vn heater controls? anybody else had the vacuum lines not work and are they hard to f

[steveabbott]

HELP!
im assuming the vacuum lines on the heater/cooler controls on my vn are broken. i have had the dash out a number of times for different things here and there, and never had to worr about it, now ive got a baby i kinda need them to work
is there a diverter or something in the control that would make it continually hiss or would it be the lines somewhere?
the control only works on the recirculation setting or the one furtherest clockwise. even then it doesnt seem to make any difference to getting airflow in the car.
any help much appreciated
Steve

[D3V14NT]

Sounds like a vacuum leak to me with the most likely culprit a disconnected hose. Check all the vacuum lines from the back of the heater control to the other end of the line and make sure they are all connected correctly. Don't forget the heater tap in the engine bay on the drivers side and the vacuum ball under the front passenger side guard.

If they are all connected correctly with no split hoses its possible that the section of the heater contol unit that directs the vacuum flow may be faulty, i believe there is a fix for this written somewhere on the forums but personally i'd just replace it.

[vp_commo]

There are some little hoses that fit into the rear of the control unit, you would see them if you removed the unit.
Check that the constant hiss is not coming from there, if it is then one of the hoses has fallen off, it just plugs back onto the rear of the control.

I cant say if that is your main problem though but it might be some of it.

[Matty621]

I need help with this too... I just got my VN back from a mechanic to make it pass roadworthy... when it went in the heater worked fine... Now its stuck blowing at my feet... apparantly this is technically a roadworthy issue since i cant demist.... also its annoying... (apart from for my partner who has a foot fetish :S ) anyway. It looks like all the vacuum lines are connected behind the heater controls, and connected to the vacuum ball under the tire. It also appears to be connected to the heater tap, but thats if i have the right bit. I have however found a little bit of loose hose near the firewall in the engine bay (not a good sign). Can anyone tell me every bit that those hoses should connect to and possibly post a picture? Im not keen on driving around with... well... a radio on the seat... a gear stick with no labels, etc.. looks a bit... dodgey

[Matty621]

GOT IT! Tiny little hose that was dissconnected in the engine bay near the firewall on the drivers side. it comes out of a hose and plugs into the block. Ive taken some pictures to try and show where it is:

Overall this is the of the engine bay you wanna be looking at

This is the little tiny hose that can make all the difference, even technically to your RWC
Just plug her back in and youre good to go!

Hope this helps =]

[sino_2564]

hey all. i have just had a rebuilt gearbox installed into my VN calais and i am having very similar issues as mentioned above. the only heater settings that work are the foot and windscreen settings, all the others just seem to suck air constantly and don't select the right setting. i'm assuming, according to the post and pictures above, my mechanic has possibly bumped the little hose while putting in the gearbox and that is now interferring with the operation of my heater controls. does this sound like the same problem as above? if so, i will just try to reconnect the hose. otherwise, could someone please tell me another potential solution?

[Matty621]

Hey sino_2564
That almost sounds like the problem I had only I couldn't even move it to the windscreen, from what I understand the "default" position that the heater points to is the feet in the car. It then requires the vacuum from the vacuum hose to hold it in any other position... This would suggest that if your car CAN move to the windscreen it may be another problem... However still worth a look, its not that hard to access this particular hose.. The other thing it could be is the hoses connected to the back of the control unit (I've sold my VN now but) from memory there is a hose connected for each different position which i guess directs the vacuum... If these have popped out (minus the demist one) this could cause your problem.
Hope Ive helped!

[sino_2564]

Thanks Matty621. at this stage i haven't been able to get my hand back there as my vn is a 5litre and apart from the motor, there are a whole bunch of hoses in the way. I have had the heater controls out and all the hoses are plugged into it properly, so i'm not sure. it worked fine before i sent it off to my mechanic for the gearbox. although i did give him a call yesterday and he said it was unlikely that he had knocked it out, but he said he'd have a look anyway. i will be taking it in for a rw in about a month so i will get my other mechanic to see if he can figure it out. thanks for your input though, hopefully it leads to something! cheers.

[sino_2564]

i just went out and had another look at it. it does sound similar to the issue you had with your vn, as it does seem to just blow out at the feet no matter what setting you have it on, apart from the windscreen, which it does still select. so hopefully it is just a matter of reconnecting that hose, but i will let you know how i go as soon as i can get to it.