heat, need heat!

Yea, winter is coming, and today I needed to blast my heat. To my surprise, when I turn the dial to heat, NOTHING comes out of the top vents, only the bottom vents.

I want them to come out of the top vents, especially my hands, they get very cold.

Is there no way to get heat out of the top vents?

It should be noted I don't have the manual. :banghead:

Controls can be somewhat odd in older cars if you're not used to them... if you want heat you must turn the slider (or knob) from cold to hot. Then to get it to blow on the floor, slide the other slider (or knob) to "HEAT"; to get it to blow out of the upper/middle vents got to "VENT" and to get the heat to blow out of the defrost at the windshield, got to "DEF."
This is all second nature to me because it's what I grew up with and don't really drive any vehicles newer than 1989 which still had controls like this.

So Vent can also be heat? I thought that wouldn't give the same heat as "Heat" itself.

Weird, thanks for the tip.

Btw, what's "B/L"?

Yes - if you select Vent and put the heat slider on high, two things happen - first, you get the warm air from the A/C vents and second, you get fresh outside air.

Works well, 'tis how I do it.

In terms of Air Conditioning: MAX = front vents, NORM = front/floor blend, Bi-Lev or "B/L" is the floor vents. At least thats how I think I remember it.

I thought Norm mixed AC with outside air? That's what I was told by a mechanic one time.

You're probably right, I was never 100% sure about the A/C controls, I just know that "B/L" or "Bi-Lev" aims it towards the floor. In terms of the inside/outside air mixture I have no idea. I know in new cars/truck you hit a button if you want it to recirculate inside air, or take fresh air in. I'm almost sure my '84 takes outside air in full time with no recirculation. I haven't ever seen any way for the air to not come from the outside.

no no no no no...
at least on my 84, heat is floor,
vent is upper vents
defrost is windshield
bi-lev is all of the above
ac dehumidifies the air.
max ac has the compressor on full time

Heat is floor,
vent is the main vents,
defrost is windshield*,
bi-level is main and windshield (no floor, but lap vents are included).

Max runs the fan in high mode, which causes the compressor to run longer - but not continuously.

* on my car, defrost mode turns on the compressor and forces cold air through the vents as opposed to warm air. As GreyGoose noted above, cold air dehumidifies and removes the fog from the window sooner. It's not great to have that cold air coming off the windshield onto driver when it's cold outside, but here in south central Arizona, there's not too many days like that.

no no no no no...
at least on my 84, heat is floor,
vent is upper vents
defrost is windshield

Lol, thats what I said... my confusion was cleared up by silicon in terms of the Air Conditioning controls. This is probably why they switched over to the simple directions they have on cars now: A button for A/C on and off, a button for fresh air or recirculation, an air temperature control, a fan speed control, and vent placement control. I really like the dual driver/passenger climate controls available now.

Lol, thats what I said... my confusion was cleared up by silicon in terms of the Air Conditioning controls. This is probably why they switched over to the simple directions they have on cars now: A button for A/C on and off, a button for fresh air or recirculation, an air temperature control, a fan speed control, and vent placement control. I really like the dual driver/passenger climate controls available now.
yeah, i wasnt arguing with you.
on mine, bi-lev is floor, lap, and main vents.
dont know about yall tho