heater problems
 

hey my heater for my 1982 280zx will not function properly. The a/c works fine, but if i try to put on any heat nothing happens. I'm not sure how to fix it, ANYONE please help....????

Could be a couple things...

-If the system's coolant is too low, coolant won't reach the heater core & you won't feel heat.

-The coolant heater valve aka "water cock" could be stuck closed.

-One or more of the 20 or so vacuum tubes could be cracked, thus not opening the correct ports for heat.

Start w/ the basics & work your way through... it's a fun road. :D

^ fun road indeed...

I would die if I had a problem with the vaccum system. It looks like a nightmare.

Yah, it can be a total nightmare! Been there, done that. Not fun at all!

I agree with Nismo's suggestions.

By the way, Bham, did the heater ever work properly since you've owned the car, then later stopped working? Also, did you notice any mold, mildew, puddle stains or standing water on the passenger's side floor board?

Um...yes i believe the heater used to work. How much would it cost to have a mechanic look at it....would it be better to fix it myself or have a profressional look at it?

my heater motor turns on but does not blow any heat through the vents. my defrost blows warm air so that is what i have been using as my heat source but that really doesnt work that well to heat up the car. so does anyone kno<w wh>y my heat turns on but doesnt blow out of the vents

^^^ Yep....

if you have the auto climate control then switch to a manual heater control setup.

I've never had any problems with my auto climate control. You just have to make sure that the sensor (little round thingy in the middle of the dash) is clear and clean.

280zx auto climate control
 

Any more thoughts on this subject from those who have repaired an auto climate system? I would like to keep the auto system and not convert it to the manual. This 82zxt, has be garage kept since new with about 70K miles on the clock. I removed the dash and all vacuum hoses appear to be clean, soft and in good condition. Where do I go next? Anyone with practical knowledge on this system. mayolives@aol.co 843 450 6512

Appearance is good and all... but did you physically check them? Just because they look good doesn't mean there isn't a leak somewhere.

Turbo models use a vacuum pump by the engine bay light for the climate & cruise control. Does your vacuum pump come on when you turn on the acc? If it does, then you'll need to manually test all the vacuum lines & ports (which is why I said above "it's a fun road"). :D

The foam seals between the many sections of the heater/ AC on my car were rotted away and that greatly reduced the heaters efficiency. I replaced them with a few layers of camper foam from the auto parts store and now it works awesome.

NismoPick......Thank for the tip on the location of the pump near the light, under the hood. I was able to get the heat and ac working properly after disconnecting and reconnecting all the electrical connectors and manually moving all the doors and vacuum devices under the dash. However, I also discovered a cracked and partially disconnected hose at the vacuum pump under the hose. I haven't reinstalled the hood yet but I think that I have repaired my auto climate control problems.

jmmorriso......I will reseal all the connections when reinstalling the dash. The original foam seals are in poor condition and the new ones should help to keep the air moving in the best direction.

I bet its the control valve.

I just recently had this problem and it was a b#@$!*
My control valve was so old that it rusted to one side and was stuck there.
(getting no water to the heater core)

I just ran a pipe with a little valve (access from engine bay) in order to change from a/c to heat.


good luck :)

Hello, i'm in the process of replacing the water cock in my 83 slick top. My question is the original water cock had this copper coil that went into the back of my heater box. The replacement from Nissan does not have that. and looks somewaht differnt. I don't have ACC, just the standard manual air. Anyone had this problem?

Does the new replacement have the same attachment for the hot / cold cable? Or does it have a vacuum port?

It has the same attachments.

okay.. so im replacing my heater control valve today and i came across the same problem.. the replacement unit i got from the dealer is different than the one that im replacing. i have the manual control with AC and the dealer said it was the right part.. i dont know if i should just go ahead and install it even if its not the same as the one that im replacing it with.. here are pics of what im talking about

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...%20280zx/2.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...%20280zx/1.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...%20280zx/3.jpg

Is there any way to attach the lines & coil onto the new one? I bought one from Nissan about 10 years ago & it had to the coil on it.

Maybe Nissan changed the design & decided not to use it anymore?

I'm checking on the Nissan parts catalog: http://nissan4u.com/parts/280zx/

as far as i can tell, theres no way to attach the old coil to the new water choke... ill try to install it tomorrow morning... looks like it should bolt right up...

i could not stand the climate controle in my 83 280zx. its been one thing after another intil i got the factory service manual and then every thing came together. its very specific on all of the vacume and electrical diagrams. try and get you one. i found mine on craigslist in knoxville tn for 5 bucks, great deal from another 83zx owner.

heater
 

nevermind my last comment! mine is screwed up again:s-chainsaw:

sensor on dash - really??
 

Not to threadjack, but this grabbed my attention.

My climate control has been acting posessed since last year when I got the car.

Basically, the fan speed, when set at a low to mid level, all of a suddent jumps to full - and then back again. I took out the unit, cleaned out the knob sensor that controls teh fan speed (thought it was corroded - was not), and put it back togehter - no change!

If there is an issue of a fouled temp sensor in the cabin, this may be it!

Where do I find it? I have a 1980 ZX N/A....

Thanks!

There was a manual heater system in a 1979 Z in the local yard... I may get that valve as a backup! :paranoid:

Philbert, the auto system is very finicky. The temp sensor is that little tiny round vent on the top right of the dash. It is just to the right of your clock, but to the left of the glovebox.
You can access it by taking out the glovebox. You'll see a little tiny fan up there that pulls air from the dash through a rubber hose to the sensor. It could be that or a weak vacuum line.

yup got it to work... i had to cut the coil off the old choke valve cuz i didnt know how to remove it from the heater. the mounting screw were in diffrent locations but it still mounted right... i had to adjust the cable and push/ pull pins but all in all the new choke works just fine...