On my way back from school just now I tried to turn on some heat so it would come out the top vents, slide was in the "Circ A/C-Max" position and all I could get was a mostly cool breeze. Two days ago it would burn you out of there and now all of a sudden it just quit. What the heck gives?

On my way back from school just now I tried to turn on some heat so it would come out the top vents, slide was in the "Circ A/C-Max" position and all I could get was a mostly cool breeze. Two days ago it would burn you out of there and now all of a sudden it just quit. What the heck gives?

 

I'm confused here, you want heat in the max ac mode?

 

nipper

It used to blow hot air out of the dash vents in this position.

Is your center vent closed?

Is your center vent closed?

 

Yep.

Does your hot/cold control feel and sound like it's working? Are you getting good heat everywhere else?

Does the heat/defrost position work?

 

nipper

I get great heat out of the floor board heater and good out of the defroster, could one of the slides be stuck or something?

I get great heat out of the floor board heater and good out of the defroster, could one of the slides be stuck or something?

 

I dont remember how this one works. I think its vacum motors move the doors in the hvac system to direct air. You may have a broken motor or linkage.

 

nipper

I dont remember how this one works. I think its vacum motors move the doors in the hvac system to direct air. You may have a broken motor or linkage.

Its been so long since I had my Brat, but I'm pretty sure its all mechanical.

 

Here is the sucky possibility. There is some sort of nest or blockage in that portion of the vent ducting. Or a linkage that is not opening that door.

on the passenger side behind the panel thats below the glovebox is where you can access the other end of the cable that controls the blend doors (I think)

on the passenger side behind the panel thats below the glovebox is where you can access the other end of the cable that controls the blend doors (I think)

Thanks, I will see if it does it again in the morning and if it does I will give it a good look over after school in the morning. Kinda makes you mad, dang thing worked fine two days ago.

It seems that sometimes it will blow hot air and other times it will blow cool air. Both heat and vents, would a good heater core flushing be in order?

If you're going back and forth between hot and cold (like morning and afternoon) it may be a problem with the valve on the d/s. It's the valve that opens to allow hot water to flow through the core when you turn the dial to the hot side. Check the operation of the valve (with the engine idling) and feel the lines to see if they are all hot or warm. Be careful though, they can be pretty hot.

 

If the valve is opening and closing properly, you'll probably need to flush the core. That's pretty easy to do, just make sure the heat dial is turned to hot.

And make sure your coolant is topped off. Simple, but it might have been missed.

Which heater hose does which on the EA81? In my searches I read that the EA82 was something different. Gonna try and change my oil in a few days and will pick up a new radiator cap while im at it. Will just a standard garden hose do the trick or do I need to bum a nozzle off someone?

 

Should I start will sticking it on the upper hose first and directing the lower one to the ground and then alternate?

Did you check whether your coolant was topped off?

Do you hear a whooshing noise from under the dash when you start the engine?

 

If your coolant is full and the valve I mentioned is working fine, then the flush would be necessary.

 

I've done it by disconnecting both heater hoses under the hood at the firewall. Make sure the coolant is drained enough before you disconnect the hoses. Hold the water hose up to each pipe with your hand wrapped around it to force most of the water through the core. You'll be able to tell by the color of the water coming out when it's clean. Do that with both pipes and make sure the dial is on hot.

 

Put the hoses back on and refill the coolant with a 50/50 mix of fresh coolant and distilled water. That will keep your system from corroding and also keep your hoses in good shape.

Did you check whether your coolant was topped off?

Do you hear a whooshing noise from under the dash when you start the engine?

 

Yes

Yes

 

I have heard the whooshing sound for about 6 months now. Thanks for the advice.

The dreaded whooshing sound means low coolant. If you have any debris in your cooling system that floats, that's when it could make its way to the heater core and get stuck.

 

Does your Brat have an overflow tank?

Mine doesn't. If not, you need to be extra careful that you keep the rad topped off. Leaks in the system should be fixed right away. Have you smelled any coolant in the last 6 months?

 

Let us know how the flush goes.

Just got done flushing the old girl. Seems like the heater is hotter than before, didnt see too much nasty stuff as I expected though. We will see how it does when it gets a little cooler here.

Just got done flushing the old girl. Seems like the heater is hotter than before, didnt see too much nasty stuff as I expected though. We will see how it does when it gets a little cooler here.

 

Did you change flow direction a couple of times? I just flushed my heater core with a garden hose, and it took four or five reversals for the water coming out to be REALLY clean.

 

I added a chemical flush when I refilled, took it for a good hot run, then cooled down, another hot run, an overnight cooldown, and flushed THAT out today before work. My radiator was still full of ickiness from my headgasket episode, and I was getting the rest of it out (hopefully) I am running water in the tank right now, and no thermostat, and I plan on draining the water very soon, hopefully to find it clean and not brownish, milkshakish, rusty, nastiness... And if so it gets a full antifreeze recharge, just to lube things up. I put a new radiator and a new water pump on the car before the head gaskets started their bubbling, and now they are all soiled, and its high time I finished cleaning that up!

 

BTW, my heat is warmer than its ever been. I am still using AC, nowhere NEAR time to use the heater down here.. BUT I fixed it

Yes, I changed the flow several times on the core. It rained tonight so I really got to use the heat and its quite a bit hotter so that made me feel better about the whole thing.

 

Daeron your lucky, wish we didn't have to rely on a heater up here but we get some awfully cold winters, especially in the mornings. I figured I would take a good step by flushing this thing instead of driving around with no heat like my 88 Bronco II was when I learned someone removed the heater core in it :eek:.

 

Thanks for all your help on this matter guys.