Heat on the Feet --- 88 Cougar
 

Well...no heat on the feet.

I have cleaned out the squirrel nuts, replaced the --- oh, gosh, it's a squirrel cage fan blade, isn't it --- reassembled the fan assembly. Fan now blows hot air and not too many rodent nest particles, but the door to let it blow on the passenger's feet doesn't open.

(BTW, I so far have no idea whence comes the heat on the driver's feet).

OK, I see this little cannister attached to a lever that should open that door, but when I move the control to that position, nothing happens.
Looks like the little cannister is vac operated? The tube is plugged onto the top of it, no idea if any air/vac is blowing or sucking through it.
When I move the lever manually or open the door manually a sighing noise can be heard somewhere, so something is airtight, anyway.

Of course I can cut through the matter by propping that door open, but always fun to have things work right.

Anything here I can check?

[Having fun with this so far: my mechanic forewarned that changing the blower might entail removing the whole dash with immense difficulty and rack up to a grand in labor; someone clued me that this model it might only be the glove box; I had the motor out in half an hour. One $32 part. Back in in half an hour].

Thanks,
Denno

If you had squirrels or some other rodent living in there (I've had trouble with rats and rabbits in cars in the past) you should keep in mind that they chew. A lot. I wouldn't be surprised if the line is chewed plumb through, leaving the vacuum motor that opens that door without vacuum to work. Pull the line off that motor and either vacuum gauge it or check with a finger for vacuum.

They love rubber lines for some reason, guess they're tough and chewy at same time. Plastic hoses are apparently crunchy and fun to chew. Oh and lets not forget copper wires. Gah I hate vermin.

Cabby
Red '88 Cougar XR-7

Rabbits?

I'll see if I can tell about the vac. If it's not happening, I gotta trace that line back to where?

Thanks,
Denno

Yeah... rabbits. When I lived in Nebraska, I parked a dodge minivan in the yard for a few months... a rabbit made a nest on top of the motor. I know it was a rabbit because it sat there staring at me, terrified, when I opened the hood one day to see about getting it running right. Dang rabbit ate most of the wiring harness while bored and looking for stuff to chew in its cozy top-of-engine nest. Also ate most of the vacuum lines.

The fact that you hear it sighing and not from the vacuum motor itself means the motor is probably okay. you're pushing the air out somewhere up in the dash most likely. I think those doors are controlled by a vacuum switching assembly attached to the back of the heater/AC mode control... but I say that because I've seen them done that way on older cars, and it could be done other ways too. What I'd expect is that the vacuum line runs up to somewhere around the back of the heater control panel... when you put the lever at the floor heat position it opens that line to intake manifold vacuum and the vacuum pulls that door open.

It's possible the line, or the control assembly, has been damaged. I've also seen them broken... they're plastic and get brittle with age. But due to your rodent issue I'd bet on a chewed line. They usually have a vacuum feeder line running over to the firewall btw, you'll need to check that. If you start the engine and listen carefully you may hear hissing under the dash... that's probably a vacuum leak. I'd definitely try to listen to it while the lever is selecting floor heat, that should localize your leak.

Good luck with it, these can be a bear to find, due to how hard it is to see stuff buried behind the dash.

Cabby

Yeah, pretty much entirely what you said. There is a little cannister affair with a vac line running to it, attached to a lever on that door. If there is any airflow in that line I cannot detect it by feel or ear. And I can't see anything up behind the heater controls.

There seems to be at least some heat on the feet all the time the blower is on. Doesn't come out that door, but from a spot the the left of it; dunno if it will be blocked when I put the glovebox back. Heat on the driver's feet is there, somewhat varied by changing th lever. Heat on the windshield is varied by the lever. Considering all this, I asked my wife if this is a satisfactory heating situation or would she like me to try and get it running perfectly. She said it'll do as is; so I won't get upside down with mirrors and waldoes......
Last issue here is the fan switch only works on High. Aside from being noisy, though, that'll work out, too. If I could fix that (probably replace it), I'd do it for the noise and for fine-tuning the heat; but I don't drive the Cougar much, and if she's happy....

Thanks for your conversation and help.

Denno