Finalatom

Big sigh. I just bought a '96 with 11K miles and it has the same problem and I'm in Arizona.

RollaMo-LT4

So, fix the issue.
You bought a 16 year old car, things are going to wear out.
Mileage does not matter on some parts. Any rubber parts are still 16 years old.

You would have the same exact issues buying any old car.

At one time this post had some good pictures included to show the fix.
But they don't show up any longer, since they are no longer on the hosting site.

Finalatom

I do intend to fix it, thank you very much. Do you know where I can find pictures?

Wathen1955

I believe I may have copies of the pictures. If I do, I'll post them later this evening.

Finalatom

Thank you Wathen. Much appreciated!

Finalatom

Sorry RollaMo, I wasn't trying to offend you. I'm well aware that older cars have parts like weather stripping and hoses that degrade over time, and I fix those also. My “Big Sigh” was not that it needed to be repaired or doing the work, rather it’s a design flaw and a recurring problem. Next time I will write it out in long hand so you know what I am talking about. Cheers.

RollaMo-LT4

No offense taken. I must have taken your meaning the wrong way.
I actually bookmarked this post a long time ago (for when the day comes I might need it).
At that time, it pictures in it and I wish I would have saved them to my computer.
I have approx. 119k miles on my '96 and I haven't had this issue yet.

Hopefully Wathen1955 might have saved them and can post them.
Next time I see pictures, I will be sure and save copies.

Finalatom

AC works great temp and fans as long as I leave it on. If I shut it off. Takes 5 to 15 minutes to start blowing through the vents again. It's too hot out here to risk it before I fix it. Hope he has those pics.

Cliff Harris

I wrote an article about the HVAC programmer some time ago. It applies to my '86, but from the descriptions in this thread it appears that many parts are the same. I do know that my programmer has a solenoid/vacuum line for the heater valve that later cars do not have. My article, with pictures:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...schematic.html

Finalatom

Thanks Cliff. I won't know how close it is to the '96 until I get under the dash and get it out, great pics.

Finalatom

RollaMo, I wonder if ouside temps have something to do with the issue. I noticed folks from the warm climates have this issue more than cold. Maybe its ambient heat that causes the tubes to collapse.

RollaMo-LT4

I don't know if outside temps have as much to do with it, as perhaps the overall care and maintenance of the car.
I can see where maybe parked outside in the sun all day might have some effect on it though.

Trust me, it gets over 100°F here in Missouri too during the summer.
But my car is parked in a garage, and not out in the sun everyday.
I do drive it to work 3 or 4 times a month and it sits outside then.

Wathen1955

Here were the pictures that I saved. They look better in the Word document.

Finalatom

Awesome Wathen. Just what I was looking for. Picture quality is not a big deal. Another nice Microsoft feature when copying out of Word it drops the resolution to 256 colors. You'd have to do a screen shot to get it to look good, but these work out for me. Thanks again.

LannyL81

I have owned two 96 Corvettes and had to fix both of them. The method I used was to insert a short piece of tubing into each vacuum line at the connector. I think it was PFE tubing...but has been a long time so this may not be the correct material. I think I still have some of it though. It only requires a tube length of about 3/4" for each connection and I had to buy something like 3 feet of tubing. I got it from Granger.

Yes getting the controller out is a PAIN. But then the stupid press-on nut can be replaced with a real one along with inserting the tubes.

Anyways if interested I can search for it and perhaps there is a part number still on it.

Finalatom

Lanny, thx a part number would be great. I was looking at the pictures and was thinking the same thing, I just was not sure what material to use.

AaronDoud

Big thank you to everyone in this thread. I'll attempt this repair soon.

Bon Air

I'l add my two cents--
I fixed mine with the tried and proven method--by pass the connector
with 1/8th tubing and forget it.
Trying to jury-rig that connector is a waste.

good luck, BonAir

Finalatom

How did you connect the 1/8 tubing?

Bon Air

The 1/8 tubing simply pushes on the nipples on the programmer-
I would give yourself a liberal amount of tubing, giving you the
room to connect it while you are not upside down under there.
While not the same issue, don't forget to check the action of your
Controller--I disassembled mine, cleaned the circuit board with a little
alcohol and buffed the contact points gently with #600 paper. The
results were worth it.

BonAir