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Heat thru vents all the time.

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Old 05-04-2007, 05:06 PM
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Amber Gramps
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Default Heat thru vents all the time.

My '88 911 cab. is giving heat to the outer dash vents on even the hottest of days on long trips. I first turned down the screw under the climate control **** between the seats...didn't work. then I unplugged the blower on the engine...didn't work. tried to push the vents them selves to the closed position...didn't work. now what? is it going to take duct tape over the vents or removing the air lines or the heat exchangers? this has been an an going problem, but no big deal really, but we now have reservations in san diego in a couple of week and cant do heat all the time.



I know I can't spell, don't need two
Old 05-04-2007, 05:15 PM
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Lancaster911
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Check the heater boxes in front of the rear wheels, they maybe stuck closed.
Old 05-04-2007, 06:39 PM
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Mike Murphy
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Those heater boxes have two valves on them. One is external, one is internal. Chances are, the internal flaps are not closing all the way, and the reason you're still getting heat (even though the blower is off) is because the engine fan is blowing hot air through them. Ask me how I know.

You have to climb under the car and adjust those cables that attach to the red levers. They need to be adjusted so that the internal valves fully close. If the cables can't be adjusted because they are rusted, you might try closing them by hand by just putting pressure on them to close. This might work if it's close.

If you need more information about the climate controls, let me know - I have a bunch of PDF and docs on it.
Old 05-04-2007, 07:04 PM
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Murphy, thank you. I'll be home in a couple hours and I'll climb under and look. is it in the bentley book? Is the red lever visable? can I lube it? can I .......go home yet?
Old 05-04-2007, 07:46 PM
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The red lever refers to the levers inside the car if you have the manual heat. If you have the auto heat, it's a different story.

It might be in the Bentley manual, but I also have a PDF and some diagrams.

Below, I'll post some text of information I copied from the PCA archives:
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Just bought an '88 Carrera with "back dated heat" The fan that is controlled by the dash switch (next to the radio) does not work. The fan symbol illuminates, and the fuses in the front trunk are all OK. Also, the fans that are controlled by the heater levers near the emergency brake don't work. Can you recommend a procedure to diangnose what is wrong and how I can repair it? Thank you very much!
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This is actually two problems. The fan on the dash switch is for the fresh air fan only. It is run through sweep contacts in the switch, then to the motor in the front trunk behind the cardboard. You can check for power to the motor there.

The heater fans are controlled by a control unit and fuse in the engine compartment, and the footwell fans are also fused separately under the covers. The footwell fans will not work if the engine blower does not work. Start in the engine compartment to see if the blower is good, then work your way back until you find the link that is not working.

Chris Powell - PCA WebSite - 11/8/2005
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The passenger side footwell blower doesn't come on when I raise the lever. The driver side one works. What do you recommend that I do to trobleshoot the passenger side blower? I don't see a fuse listed in the Bentley book that is dedicated to the one blower. Is there one somewhere, e.g., in-line, or in the blower itself? I will chceck the connections. If they are good, and the blower is getting current, does that mean that it's time for a new footwell blower motor?

thanks much!
There is an inline fuse on each blower. Remove the trim piece in the footwell, and you will find it just before the plug to the blower. If the fuse is blown, however, it probably means the motor is seized, or is trying to. Failure of these motors is common, and the replacement is straightforward. You are correct that if the blower is getting power, but blowing the fuse or not turning, it is time for a new one. If you ever noticed screeching noises from that side as you turned it on before, I would have a new blower in hand.

Chris Powell - PCA WebSite - 11/25/2005
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I seem to always have hot air blowing out the side dash vents even when my heating control levers are fully down and (presumably) off. I have looked under the car and the underside heater boxes appear to be open so i would think the heat, as well as all airflow, should be vented out. Any thoughts? Thanks.
You may have to get under the car and disconnect the cables to make sure the heater box flaps are really closed. There is no other way for heat to get in the car.

Chris Powell - PCA WebSite - 4/12/2006
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When defrosting I cannot seem to get heat to come out of the defrost vents. It takes forever to defrost the windshield. What can I do?

First, let's make sure you are operating the system correctly, as it only become intuitive after you understand it. In order to get defrost heat, you have to move the red lever on the dash to the right. There is a white arrow on the right pointing up to remind you. This lever directs hot air up and down (to the left, see arrow)in a continuously variable way. Second, the volume of heat is controlled by whatever mechanism is between the seats, which means red levers (for individual right and left adjustment), which must be pulled up. Or you turn a ****, which activates the fan in the engine compartment, and opens the valves for you. If you turn it all the way, you should also hear fans in the footwells activate, which is supposed to boost heat at low engine RPM. If the fan on the engine does not activate, you will get little heat, and the footwell fans will also not work. There is a fuse and relay under the left cover in the engine compartment that control this. Also, the footwell fans are notorious for failing, so you might remove the panel to see if the inline fuse is blown, or the fan has gone bad. Also, there is a link rod in the automatic heater that comes off due to a weak ball end, so the valves do not open. This will result in no heat whatsoever, which is not what you said, but is good to know. If none of this helps, write back and we can go further.
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During driving I noticed that VERY hot air is coming out of the vents even though the heat is off. It can become unbearingly hot inside the car and almost impossible to drive.

