Help! Urgent!

GSpreeman · GSpreeman's Garage

Okay guys, I need help. I'm in Toledo Ohio and just drove 526 miles with the heater in the dash on. I have all of the heater controls turned off...both the sliders in the heater/vent panel, as well as the 2 things on the floor. Even though a blower is not kicking in there is a heater element in the dash that is active. Is there a fuse or fuses that I can pull to kill the d@am heater (it's like 95 degrees and don't need heat).

Can some one tell me, in REAL EASY TERMS which fuse I can pull to just kill the heating element(s) until I get back home?

Thanks.

PS: It's a 1987 Carrera

jyl · jyl's Garage

There is no heater element in the dash! If the blower isn't blowing, you shouldn't get heat. And if you do get a little heat somehow wafting up from the heat exchangers, it should be from the vents, not the dash.

Are you sure you don't have something else going on - e.g. see any smoke?

Try this - key to "run" position, but engine off and cold - now there can't be heat since the heat exchangers are not hot. If you still get "heat", I'd start looking for something shorting out in the dash.

There should be a fuse diagram on the plastic cover for the fuse block (in the trunk, under the carpet, on the driver's side forward of the strut).

Kevin Stewart · 08-21-2003, 11:49 PM

is the blower working? you really didnt say with the key on and the oil light on can you hear the fan, if not under the car in the rear connected to the heat exchangers is a round box that has cables going to it pull the cables untill it opens you will see slots, also another problem is the cardboard heat hoses in the kick panel dash area that get disconnected or tore and acts as if the floor heat is on, Good luck, woops with the key on if it is the fan, slide it back and forth you may find a spot it shuts of on, butyou probably cant hear it with the motor running, Kevin

MFAFF · 08-22-2003, 01:54 AM

Sounds more like a mechanical issue than electrics. If the valves that channel heat from the exchangers into the ducts are seized then you need to manually try to close them, by getting under the car on each side.

I'm not certain if this is possible on an 87 car, certainly on my 72 car I had exactly the same conditions and the only way to remedy it was to get under the car and very carefully close these valves and regrease etc so they did ont seize up again.

HTH.

vesnyder · vesnyder's Garage

It has to be the heater box controls - mine use to stick and I would have to get under the car to close. If you can get under the car at the front of the heat exchangers (towards front of car) you should be able to see a wire that connect to the spring loaded part of the heater flapper box (see photo). You have to wait until the car cools down and you will need to get well under the car. Mine would stick for a number of reasons?

If you are going through Cleveland I might be able to help you out. (are you going East or West?) Drop me an email or call my cell at (216) 496-0934. I can imagine what you are going through - it was hot as he** here yesterday!

lendaddy · 08-22-2003, 04:17 AM

Yep those valves stick. You dont have to raise the car up much to get to them just use a long screwdriver or something to open them up like the pic above.

GSpreeman · GSpreeman's Garage

Okay guys, I made it back home safely. Here is what happened. I looked under the car and one of the valves was stuck about half way open/closed so I shot it down with some WD40 and pulled up the levers 10 or so times to make sure the WD40 got spread around. Started up the car and started taking a tour of Peoria. Tested the airconditioning to see if it would work and within a minute I had smoke pouring out of the A/C vents. Pulled over and the A/C blower (in the trunk, under the oval hatch) was hot as a pistol. So I unplugged the power to the blower motor and checked again and the vent under the car had stuck halfway open again.

Could that vent stuck halfway open have caused the A/C blower to fry?

Jack Olsen · 08-25-2003, 10:40 AM

No. But it's not uncommon for the front motors to fail, and it causes electrical fires. Make sure the power is disconnected to that blower until you can get it fixed, and understand that your AC will either be non-operational or impaired.

Does the 87 have the automatic heat? If so, it could be that (for whatever reason) it's closing the flapper boxes to get the heat flowing to the cabin.

At least on my car, I was able to temporarily solve a stuck heater box problem by going to the front foot wells, on the side, and pulling the carpet back. You'll see where flexible ducting mates to the rocker panel ducts. Unscrew the hose clamp that mates the two, and insert a piece of cardboard to stop any flow of air. Then use the pressure from the flexi duct to hold it down in place, and replace the carpet. Do it on both sides.

It's just a temporary fix, but it sucks to have hot air shooting at you on a 95 degree day.

Rot 911 · 08-25-2003, 11:01 AM

My guess is that it was a coincidence with the blower motor burning out. Do a search and you will find a number of threads about the condensor motor burning up.

masraum · 08-25-2003, 11:19 AM

Yep, agreed, the blower motor and the heat were a coincidence. The Heat on your car should come from the floor, the two outside most dash vents or the windshield. The valve being stuck should have fixed your heater issue.

You can get the motor for the AC blower from Pelican for about $100. You don't have to crack the AC system to replace that motor, it'll come out of there. Hopefully the fan and housing aren't toast.