I just bought a '79, and everything seems to work but the heater. The fans will come on, but no heat is actually produced. I don't have any service manuals yet....Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

Soooo. Good ol' Aaron is reduced to the 1st gen list only j/k


No heat but fans work... Could be 2 things (I'm thinking).

Most probable: Air in your coolant lines, no coolant getting to the heater core. (Is you engine running hot?)

Maybe: heater core is toast. Not functioning or there is a blockage.

If it is air in the line, then check the level of the coolant. If you can see it in the rad, then when it's cold, remove the rad cap and start the car. Let it idle and bubble out the air. Then as it's bubbling out, add coolant as it gets lower.


That's a real brief description. (lame) but I don't feel like typing out a novel today.

Hope this helps.

 

Ouch, I'm hurt.

Hmmm....I'm not sure if that is the cause. The engine seems to cool fine, and I don't know if there is any air in the system. Of course, I will check tonight or tomorrow. I need to change the coolent anway...

Oh dear god I hope not. I'll have to go for a drive (even though I have no insurance or plates on the car yet....but that didn't stop me from driving it back from Toronto) and then feel under the dash to see if the core is warming up...


What I find interesting is that when I move the lever to the "A/C" position, I can hear baffles opening/closing in the dash. When I move it to the heater position, I don't notice any change inside the dash. Do 1st gens have logicon electrical problems like 2nd gens?

 

Check your temperature sensor, if it doesnt go down when you push on it it may be causing your problem, might also be your heater core that is finished.

 

Just to point out the obvious: make sure that the heater core has not been bypassed. As to the logicon problem that 2nd gens suffer, as far as I know the 1st gens did not have this issue and most definately not in a 79 - everything was cable driven with none of the vacuume driven stuff.

 

Replace your thermostat, it may be stuck open not allowing the car to properly heat up.
hanman

 

Hey,

The baffles you hear moving are probably the re-circulation feature that most (if not all) first gens have. Does it sound like the fan gets faster? That's what my re-circ sounds like when I turn it on.

 

Have you checked your heater valve? Could be stuck closed, or plugged.

 

Where is the heater valve?

 

I haven't replaced the one on my RX7. But I had a Chevy that that had a bad heater control valve, it was in the heater box itself on that car. Fan worked, but she never blew hot air.

If you have a recent Victoria British LTD catalog they show a picture of one. P/N 54-855 Heater Valve 79-85 $69.95 ea. It's basically on / off valve for the coolant.