Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 15:48:17 -0700 From: "John Weiss" <jrweissnopsamet*NOSPAM*.com> Subject: Re: Heater problems w/ my 85 900S
Jeremy Fennema <fennemanopsam.com> wrote in message news:1D8X2.2670$fO5.88033nopsam14.ispnews.com... > First off, the temperature control has gotten extremely hard to turn and last > week the plastic knob broke. In taking it apart I found that it is > mechanically connected to something which looks like a valve deep behind the > dash. Does this need replacing, how do I go about it if it does, and what's > the level of difficulty here. That is the heater control valve, and is a high failure item. The OEM replacement is supposed to be redesigned and better. Once you reveal it, it's straightforward to replace. Getting at the nuts/bolts is the hardest part. Drain the radiator first, to minimize antifreeze leakage into the car when you remove it. > Second, when I have the car on and idling, there is a scratchy wining noise > comming from behing the glove box on the passenger side. If I turn the fan on > then it goes away, but if the ventilation system is turned off it starts up > again. It will breifly stop if I step on the gas, but at a constant speed the > noise comes back. Does anyone have ideas about what this might be and ways to > fix it? Might be a leaky vacuum hose to the heater distribution controller. I've had similar noises for several years, and just live with them (keeping the distribution on defrost or defrost/foot uses the least vacuum). > Third, I had noted that I was having a 5mi/gal drop in gas mileage lately and > the most prevalent fix (or at least the easiest) suggested by others in this > group was change the gas filter. I did and haven't noticed an increase in the > gas mileage over the last two tanks of gas. Could this problem and the noise > under the dash be related. Any other suggestions for improving gas mileage, > the plugs have been recently changed as well as the air filter. What about > the distributor cap or the APC solenoid (it makes clicking sounds at idle when > the car is hot and has just been driven for a ways). Plug wires, distributor cap and rotor (normal major tune-up items), check for vacuum leaks everywhere. -- John R. Weiss Seattle, WA Remove *NOSPAM* from address for e-mail reply