My convertible came to me 10 years ago with air conditioning that-

1. needed recharging (which i never did)
2. when selected, would only operate on max/high. moving the fan lever wouldn't change fan speed.

I lived with this because I rarely used the car with the top up, but now there's another HVAC issue. Air will only blow from the heater vents, no matter what mode is selected, even vent. I realize that this is probably a vacuum issue, but I'm not a mechanic. I'd like to repair everything. I also have little trust in most mechanics.

I'm in the Twin Cities. Does anyone know of a person they would trust here in Minnesota to deal with these issues?

(and a follow-up to a recent query...I found a new/old radiator cap on ebay & won it. I put it on my newly freed from winter confinement car yesterday. It was tough to put on, but it is on now & looks perfect!) Thanks!

 

According to the 1973 Chassis Service Manual (which you should own if you don't have one), if the blower operates only at high speed, connect a 12V test light to ground and to the black-white stripe wire connector at the high blower relay.

If the light goes on, the remedy is to replace the hi blower relay.

If the light is off, connect the test light between ground and the black-white stripe wire where it connects to the blower motor resistor. If the light stays off, replace the resistor. If the light goes on, there is an open (break) in the black-white wire between the relay and the resistor. Locate the open and correct.

The hi blower relay and the resistor are located in the engine compartment. The resistor is on the blower duct, but the manual doesn't say where in the engine compartment the relay is. From the figure shown, to find it, it looks like you would trace the wiring bundle from the resistor to just before it goes through the firewall. There should be six wires coming off the bundle before it goes through the firewall. Three of them go to the hi blower relay, two to the lo relay, and one to the A/C compressor. So you need to find the thing that the three wires connect to.


Your vent problem is most likely due to a vacuum leak as you surmise. Figure 1B-18 in the service manual shows a vacuum circuit diagram for when the system is in VENT mode. When in this position, vacuum is directed from the controller through a tan-colored vacuum line to the "lower mode door." This opens the door to direct air to the dash vents. The tan vacuum line is likely either disconnected or leaking and not providing vacuum.

 

i do have a chassis service manual & i had perused the pages you write of, but, being a layman, i couldn't ever hope to get the information you graciously shared. i will make an attempt to try & do what you directed, but i will continue to search for a trustworthy minnesota connection. thanks!

 

I'm a "layman", too, and I agree that the service manuals can be a bit difficult to follow at times, but I don't think there's anything terribly complicated about the sections dealing with heater and A/C controls and operation. You just have to be willing to take some things apart and get down under the dash and/or into the engine compartment and have some fun.

 

?!? ?!?

What on earth is that supposed to mean?

These manuals were written for the compleat idiot (to use Muir's spelling).

What could possibly be so difficult about following this troubleshooting tree?


(Please pardon the poor scan quality)

You connect a test light in two different places and, based on whether it is on or off in each place, you decide which of four possible things is wrong.

I'm sorry, that is simply not the sort of answer that will get you help in this forum.

- Eric

 

i probably didn't express myself clearly. i am not mechanically inclined. when i try to tackle a car problem, i usually break something. really. that i found a new radiator cap & screwed it on and didn't destroy the radiator is a miracle.

the little dashboard light (there's one on each side)? i was trying to replace the blue-ish plastic lens that covers the light & i lost the light. it fell back into the dashboard & it's been there for a number of years. sure it would be nice to get it put, but i know i'll break the dashboard if i try & take it off.

so, that's what i mean when i say i'm a layman. if the only folks allowed in here are mr. goodwrenches....so sorry.

thanks for the scan...i now see this page in my book. i'd never noticed it before.

 

Don't sweat it. I am probably a "7" on a 1-10 scale of mechanical ability. I do a pretty good job of fixing stuff, but have messed plenty of stuff up along the way. My problem is I get in a hurry, then things go bad. I know my limitations and would not attack a tranny, rebuild a carb, or install a convertible top. I am a "layman" with directions. I get lost all the time and Mrs. Last98 gets real frustrated with that. So we all have our strengths and weaknesses, the important thing is you are taking care of your car however you do it.

 

much appreciated!
signed, a "1"
(barely)