85 W150 intermittent heater issue

[Brucecmc]

No way man. I'll take the whole damn dash out if I have to. Ughhghg

 

[crazzywolfie]

you don't have to take the whole dash out. you just need to take the bezel out to get at the heater control. just getting the heater control disconnected and out of the dash can be a pain. you got 2 electrical connectors, 1 bunch of vacuum connectors and the heat control cable holding it in.

 

[Brucecmc]

Lol. I was kiddin. Just saying I won't be satisfied till it works right. I'll need to see an exploded diag. See if I can figure out how to get to it. What's the deal with the vacuum hoses. U warned about them? What do I need to be concerned with? Pressure?

 

[crazzywolfie]

lol i get you. if the switch is acting up you could make it work properly by adding a switch to turn the blower motor on and off just like that dash controls would. the dash controls would still control everything else other than turning the fans on and off. you just have to be careful with the vacuum lines since they are old and a bit fragile and the metal piece that hold the vacuum lines to the controls is a pain.

there is not really much to removing the bezel. it is usually putting it back in that takes a bit more patience. you usually just remove the screws from it and pull it out. there is a couple clips here and there that hold it in but it is usually pretty easy to pop them free.

 

[Brucecmc]

So do ya think yanking that bezel off will help reveal the issue ?

 

[crazzywolfie]

well if the switch is acting flaky the only way to see if it is the issue would be to take the bezel out and possibly take the switch out to get a good look at the connector and see if it is melted. there is not really much you can do if it is melted other than installing your own switch. you could also install a solid state relay under the hood to take load off the switch in the cab but solid state relays are a bit expensive unless you get one from a auto recycler. they are normally about $25 new. DORMAN part #902303 are the cheapest 12v ones i know of. they are used on 96-00 caravans, voyager and town and country vans to control the radiator fans.

 

[Brucecmc]

Are the connectors not readily available? By pulling the module out, is that when I need to be careful with those vacuum hoses ?

 

[crazzywolfie]

you need to disconnect the vacuum lines before you can pull the panel out. just with how old the lines are they can sometimes be brittle. i don't think the vacuum connectors are readily available. plus it can be a pain to disconnect since there is not really a lot of space to work behind the dash.

 

[Brucecmc]

Bro. I have no idea what those hoses look like or where they're at. Sounds like you're saying to disconnect them before attempting to yank the bezel and then the module out of the dash. Where am I suppose to disconnect then ?

Is that a pic of what that control panel connects to ?

 

[crazzywolfie]

you can't really remove the heater control without disconnecting the vacuum lines from the heater control. you got to remove the bezel first to get at anything. they disconnect at the back near where my thumb is in that picture. that metal clip hold the vacuum line connector to the control. i forget how it all came apart but it was a pain since you can't really pull it out much with everything connected so you are almost working blind.

the picture is of the back of the heater control panel switch.

 

[Brucecmc]

Cool. Banks for the info. What's the other side of that burnt up switch look like. I take it, there are things that the manual push switches connect to as you operate the controls.

 

[crazzywolfie]

the connector that plugged into that switch was just fine. just the switch bunt up but then again 20 amp is a lot of power to go through a switch like that.

ya the manual switches control both what gets vacuum and when to turn the fans on or off.

 

[Brucecmc]

Roger that. So as I'm facing the dash, the vacuum hoses are on the left side ? What the heck do they do? Part of the AC system ?

 

[crazzywolfie]

i think the vacuum lines might actually be on the right side. there are 2 vacuum control actuators on the heater box that control where it gets the air from and where it sends it out.

 

[Brucecmc]

As u can tell by the questions I don't have a clue. ;-)

So the warning u gave me is simply to be careful not to man-handle them too much or they'll break and the prob will be far worse, correct ? They're not under pressure or anything are they.

 

[crazzywolfie]

ya it warning to not man handle them too much. it is hard to say what shape they will be in until you see them. they could be old and brittle or could possibly be in ok shape. they are not under pressure but they are under vacuum so you might hear it release vacuum when you disconnect it.

 

[Brucecmc]

Does anything have to be "recharged" after I put it all back together ? My problem is I don't know what they do. So it makes me ask all these questions. Thanks for the responses.

 

[crazzywolfie]

no nothing has to be recharged. it gets its vacuum from the engine. no problem. i understand. i am the same way when i don't understand something. i have had quite a bit of experience taking these things apart and putting them back together.

 

[Brucecmc]

Holy cow!!! Right in the front yard!! Did the neighbors squeal? Lol

 

[crazzywolfie]

lol it was at my buddies place but i don't think anyone complained. we had the cab yanked and replaced in under 48 hours. would have had it done in about 1 day if it wasn't for the 1 cab mount being a bit rustier than my buddy liked. i went home and got the one off the parts truck at my place. i am pretty lucky and got pretty good neighbors. i yank all sorts of stuff apart at my place and no one seems to complain. i have had a partially dismantled caravan sitting in my driveway being used as storage for over a year and no complaints even tho i have been thinking about getting rid of it to make room for another vehicle lol