1975 FJ40 heater question (1 Viewer)

[jstanger]

Hey, everyone. I'm new, but have read through all of the forum postings about heaters that I can find. I found many related links. But none have quite answered my questions below.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: "Droid Sans"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; }I have purchased the heater rebuild kits from Shane (metrictlc) for the stock blower motor as well as for the stock heater assembly that is actually inside the cab. I haven't installed either kit, yet. I have a question before I install. Well, actually three questions. Here is my situation, followed by the questions:


A. I am getting plenty of heat already. Heat works just great when I put the lever into standard Heat mode (all the way down). The cold air vent doesn't blow any cold air when I select Heat. Well, it doesn't blow too much cold air; I figure that Shane's kit will fix that minor issue.



B. The vent setting works great - lots of cold air out of the top vent, as expected.


C. When I put the heater into Defrost mode, I get some heat out of the defrost vents. Not much, but it's acceptable, and plenty warm. Again, the defrost blows relatively weakly, but I do get heat and air up there.


But, the problem I am having is that even though the defrost works alright in Defrost mode, the middle vent spews out lots of cold air at the same time. And I mean a lot of cold air! This doesn't seem right.



By the way, the fresh air lever/cable works fine; I can open and close it, and have verified that the door in the firewall moves open and shut.


My three-part question is:



1. Is it normal/expected for the heater to blow out cold air in Defrost mode? It doesn't seem so.


2. Will the problem with the cold air coming out of the middle vent while the heater is in Defrost mode be solved by using/installing the rebuild kit? It might be that a bushing or two isn't working right, and the new ones - or new foam on the vents - will solve the problem.


Note: I will also clean the heater core inside and out.



3. Or, is there some other issue I need to address? For example, is there some sort of vent, lever or door that I need to check to see if it opens and closes in the blower motor, or something?


I'm thinking that the rebuild kits will do the trick. I just want to avoid getting frustrated if I'm missing some other function in the heater.



Thanks, everyone.


James

 

[reddingcruiser]

I think you are on the right track. If everything functions from a mechanical perspective, as you've noted, it's generally a combination of foam seals, worn bushings, frayed or torn defroster hoses and loose duct connections. A rebuild kit for the heater box and blower, along with new or reconditioned defroster ducts will make a big difference. Check to make sure all the controls are adjusted to correctly operate the doors, especially the "Fresh Air" and "Warm Air" controls.

 

[sggoat]

May want to check the flapper plate inside the heater-could be the plate is not moving completely to the defrost position, (the plate spring may be loose/weak/gone) Also check the heater core for pluggage(but I don't think this is a prob. based on your description)

 

[jstanger]

Thanks, reddingcruiser and sggoat! Good to know there's not another issue to worry about. I'll get on the rebuild this wekeend.

Sgggoat, is he flapper plate I need to check the one that would normally block the vent? Or do I need to check the flap on the bottom of the unit? Both, I'll bet. And sggoat, does the 1975 heater have a plate spring? I thought a spring was on 1978+ models.

I'm thinking this is a fairly simple fix. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[Weber Sarge]

Metric TLC has a nice kit to rebuild all the seals and mechanical parts of those heaters and mine even had shiny new screws . The defrost should blow pretty hard if all the doors/seals are in good order . There are quite a few places you can lose air velocity since the blower motor is out in the engine bay .
Sarge

 

[snaggletto]

My '76 does the same thing. Warm out of the bottom, cold in the middle and warm but weak flow up to the windshield. In vent mode it is all cold. If the rebuild fixes you up, let me know, as I will need a rebuild also.

 

[sggoat]

You've got it--I would check both. the flaps have pretty wimpy springs, and they are prone to catching at the wrong time. Make sure they are reinstalled properly after you get them out and clean them up. I wish I knew of a place that carried these type springs in a more robust form.
Also check to make sure the flaps are sealing well when closed.
You may be able to get some thin sealing foam(make sure it is closed cell) from McMaster Carr or Grainger

Thanks, reddingcruiser and sggoat! Good to know there's not another issue to worry about. I'll get on the rebuild this wekeend.

Sgggoat, is he flapper plate I need to check the one that would normally block the vent? Or do I need to check the flap on the bottom of the unit? Both, I'll bet. And sggoat, does the 1975 heater have a plate spring? I thought a spring was on 1978+ models.

I'm thinking this is a fairly simple fix. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[jstanger]

Thanks, guys, for all of the replices. As promised, here's my report after installing the kits:

The heater works much better now. I installed both the Metric TLC blower motor rebuild kit and the front heater rebuild kit. I didn't know there were two to purchase when I originally wrote the first entry in this thread, so I've added this note as a detail for others.

The front heater now cuts off the cold air when I put the lever on both standard heat and defrost mode. There is no other air source to worry about once you've used the two kits properly. I didn't need to replace the spring.

The gaskets/foam for the blower motor had long since disappeared. Now thanks to Shane's kit, I get quite a bit more air. Plus, on days with heavy duty rain (I near Seattle), water would leak in through the firewall at the blower motor. No longer.

Shane, by the way, did a great job fulfilling the order. Very friendly and professional; a rare combination these days.

Oh, and I also used some dielectric grease and took what must have been about 37 years of corrosion on the heater connectors. The blower now seems to suck a bit less juice than before.

Thanks again, everyone, for your replies!

 

[Varty Yo]

Everyone still think this is the go to guy for heater kits?

 

[jestlurnin]

I don't think Shane is still in business. Unless someone has been in contact with him recently. I used one of his kits about 2 years ago and it was awesome.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Everyone still think this is the go to guy for heater kits?

This him? METRICTLC - committed FRAUD

 

[jestlurnin]

HA! I prob stay away at this point. I'd go through SOR....I just ordered there RHD kit for my 75'. Ask me next Monday if you want a review on the kit.

 

[Varty Yo]

Yah i remember hearing about that before. Is he still shady?

Is there another option for heater rebuild kits like the one he sold?

 

[emac]

I bought several things from Shane last year. A bit slow on shipping, but they were responsive to my calls and delivered a good product. I was not aware of the previous issues he had with some others until after I had ordered stuff. My experience was positive. Yours may vary