1995 Lincoln Town Car (Cartier) No Heat

[maven0613]

Thermostat replaced, heater core flushed. Blend door actuator not working but if I rig it so the blend door is wide open I get full A/C. It is my understanding that I should be able to rig it closed and get full heat but only cool air comes out even on manual override. There is no heater control valve in this year and model in the heater core intake hose. What am I missing?

Thank you so much.

[olopezm]

Was the cooling system properly bled? Air pockets in it can cause low/intermittent heat conditions.

Oscar.

[maven0613]

What would be best way to bleed the cooling system be? Both heater hoses are fully and equally hot - too hot to touch. Is there a restriction somewhere else? Vacuum problem and if so where? Thanks.

[olopezm]

If both hoses are equally hot then you should not have any restrictions.

When I flushed the cooling system I poured water in the engine block through the thermostat opening until the level was nearly at the top, then I installed the thermostat, torqued the bolts and filled the reservoir to the cold level line. Started the engine, at this moment I turned the EATC to full heat, and left it idling until it reached operating temperature to allow the thermostat to open. After that I left the engine to cool down and refilled to the proper level.

I don't think a vacuum leak would interfere with the heat option, vacuum is only used to control the flow of air through the front vents or defrost vents, but just in case you can try checking the lines at the back of the intake manifold. Follow the vacuum lines from the intake elbow to the firewall, there you'll find a vacuum distribution tree.

Oscar.

[maven0613]

Had full heat this AM. Then not this afternoon. Had full A/C but lost it too. I assume I bound by 60 to 90 degree range even on manual override but it is not consistient.

No air coming from defroster either even when heat was on floor.

Found blend door and actuator. Would like to replace them or switch to heat only for winter then a/c for summer but not sure how to do this without removing the dash.

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by maven0613

Had full heat this AM. Then not this afternoon. Had full A/C but lost it too. I assume I bound by 60 to 90 degree range even on manual override but it is not consistent.

No air coming from defroster either even when heat was on floor.

Found blend door and actuator. Would like to replace them or switch to heat only for winter then a/c for summer but not sure how to do this without removing the dash.

Maven,
Check under the ashtray (remove w/ 2 screws @ back underneath and pull forward)) look for the 2 vacuum actuators just above the tx tunnel. The one on the right (blue vacuum line) controls the vent/floor air flow. I just replaced my ETAC unit w/ a rebuilt one from;
Module Repair Pro Inc. in L.A.
Ph 818-429-4889
@ a cost of $189.00
Hey Oscar, IT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!!
No more loss of vacuum going up long steep grades
Mike in Colorado

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by maven0613

Had full heat this AM. Then not this afternoon. Had full A/C but lost it too. I assume I bound by 60 to 90 degree range even on manual override but it is not consistient.

No air coming from defroster either even when heat was on floor.

Found blend door and actuator. Would like to replace them or switch to heat only for winter then a/c for summer but not sure how to do this without removing the dash.

The best solution will be to definitely fix that blend door actuator. I know from other people that a new replacement from the autoparts store isn't that expensive (I think around 60 dlls) you can even check online at www.rockauto.com as they have some of the best prices online.

About the replacement the only way I know to replace it is by removing the dash, I remember reading about opinions on replacing it through the passenger side airbag opening but honestly I don't know if the user succeeded or not. IT sounds like a big mess, but with the help of an assistant you can do it yourself and save big money.

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Maven,
Check under the ashtray (remove w/ 2 screws @ back underneath and pull forward)) look for the 2 vacuum actuators just above the tx tunnel. The one on the right (blue vacuum line) controls the vent/floor air flow. I just replaced my ETAC unit w/ a rebuilt one from;
Module Repair Pro Inc. in L.A.
Ph 818-429-4889
@ a cost of $189.00
Hey Oscar, IT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!!
No more loss of vacuum going up long steep grades
Mike in Colorado

Hey Mike,

I'm glad you finally fixed it! Good work!

---------------

Oscar.

[maven0613]

Blend door actuator replaced. Vacuum lines checked. All works normally now but still no defrost. Now what am I missing?

[maven0613]

CORRECTION: Blend door actuator replaced. Vacuum lines checked. All works normally now but still no defrost and heat comes out of a/c vents. Now what am I missing?
　
　

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by maven0613

CORRECTION: Blend door actuator replaced. Vacuum lines checked. All works normally now but still no defrost and heat comes out of a/c vents. Now what am I missing?
　
　

Check the blue vacuum line going to the vacuum actuater on the right side of the tx tunnel behind the ash tray. That is the door that controls the dash/defroster air flow. Could be a bad actuator. when you push the control buttons you should see the lever move @ the actuator.
Mike in Colorado

[maven0613]

The dash is out again so I checked vacuum lines manually and the floor/defrost door, panel door (heater air damper door), and the recirculating air door all respond.

I have diagnostics and instructions for a Heater Control Cable replacement but there is not one attached to the EATC module nor is there a place that one would go so how does the EATC decide "defrost only" on mannual override when there is no dedicated defrost vacuum line or cable?

Also, is heat supposed to come out of the panel vents or just the floor and the defrost vents? When it is on "floor" on manual override the heat comes out of the panel vents also even when you select 60 degrees on the temperature selector.

Thanks so much for replying. It's starting to get cold here (Colorado) and I'm in panic mode as I'm traveling a lot between here and Wyoming and need her fixed so I can work. One more day off - need to find it soon!

Traci

[maven0613]

Now I am looking for the interior temperature sensor location as there is some erratic behavior. When the heater gets hot then it suddenly gets lower and when the a/c gets cold then it suddenly gets warmer. It's like the interior air temperature sensor is in the airflow somewhere and is "correcting" the temperature it's calling for.
Still no air out of defrost ever.

[olopezm]

Heat is supposed to come out from whichever setting you have selected. I'm don;t know, maybe you have a bad EATC module. I really hope you don't.

The inner temperature sensor is in the small grill on the dash to the right of the EATC module. It's the opposite of the rear defrost button.

I'm sorry that I didn't post this before but it is a good idea to run the self test on the EATC. CLICK HERE

Oscar.

[maven0613]

**UPDATE 09/13/2011**
After blend door actuator replacement the A/C appears to work normally. The heating system still has the following problems:

THE TWO PRIMARY PROBLEMS ARE LOW HEAT QUALITY AND DEFROST BLOWS ONLY COLD AIR. ALSO LOW VOLUME BLOWER.

On any setting the heat at max (90 deg) does not heat the interior to more than approx upper 60s. A/C temp setting to actual appears correct but heat temp setting to actual is about 10-15 degrees off. Air is just lukewarm when asking for heat.

Even at 90 deg setting when switching to defrost it blows cold air only out the windshield vents.

All air all the time blows out of panel vents and must be manually redirected to floor or defrost by shutting the panel vents. But this may be just how the system operates (?)

Blower appears very low at all settings particularly defrost. It does go higher at manual (turn wheel) but seems low to me.

When switching to vent from any heat setting the air appears to be slightly warmer.

Covering the solar sensor changes nothing regarding defrost but I still don’t know if the solar sensor even has anything to do with the EATC.

What am I missing now?