANY) holes in the front "firewall" that enter the passenger compartment...you will get a strong stream of cold air going through those holes...

If you open the windows just a crack while heating..it works better on any car because you are creating a vacuum...the it works to a point..but after about an inch or so, you are adding more cold air to the car via the window....you have to learn how to tune it with the window...just trial and error...

The main thing is make sure of the following.

When you pull up the lever in between the seat all the way...your heater booster fan comes on in the engine bay...That floor switch has an electrical connection down in the tunnel that when grounded, starts the fan....
The switch is in a dirty place...it might need a good cleaning..

Second. make sure all the holes in the car are covered with gromets...any hole will add alot of cold air to the car....

Then you can play with removing the fresh air box from the system...

Rich

QUOTE (Flat VW @ Dec 2 2005, 08:49 AM)

My '74 car has small levers at the vents themselves to "shut" them.

That's only true of the vents at the sides of the dashboard (which aren't even there in 70-71 cars). The ones below the dash and the defrost vents don't have any levers to open or close them.

QUOTE (r_towle @ Dec 2 2005, 09:31 AM)

The true cure would be to replace the seals in the little black mixer valves...DD would know if those are available...

Sorry, no clue. I'm not tied into the price & availability end of things at all. Glenn Sager (glenn@pelicanparts) would have a much better idea, I think.

--DD

QUOTE (Dave_Darling @ Dec 2 2005, 08:47 AM)

.....For shutting the "fresh air" off, push the top lever on the dashboard control panel all the way left....

So if "all the way left" doesn't slow the airflow AT ALL, what needs fixed?

FYI-
-"all the way right" doesn't speed it up either.....)
-I can't hear the blower engage, so I'm assuming blower motor or electrical but haven't had a chance to diagnose yet.)
-The "Y-blower-hose-splitter" in the engine compartment is missing, so no hose runs to the passenger side (air intake?) hole in the floor)

????

Thanks again,
Bryce

Most likely your wires (and hard wires) arnt connected...


I know mine were not..

Clean the contacts on the fresh air blower motor controls. Pull the ashtray. Point a flashlight down slightly & to the right (2 o'clock) you'll see the slider controls for the blower motor. With the ignition OFF, spray some electrical contact cleaner on the contacts, and work the lever to clear off the old crap. You may be able to get a rag on a long screwdriver in there to wipe some of the crap off, but be careful not to push off the conneting wires. HTH.