Sounds like the heater gates are open. If you climb under the car and look directly behind the heat exchangers closest to the rear seats. You will find two hose on the right and left side of the car. Follow these up to the chassis where they attach. At this point of attachment you will see a gate with a wire. Both sides will have them. The gates have holes on the outside door. If you inspect closely you will see this door swings open and closed. What happens is the door closes and the hot air from the heat exchanger passes through to the underside of the car. When the cable is pulled it opens these doors and diverts the hot air to the cabin.

Check to make sure these gates are fully closed. They will sometime stick and not completely seat into position allowing partial flow to the cabin. In the winter it is not a big deal, but in the summer even a little crack will create a lot of heat.

If for some reason they need to be adjusted you will see a little cable holder up on the door. There is a nut that will lock down the cable. If you carefully loosen the nut just enough to allow the door to close then retighten it you will be set. Do not go nuts with trying to pull on the cable. If you do the chances of pulling the cable out of the little holder are certain. If that happens it is like trying to thread a needle under the car.

Stephen Kaspar - PCA WebSite - 10/15/2004
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I was investigating my heat control flapper boxes both right and left. I
noticed that with the console lever pulled up all the way that both
flapper boxes where still open 1/2 inch at the widest portion. When
adjusting these flappers should they be fully closed with the lever
pulled all the way up and fully open with the lever all the way down?

The most important thing is to make sure with the heater console lever in
the off position (all the way down) that no hot air can get into the duct
to the passenger compartment and the external openings on the heater
control valve are near to full open. When the console control handle is
in the off position (all the way down), the heater control valve
simultaneously closes off the internal passage to the passenger
compartment and opens up the external flaps to allow the warm air to be
dumped overboard under the engine. There is a small spring on the valve
that will tend to keep the internal valve closed and the external exit
vanes open unless it is pulled open by the cable. The adjustment can be
made by putting the heater control lever in the "off" position, loosening
the adjustment nut and allowing the valve spring tension to completely
close the internal valve and then re-tightening the adjustment nut. A
picture of the valve was shown in a Panorama tech article in February,
2001, on 911 heating systems.
Allan Caldwell - PCA WebSite - 8/28/2002
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I've recently acquired this car and I'm in the process of
fixing/replacing some neglected components. After replacing some broken
hoses to my foot well blowers, I realized that neither fan was coming on
when I engaged the switch between the seats. It turns out that the
passenger side fan is bad (12v directly didn't spin it), but the driver's
side is good and it doesn't work either. Also, the engine compartment fan
turns all the time, even when my control levers are full down. Both
levers engage the switch contacts under the shroud. All fuses are good
and relays in the luggage compartment are good. My last attempt will be
to replace the Heater Control Relay in the engine compartment, but it's
not cheap so I was hoping for a diagnostic.

1. Does this seem like the culprit?
2. Is there a way to test without black-box debugging?

We published a technical article on the 911 heating systems in the
January, 2001, Panorama that includes descriptions of the various years
and has a wiring diagram for both the 911 Carrera manual and 911 Carrera
automatic systems. The system is set up so that the electric heater
blower on the engine is the main heat supplier and the auxiliary blowers
in the side heating ducts just augment what the engine electric blower
puts out. The auxiliary blowers will not get power until the rear blower
is running. So the first requirement is to pull up the red handles on the
center console that control the warm air valves and divert warm air
forward so that the rear blower will come on. Then power should be
available to run the auxiliary blowers and they should work. If they
don't, the problem might be in either the wiring, the front controller or
the rear relay. Note that the auxiliary blowers are operated off an
additional separate relay in the front trunk fuse and relay panel that
also has to be ok. The electrical diagnostics for the rear relay are
pimarily shown in the 1972-1989 factory shop manual series. Most problems
are found to be in the manual controls and electrical connections.

Allan Caldwell Website 1-22-02
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I just purchased a 1984 911 Cabriolet and like it very much. I have a minor heating problem that I need some help on. I can get heat by lifting up on the two red levers next to the handbrake, but when I turn the red **** (a three-position rotary switch) between the seats nothing happens, i.e. the fans do not come on. The dashboard controls seem to be working correctly. So far, the only thing I have been able to check is that the switch on the passenger side red lever is working and is getting 12 volts. According to the wiring diagram there is supposed to be a fan relay. Where is it located? The owner’s manual doesn’t refer to one. Also, the diagram doesn’t show the switch on the heater lever. I believe there are supposed to be two fans. Where are they located? Any advice you can give me in running down this problem would be greatly appreciated. I was at the track this past weekend and it was 30 to 40 degrees and snowing. It sure would have been nice to sit in the car with the heater on, but in order to get heat right now the car has to be moving.

