Ah the joy of buying someone else's project. I have a '79 and recently little things are going wrong. The console lights were on all the time at full brightness for a few days now they don't work at all. I haven't checked the fuses, I just don't drive a lot at night right now.

Then the driver's side window won't go down. The volt meter drops when I push it up so I can only assume power is getting to the motor, I replaced the switch and it still won't go down. I need to tear into the door (one screw in the armrest is stripped).

Someone spliced and diced the vacuum lines going to my heater control. The air won't divert to the defroster right now. The cold/hot air cable goes somewhere and moves something but the air is still hot.

Right now I have the entire center console ripped out and all but one screw to my driver's door out.

So here's my questions;

1) Can I get the main duct out of the way without taking the entire dashboard apart? I want to replace the vacuum lines to my heater control but can't see where they go. I have the two ducts to the lower vents removed and the one bolt holding the main duct in place off but I can't get it around the dashboard. I really want my defroster to work again.

2) Where does the cold/hot air cable go to? It winds behind the glove box and just disappears. I'd love to be able to pull in cooler air than the engine compartment.

3) Any idea what could be wrong with my conole lights? I haven't checked the fuse yet, but I'm thinking there must be a short somewhere. They used to turn on with the ignition not the headlight switch which isn't right.

4) Anything I should check for in the door when I'm looking at my power window motor? Am I on the right track?

Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like me, I have a 79 I bought from a guy last year that I'm still finding and fixing little things.

To work on the vacuum lines, I found the easiest thing was to remove the glove compartment and look straight back. You will see two lines coming through the firewall (you may have to move the insulation up and out of the way to see them). They immediately go down and disappear into the abyss and come out just behind the console. I took apart the switch on the back of the heater control, put a vacuum pump in the engine compartment source of the vacuum and pulled some vacuum to see if the line was viable. Next I took the pump at the switch and pulled vacuum on each of the three or four lines leading out to ensure each of the diaphrams did what they were supposed to do - this is what tells what door to open when.

As far as you always having heat - the second vacuum line that comes through that same place in the firewall goes to a diaphram on the heater hose on the passenger side of the engine just above the exhaust manifold. Make sure that that diaphram is working (take vacuum on it to make sure it moves). If it doesn't then it is stuck open and that is why you have nothing but heat. If the vacuum line to it is bad it generally will stay in the closed position and you will get no heat. My line to the diaphram disentigrated in my hands - had to replace a good portion of it. Autozone carries this type of vacuum hose by the way.

As for the duct work, you will have to remove the center instrument cluster to get all the ductwork out; however, I think you can fix your problems without going to that extreme.

When you say console lights do you mean the ones on the gear selector, spedo/tack display, or instrument cluster? The answer to the problem lies in the answer to the question.

As for the window, keep trying to get the door cover off. You might have a broken gear or something wedged in there that is preventing the window from going down (I found a for sale sign inside my door).

If you want to discuss more about your 79 drop me an email so we don't take up everyone elses time. cmac@northsontington.k12.ct.us

 

Confucious say "very profound"

 

3) Blown fuse probably = power wire touching ground (a short as you suggest). No bad fuses probably = an open wire (bad ground connection for example) or a bad switch or a bad light bulb(s).

4) If you get inside the door & verify nothing is binding mechanically as cmac72 has suggested you need to then determine if the window motor is getting power (when I say motor I mean motor assembly which may have other electrical components in it). Only way to be sure is disconnect the motor and put your multimeter on the wires that go to it. Push the switch and if you get voltage your motor probably needs to be repaired/replaced.

 

I can't seem to get it to slide out. I'm talking about the duct that goes to the two vents in the center console and to the two vents in the lower corners of the dash. It reaches too far to either side behind the actual dash board. I have to two extensions out but it's still not cooperating. Maybe I'm just not moving it the right way.

I mean all console lights. All the instrument panel lights that would normally be on when you turn the parking lights on (controlled by the dimmer switch). When they did work the dimmer switch had no effect, i.e. they were always on and always at maximum brightness. I think there is a short before the dimmer but I have no idea where it could be.

Thanks for the advise so far!

 

Wonderful news;

I finally got the air ducting out and took my vacuum pump to all but one actuator and they all work. Some twit stuck a ruber hose in the outside air vent to leave it in the open position no matter what. I have two questions now;

1) How can you test the hot water valve easily? I think it may be bad which is why I'm always pulling hot air.

2) The green lined vacuum line is corked with a screw and sitting in my wiper area. Where exactly is the actuator, I can't find the silly thing.

As far as my window motor issues I finally got the door panel off and am kind of stuck. How do you get the regulator in and out? I'm used to having a skeleton behind the panel but this door is nearly solid.

Thanks in advance.