Heating air distribution stuck on face vents!!

[Fredjohn]

Recently acquired Elan has the air blowing from face vents and nowhere else. It can be hot or cold or in between.

Have read loads of posts on LEC and so have checked vacuum feed pipe from engine and all ok no leaks engine revs normal.

Reading the w/shop manual tells me for face vents to be open with others closed requires a vacuum to its actuator. As I can't close this flap I presume the vacuum is ok. So either the control switch is faulty or the return spring has failed.

I disconnected the water valve supply pipe from the microswitch to release the vacuum but that didn't work. Hence my thought the return spring has failed.

Any ideas? Can you get at the 2 stage actuator to waggle it or persuade it to release?

Fredjohn

[Fredjohn]

Update.
I've managed to get at the face vent flap through the radio slot and move it so it closed. It stayed there so now all the air is at your feet. I can also get at the foot/screen divertor flap and also move it by hand (it is close to your left ankle, RHD). All I need to do is wedge it in place so all the air goes to the screen and once it stops raining I can then search for a leak in the system It's somewhere between the reservoir and the control knob as the engine revs are fine, going up/down as you disconnect/reconnect the vauum feed pipe.

The real question is: will it stop raining

[Fredjohn]

Further update.

Delved into wheel arch and saw a pipe dangling!! Refastened to reservoir and bingo distibrution control working again. LEC solves it again.

EXCEPT: the rod on the face vent flap actuator is in 2 bits, not 1! So when the control is set to face only, the actuator moves half the rod and the other half on the flap stays put (but closed).

Anyone got a any pics of this actuator to help me put it back together? It's a real pig of a job as I can only get one hand in through the radio slot.

L.O.T.U.S.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Do you have a 4 pos control or 6 pos? The heater box is different between the two.

[epipete]

Britcarnut kindly sent me a link on my thread 'Vacuum Actuators' to some pictures, maybe it will help you to review them!

[Fredjohn]

Do you have a 4 pos control or 6 pos? The heater box is different between the two.

It's 6 position as I believe are US models.

Britcarnut kindly sent me a link on my thread 'Vacuum Actuators' to some pictures, maybe it will help you to review them!

Ok thanks will search.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

I will see if I have a 6 pos unit to photograph. The pictures in the link are of a LHD 4 pos model.

SORRY, Link is no longer available. I will look to see if I can find it again.

[epipete]

True, and I had noted your advice, but the pics actually look the same as on my heater (which is a six pos model) the only difference being that it is reversed!

[Fredjohn]

Pete/John
Many thanks for help. Pic 1237 clearly shows the joint in the rod. And I guess the 6 pos is identical but will await a 6 pos pic if you can get one.

All I need do now is get a mirror, look at mine and probably decide its dash out time as I doubt if one hand bent at right-angles will be enough to fix it!

Typical as I have only 4months ago replaced the dash in my S4. Different car same job!

John

[epipete]

Dash comes out quite easily, bit of a pain! If you need advice on it, or even help, give a shout.

My heater is a 6 position and the actuator looked like the one in the photo.

Pete

[Fredjohn]

We've had a Homer Moment

Just checked parts list and only one face vent actuator is listed, be it RHD, LHD, 4 or 6 position.

So the pics you provided are perfect.

Just hope it has only become detached rather than broken.
John

[Fredjohn]

JOB DONE!!!!!

Assumed the Lotus Position (see Wikilec entry) and using left hand up to the actuator behind trim and right hand through the radio slot managed to re-connect the 2 halves of the rod.

Big thanks to Britcarnut and epipete for hints and photos

Fredjohn

[epipete]

Congratulations, and well done!

[hatters]

AND ITS STILL RAINING!!

[Enright]

This thread has been invaluable help in a little mod that I've just completed - I managed to get a cheap dash off eBay.
It included the FBT, 6 position heater controls, complete cigarette lighter, dimmer and a rather ropey surround for £30.
I wanted to change from the standard 4 position heater controls to 6, and it was a bit of a faff but perfectly do-able.
The only thing was that I suddenly noticed that the positions didn't do what they were supposed to!
Easy fix: just swap the hoses from 3 to 4, and from 1 to 5, and it now works perfectly.