Sticky defrost / heater diverter

[very fat and very dumb 40]

Is there some type of lube I should use to free this up a bit? I cleaned the whole unit but the diverter is difficult to move with the controls. I beleive the resistance is the rubber on the flapper dragging on the fiberglass housing.

[foothilltom 33]

My boy's coupe has this same problem. We cleaned it out, lubed the little crank on the diverter, and it actually worked for a few months, but starting sticking again. As you know, the mechanism doesn't deliver a whole lot of force. The control arm on the dash is made of crappy pot metal, though it has to "push" the cable which then pushes the lever on the diverter. The system loses lots of force.

 

You're probably right about the problem being the rubber flapper sticking inside the diverter assembly, but now that it's in, I don't have the will to go dig it out.

 

Please post with whatever solution you find...I'm sure you're not alone.

 

Tom

[69RavenConv 288]

Yeah, the problem is likely in the diverter. The bushings wear on the input shaft and it gets increasingly hard to switch.

[Fly Boy 10]

I had mine apart last week and it was so sticky that I forced it to move and the plastic surrounding the lever shattered. I am now looking for a replacement box to install. The clips and the whole thing were really ratty and I guess I will have to bite the bullet and get a new/used one.......

 

I have it out and see no real easy fix...........

[69RavenConv 288]

Well, on the upside, just about any parts car probably has a serviceable unit you could buy, and they do reproduce them if you have lotsa cash. When I had mine apart I buffed and lubed everything in sight but it still isn't great. The hole where the little crank passes thru the fiberglas gets elongated and the slop makes it stickier

[bcorbin 10]

I had this same problem and the problem was the 40 year old rubber had lost its flexibility. I cleaned and sanded smooth, with fine sand paper, everywhere the rubber touched and that helped a little. I did find that once there is warm air hitting the rubber that it regained most of its flexibility and the dash controls move the diverter very easily. To test this outside of the car I used a hair dryer and heated the rubber up. The diverter moved pretty freely when heated. You may want to try that and see if it works. In my quest to solve this I also found somewhere on the web that transmission stop leak fluid has the affect of revitalizing rubber to a small degree. Hope that helps.

[Angel 24]

would replacing the original cable with like a choke cable help? i was thinking of doing that.

[LoneWolf2U 136]

:huh:... Most fixes to the worn housing where the flapper shaft is a simple trip to Lowes.

 

Hardware dept bin drawers, nylon bushings.

Drill housing to bushing size, press in bushing File to fit and it works smoothly.

 

Broken cable mounting end, Small wire clamp and screw to hold it.

 

In a pinch I used a wire eyelet with a slight crimp to it and bent the opening 90* on a cable to get out of the woods.

[Fly Boy 10]

Thanks Mach.....I had not thought about just bushing it out.....duh.

 

I will have to make a backing plate since the plastic let go in the surrounding area. That should be an easy fix.

 

Hockey season in Minnnesota means more time in the rink than in the garage so my Spring goal may be getting pushed with all the nit noids I am running into.

[very fat and very dumb 40]

I am not proud of this by any means, however I did it and it works great. I am working on a convertible. I could not care less if get 100% flow to the floor or defroster so I cut the rubber back away from the "Walls" of the heater box thus reducing the resistance. I cut back 3 of the 4 sides of the diverter. I should still get plenty of air in either location when I need it.

 

I still have it torn apart so if I am going to regret this please tell me now.

 

Thanks

[very fat and very dumb 40]

1-13-2010- Here's a quick follow up. I now have the fan motor powered up and almost everything put back together. The modified diverter sends plenty of air to the defrost, the amount of air not being diverted is minimal. I beleive this is a good fix. I will post one additional follow up after I have to actually put the defroster to use, hopefully in the next few months.

[pw520a 19]

I had the same problem and did the same thing, with a razor knife I trimed the rubber untill it moved back and forth smooth.