Hello all - I'm new here. I'm just in the process of buying my first Corvette. I was supposed to drive to Chicago to pick it up this weekend, but just hear from the current owner that the heat is not working so everything is on hold as he tries to figure it out. I thought I'd run it past everyone here to see if I can help him along at all.

He bought the car as a project from someone in Florida. The people there had no intention of running it in cold weather, so when they were putting a new intake on it, they never reconnected the heater hoses. He reassembled the system, installing new nipples into the intake and new heater hoses through the firewall and connecting to the heater core. Even had to reassemble the blower box inside the car. After he was finished with that, he tested it and said the heater blew hot air. That was a few days ago, but tonight he went to drive the car and found that the heat was not working at all.

He manually opened the flap that allows heat into the ducts, I suppose, and had his hand inside the heat box and said that it didn't get hot. He disconnected the heater hoses and blew into the top one and was able to force water out the bottom, so he feels confident that water was able to circulate - at least at some point.

Is there anything else I can have him check that might explain why it stopped working? He never checked to see if perhaps they had left the thermostat out, being a southern car. Even if they did that though, I assume he'd be able to feel at least a little heat. He says there is definitely enough coolant in the system. He ran the engine for a while with the cap off until he could see the level inside the radiator up at the top.

Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Hoping to salvage the pickup trip this weekend, but can't do it without heat.

I look forward to posting a lot more often here once I get the car and start working on it myself.

Thanks very much,

Sean Burgess

 

It would help to know the year. The heater core is probably leaking and there is not now enough water left to circulate.

 

Sorry... guess that would help. It's a '79.

He tells me that he checked the coolant level since it stopped working and it still appears to be topped off at the radiator cap.

== Sean

 

I would have the system pressure flushed to ensure there is no blockage.

cc

 

You should check for a heater control valve, located in line on the right side of the engine. This valve often sticks closed and will not allow water flow.

 

When you say in line, do you mean in the middle of one of the heater hoses? If that's the case, it's not even there because he just installed these heater hoses straight from the intake to the heater core.

I looked at a diagram that was linked to from another thread about heater issues. Is the valve you're talking about the one that looks like it's very near the heater core anyway? I think it has a white vacuum line connecting to it?

== Sean

 

Well, If its not there, It should be flowing water.

 

I've decided to just bite the bullet and pay for a trailer rental to get the car back here. I'm going to go ahead up today and bring it back. It'll be a lot easier for me to work on this once I've got the car in my own hot little hands.

Once I've got it, I'll be back here with and update and hopefully everybody can help me sort it out.

== Sean