General locked up heater controls

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General locked up heater controls

MaddMatt

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Sorry for all the posts lately, it's been over a decade since I sold my 78 and just picked up my 82.

The heater controls on the 82 seem to be locked up. I can turn on the fan (with lots of power) but the left/right switches for defrost, feet, & dash vents don't want to move.

If I try really hard they seem like they might be moving slightly but it might be the plastic handles flexing. Anyone have experience with this?

MM
 
You'll probably find the cables that operate the various ports are seized up in their outers. Don't force the arms as they will just snap and strangely enough you will have a fun time finding replacements for them.

Best bet is to gently work the ends of the arms off (very carefully as those things seem to be getting brittle with age) so you can pull the facia off and look at the internals.
 
Been going through the same problem found out mine was also the heater valve seized.it is not to much trouble changing it
 
Been going through the same problem found out mine was also the heater valve seized.it is not to much trouble changing it

I has the same stuck valve problem, but that only affects the hot/cold slider.
 
The easy way to check that one is to see if you can operate the valve by hand. It is reachable under the dashboard from the driver's seat (on a RHD) and should be pretty easy to turn on and off.
 
An interesting turn of events. I took the new x with stuck heater controls out for a prolonged run yesterday (about 30 mins each way). Once the car got nice and warmed up, 2 of the three heater controls loosened right up!

I could always work the fan, and that is still good but now the top slider works labeled defrost and the middle one works too. Both slide easily now.Only the bottom one is stuck. Maybe another prolonged drive will loosen that one up too.

What do the three levers do, btw?

MM
 
Hi,
The 3 Off slider controls operate basically as follows:-

Top slider (C) adjusts the air flow to either the windscreen for demisting if hard left or the floor (footwell) if hard right.

Middle slider (B) controls the water temperature to the heater with full heat at the hard left position and cool at the full right position. It operates the heater valve under the dash that everyone mentions is notorious for sticking.

The bottom slider (A) adjusts the amount of fresh air flow into the car, via a flap at the top of the heater.

If you care to give me your email address I have a complete owners manual in PDF format as well as a Workshop manual, i can email the details to you which explains all the operations of the vehicle .
This also applies to any other interested parties who would like a copy of the owners manual.

Best regards,
Jeff
 

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