Seeking Early Eaton Heater Info

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DomSmith

DomSmith

Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Threads
299
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Location
Oceanside, CA (Fire Mountain)
Just trying to gather some info on the Eaton heater/defroster (dealer option) in my 65 FJ45 as it is new to me and I am very unfamiliar with this setup.

Any old school early guys wanna fill me in?...


Heater and defroster, or just defroster?...

IMG_2822.jpg


There's only one defroster hose hooked up now. Pull cable and wiring...

IMG_2821.jpg



Lead to this "Defrost" pull cable...



IMG_2825.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks Wes.

So...

Does the "Defroster" knob look similar? To be honest I thought it was just the pull cable, but after tracing the wires from the heater I found the knob also has all the wiring connected at the back side. Maybe turns on the blower when pulled?


:confused:
 
Dom, while it may have been installed by the dealer, it was not a OEM option(but it might have showed up in some early dealer lit), had the some in one of my 45LV's

wont work well as a defroster unless you can get outside air
 
My defrost works ok even though it's recycling air. The fresh air is definitely better but you would still have the problem with the later stock heater unless you cut the firewall for the fresh air intake.

usually there is a T connection with turn fitting to reduce/restrict the hot coolant flow from the head to the heater. If you have this you can turn it off in the summer and turn it on in the winter or open in futher in the winter. That's what I do with mine. I would see if the screen or core is full of lint and dirt, clean it out and make sure the fan is spinning well. Those hoses up to the defrost vent usually split too. Mine heats ok. Not as good as a later heater but it's worked in the colorado winter when it's snowing and does the job.

My controls are different than yours for the eaton heater.
 
or maybe look for a modern replacement for the Eaton, I am sure in the last 40 years some progress has been made :)

there was an OEM that mounts where yours is.....but rare and I suspect doenst work any better than what you have, got one in the garage for the LV

DomSmith said:
Thanks Pimp. I'm weighing functionality vs originality. Maybe an old school stock heater (displace the fuse block) would make this a bit more driveable in the winter...
Click to expand...
 
found this artical in a toyota newsletter from 1963 about the eaton heater
eaton.webp
 
Looking at this old thread I think I figured out the outside air issue. If there's a passenger it won't work as well (cold feet). Since the location of the heater is on the passenger's side if you crack the side vent the heater would draw in fresh:idea: This may have been the reason they always installed them on the passenger's side instead of just relocating the fuse block:hhmm:
 
The dealer option in my '64 FJ45 was more boxy. I don't know if it was Eaton, but had defrost with a manual lever on the unit itself.

I just upgraded to the Danhard under dash unit for more foot space. Defrost works great.
 
Sorry for the lag, had some serious case of overeating and laying about watching flicks lately.

Here's pictures of the Danhard under dash installed in my '64 Fj45.

drivers_dash.webp

pass_dash.webp


I didn't think about it, but I haven't taken any pictures of the old heater if that's what you were asking for. I can of course if you like.
drivers_dash.webp
pass_dash.webp
 
I don't see much value in the defrost blower in that there's so little room between the windshield's rubber gasket and the deflectors that aim the air up against the windshield.

Very little air gets through that crack. I've thought about relieving the backside of the rubber gasket or maybe trying to space the deflector away from the gasket. The first is possible but not an attractive option. The second is not possible without significant modification.
 
Danhard under dash unit

Not to get off topic, but how load is the blower in the danhard heater unit? My sm420 install makes the factory heater a no-go, but I hate the loud electric blower motors of the aftermarket models.

Is this one loud when the blower is turned on?
 
Legion: I thought the same last year when I put a new windshield and fresh weatherstripping looked like it sealed off the defrost, but with the unit directly underneath the short tubes do blow quite a bit more than I'd thought they would.

Brooklyn: It's audible on high, which is what I'm stuck with since my switch just broke. And between loud and cold, I choose loud. The lower settings are quite fine. But one thing for sure, I could never keep the old heater lubed and sure 'nuf 100 miles into any trip and it would start screaming. So overall this isn't bad.
 
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