Defroster mode blues..........

[justajester]

            Hey yall, Back again with a new issue. My heater wasn't working at all till yesterday when I finally opened up the fuse box to notice that the previous owner had directly wired the electric radiator fan to the fuse box by removing the heater fuse and shoving the positive wire in there (WHY?!!!!). So  I replaced the fuse, reqired the fan to a different location, and hey! now my gas guage works too(why is the gas guage on the heater circuit?).

            Anyways, when I flip around my switch on the dash, A/C gets the heat to flow through the front vents, Bi level gives a weak flow through the front vents and a strong flow to the floor, every other setting sends the heat down to the floor. I opened up the glove box and can see the vacuum switch next to the blower motor functioning. When I flip the switch I see there is some sort of bar attached to it that moves back and forth(what is this bar?) and then I see an electrical lever of some sort that moves up and down depending on switch position right below it(appears to be functioning).

           What should I be looking at to try to make the defroster work(I know there is some sort of flap according to the manual but where?)? Is there an easy and simple fix for this? I really need the defroster to work more than anything else. If it's not an easy fix can I somehow block the floor vents to redirect heat to the defrosters(rag in the floor vent?)?

[skishop69]

I assume we are talking about your Brat? If so, it's all cable and lever controlled. That 'switch' inside the control head is for the vacuum control for the recirc setting which changes door position to pull air from inside the cab, not outside. The control lever on the bottom (defrost, heat, bi-level, AC) has a cable that goes to the blend door behind the radio console. Either the cable is unhooked at either end, the blend door lever is broken or the blend door shaft itself is broken. Trace the cable to the door and check it. If you can manually move the blend door lever and the settings change, the door is probably ok and you could just wire it in the defrost position if the problem is not obvious.

[justajester]

Yes, this is on the brat, sorry. So I should look for my answer by pulling off the radio console correct?

[TomRhere]

Do believe the lever you want is accessed by pulling the package tray under the glove box. Actuating lever for Defrost has most likely popped out of the clip, or clip has broke. Been a while ago, but had to prop the Defrost lever in the open position on one of the BRATs.

[justajester]

Hmmm maybe I'm missing something but I don't see how I can access much under the glovebox...I can see the parts moving but can't see a defrost door or anything...maybe I'm missing something.

[suprjohn]

Not sure if my DL is configured the same as a brat. On my DL, the blower motor is bolted to the lower part of the fan housing. The fan housing separates in the middle, and is held together with spring clips. Removing the glove box gives better access to those clips, making the blower motor easier to remove. I also ended up removing the plastic kick panel to get better access to the electrical connect ears. My plan is to take apart the whole HVAC system to purge it of mice nests and replace or refurbish all parts, weather stripping and such. It's a big job, but I feel it's the best way to get reliable heating and defrosting. For a work around, you could 12V portable defrosters. I got one at Menards for like $15.

 

Iohn