Ventilation System - How does it work
 

How does the vent system work on a 86? I can not seem to get any fresh air flowing through the car. I know that the center vents are only for the A/C system.

I thought that the fresh air should come from the side vents? I hear the blower working (top level on the dash).

Where should I start to look for the problem?

If the later cars are like the early cars (pretty much), lowering the windows works better. IMO, the factory created too many tortuous paths for efficient airflow.

If the blower motor is ON and there's little or no airflow, I would suspect a vent door or vent control cable(s). The control levers and cables begin behind the vent control panel and you can access the ductwork from the trunk.

Sherwood

When you have factory AC, the outside air can only be directed at the windshield or at your feet.

Regards,

Jerry Kroeger

That would be correct.

I concur with the cable or flap being the culprit. Open the trunk, there is a cardboard panel that will come out easily and expose the blower and controls. You might want an assistant to wiggle the black flap control back and forth and see if it is moving the arm for the flap. If that cable is missing the clip or is off the clip holder, it is a bear to get re-attached. (replaced my master cylinder in the 86 and had to detach the cable).
Good luck.

Isn't there a guy here that found a way to get outside air to come in through that vent w/o disconnecting the a/c?

Can't find the thread...

Funny you should mention this..There is a wye connector the feeds into the side vents on models with footwell blower. This allows some heated air to help defog the side glass. I'm sure those connectors could find some use in re-plumbing for outside air. Of course, if you have AC I don't know why you would go to all that trouble. I wish there was a way to marry all three systems in older cars to take advantage of all the vents. When you think about it the A/C system is always recircluating the same air because you can't run fresh air directly thru the evaporator.