The two red levers on the tunnel operate cables to open the mechanical heater control valves attached to the front of the heat exchangers. These valves allow heated air to be channeled forward into the passenger compartment instead of being dumped overboard. The amount of heat is determined by how far the heater control valves are opened and to get the maximum heat flow, the levers have to be pulled all the way up. The primary blower for the heated air is the electric blower mounted on the engine. Every time the red levers are pulled up, switches are engaged by the levers that start the engine blower so there will be some warm air even if the engine is just idling.
The big change in 1984 was the addition of two small electric fans in the hot air ducts (one on each side) to provide an added boost to the hot air coming from the engine. These two fans are located in the hot air ducts on each outside wall of the foot wells behind the upholstery making up the side storage pockets. The three-position switch on the console controls the speed of the two added blowers in the ducts behind the foot well sidewalls. Once the warm air from the engine gets up to the mixing chamber behind the dash, it is combined with the incoming outside air in any desired combination. Up to that point the heating system is independent from the dashboard controls.
In order to get the proper heat out of the system, the first thing to check is the adjustment of the heat control cables operated by the two red handles. This adjustment is done under the engine compartment at the front of the heat exchangers and is often a problem if the engine has been removed from the car for repairs and the adjustment wasn’t checked after reinstallation. With the red handles all the way off, the rear heater control valves need to be open to the underside of the car; that is, adjusted so that all the hot air goes overboard and nothing goes forward. The adjustment is done by changing the position of the clamping nut on the cable that attaches to and operates the heater valve. Then, the red handles should be pulled all the way up and the position of the valves checked again to make sure they are fully closed to the outside so that all the hot air coming into the valve is being diverted to the front compartment.
The most important blower in the system is the one in the engine compartment, and it operates off the heating control unit relay mounted on the left-hand electrical panel in the engine compartment. Both auxiliary heating blowers in the left and right heating ducts in the passenger compartment are operated off a relay in the front luggage compartment electrical panel where all the fuses are. It is usually in the aft position, but check the legend on the underside of the fuse box cover in case the 1984 was different. Since you mentioned that you had a three-speed blower control, I am assuming you have the manual system (rather than the thermostatically controlled automatic system). In the manual system, once the engine compartment blower motor gets power, then power is also available to the two front auxiliary blowers and any of the three speeds can be selected. The three-speed switch is mounted on the heater control assembly but is not very well identified on the wiring diagram, since the diagram includes both the manual and automatic installations on one drawing. With the automatic system, the numbers on the switch go from 0 to 9 and the auxiliary blowers don’t even come on the lowest speed until the control is turned up to 6.
You should be able to get noticeable heat from the engine compartment blower even if the auxiliary blowers are turned off (or aren’t working). That is the standard configuration for pre-1984 911s, and there is normally some heat after a short warm-up time.

Allan Caldwell-Panorama-8/00
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Old 05-04-2007, 07:50 PM
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Mike Murphy
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I e-mailed you the PDF. Also try searching this site for "heating" and you're likely to find quite a few threads on the subject. Spider911 and der Mond are good, accurate resources with their posts.
Old 05-04-2007, 08:08 PM
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Amber Gramps
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I don't have red levers between my seats, I have an electrical box with a **** on top numbered 1-9. I do have a red lever on the dash unit. am I crazy.
Old 05-04-2007, 08:15 PM
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re-read on above post and am much clearer on what to do. thank you.
Old 05-04-2007, 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by douglas bray
I don't have red levers between my seats, I have an electrical box with a **** on top numbered 1-9. I do have a red lever on the dash unit. am I crazy.
LOL welcome to owning a 911
Old 05-05-2007, 09:41 AM
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911 heating is Germanys revenge for WW2.....
Old 07-15-2008, 02:04 AM
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Originally Posted by theiceman
911 heating is Germanys revenge for WW2.....
Old 07-15-2008, 02:07 AM
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You have some catching up to do....You should see who is getting blamed for WWIII!
Old 07-15-2008, 01:42 PM
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LOL!! I'm sure I do. We are doing our share on the 928 forum. I was just searcing an issue and came across that. Thought it was funny.
Old 05-08-2024, 10:16 PM
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Hi

Having constant heat coming in my 83 911 SC.

Read your note from several years ago. If you have any pdf info wouks appreciate it

regards,

jeff
Old 05-09-2024, 08:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Orbitguy
Hi

Having constant heat coming in my 83 911 SC.

Read your note from several years ago. If you have any pdf info wouks appreciate it

regards,

jeff
Pretty sure OP is still in prison .

depending if you have auto heat r not , might be different.
But bottom line there are two heater boxes under the car that have flaps that open and close to control the heat. . they are operated by cables, start there.


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