heater control valve cable - need a little help

[cahill]

I replaced the heater control valve on my 1997 LX450 - when I replaced the cable onto the heater control valve lever and tested the heater switch/slider in the cabin, the control valve doesn't move. I did re-attatch the cable to the valve arm and did clamp it down with the retaining bracket It was working before replacing the heater control valve and the new control valve works when moving the arm manually.

The cable itself seems stuck. I can't move the cable by pushing or pulling on it (maybe that is normal if it is controlled by a servo motor which I am assuming is the case after taking apart the center instument cluster as described below).

I thougth perhaps the cable became disonnected from the heater switch/slider in the cabin but took a look and the switch doesn't seem to be a physical connection to the cable.
So....my question is where is the other end of the cable and maybe someone who has been deep into the dash can tell me why it suddenly stopped working. I'm hoping it is a simple fix and that I don't have to tear the entire dash apart.

Photos for fun :



Heater controll valve arm and cable - obviously disconnected in this photo.

Front and back of center cluster - no cable to be seen.

Firewall side of cluster - seems to be air ducts etc that keep me from seeing the firewall or any trace of the cable

Thanks for the help or any suggestions.

 

[ajax1]

Is it safe to assume you have power on in the truck when you move the slider? If not that is your issue

 

[cahill]

I got it figured out. I believe I did have power/engine running as I had just changed the coolant and wanted to have the heater valve open to circulate the coolant but maybe I hadn't started the vehicle yet, which would explain things. Either way, after posting, I re-assembled the center dash and none of the air/fan controls seemed to be working which puzzled me. I turned off the car - started it again and still had the same then remembered this was the LX and it has the auto climate control function, which I turned off and viola, the cable moved and functions like it should. Maybe with the auto climate on there is a delay in changing the climate control as it gathers temp readings? Maybe it was as @ajax1 suggested and just needed to turn on the vehicle (most likely) In either event it is working now. I figured it had to be something simple since disconnecting the cable from the heater control valve lever arm shouldn't have messed things up.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Dusten]

Fwiw the interior end is inside the glove box.

 

[cahill]

Thanks, I will have to take a look and find it since that was my original question. Even though I did "fix" it (actually doesn't seem like anything was wrong except me not turning on the vehicle), I still want to find it. Always good to learn and dig a little deeper if I can incase I need that knowledge later.

 

[Dusten]

Thanks, I will have to take a look and find it since that was my original question. Even though I did "fix" it (actually doesn't seem like anything was wrong except me not turning on the vehicle), I still want to find it. Always good to learn and dig a little deeper if I can incase I need that knowledge later.

There is a post or two about it on here. That's how I found it

 

[cahill]

My mud search and Google search skills are still lacking. I did try searching knowing that the info had to be hear on mud somewhere but I came up empty

 

[Dusten]

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