A/C heater controls

[tealindy]

The slide lever for the hot/cold control broke. Is there anyway to fix just that lever or will I have to replace that whole unit?
Everything else works fine. If I have to replace the whole unit where can I find one? The auto parts stores do not carry them here.

[ARCHINSTL]

Welcome to the Club! Where are you located?

There are a number of threads (with photos) in the Repair Questions and (I think) Repair Guides forums that address this problem - one just a few months ago.

And - please lose the Bold text and Large font sizes on your posts.
Tom M.

[tealindy]

Sorry, I am a newby to this forum, the larger font was easier for me to read.
We are in Tennessee. I will try to search more to see if there is a similar problem.
Thanks for the reply.

[ARCHINSTL]

There are several members in TN - I believe mostly in the Nashville area (MootsMan, for one, is in that 'hood).
In fact, my Goldie was from Smyrna in 2005!
Tom M.

[takza]

Sorry, I am a newby to this forum, the larger font was easier for me to read.
We are in Tennessee. I will try to search more to see if there is a similar problem.
Thanks for the reply.

Push the keys....Ctr and + at the same time to enlarge the type? Or...get into browser settings and or Windows settings and increase font size?

[dlb]

you have to remove the heater controls and either repair the broken part or replace them. probably better off replacing them unless you are able to weld the lever back together, otherwise it will likely break again soon since it's compromised and has to push/pull a fairly heavy load. you should be able to get them from a wrecker for pretty cheap.

you should address the problem of why the lever broke in the first place though. the hot/cold mixture lever has two cables attached to it. one goes to the engine bay and attaches to a valve just behind and to the passenger side of the engine. if it hasn't been adjusted for a while this valve can stick and wind up breaking the lever if you force it. open/close it with your hand a bunch, lube it if necessary. i've had to use a hammer and punch of unstick one before. the other hot/cold cable attaches to a plastic arm just behind the controls. it's quite easy to open/close so it's not usually the source of this problem but you should inspect it anyway just to see.

like tom suggests, search for some threads on it. there are a few. it's a fairly time-consuming job (1-2 hours depending on if you're familiar with the terc's layout) but very easy and straightforward.

[tealindy]

Thank you David. My hubby did get the thing apart but I see it will take a mechanic to put it back together. I will have to start looking for another unit at this point, (unless I want wires sticking out the way he wants to fix it). It looked like someone tried to JB weld it but that did not work. Thanks for the info.

[Petros]

Go easy on your hubby, he is doing the best he can given these cars have not been in production for almost 25 years. I am fairly certain the 2wd version of this car uses the same heater controls, so if you find any model of Tercel in the '83 to 86 year range in a local wrecking yard, you should be able to swap out the assembly with a good one.

Keep the control cables and the bell cranks at the other end well lubricated and it will keep the stress on the levers low to prevent future breakage. When the cables and controls get "dry" the levers can break off.

Good luck.

[ARCHINSTL]

Amen on keeping the cables+ lubed. When I first got Goldie, the controls were quite stiff and remembering my bike shop experience with reluctant cables, took a looong time in dribbling White Lightning into them and used silicone spray lube on the various levers and rotating thingies - they wrought an amazing improvement. After 25+ years, the OE lubes had disappeared/wore out/dried out.

As Petros mentions - all Gen II body styles had the same heater setup, including controls. Looking at Gen I and similar-year Corollas could also be a possiblity, although I dunno for sure on the latter cars.

While lubing cables - also unhook the accel cable at the carb mount, elevate it, and dribble lube down it. Put a towel down where it attaches to the pedal to catch the excess. This also makes an impressive improvement.

I did get a chuckle from your line of "(unless I want wires sticking out the way he wants to fix it)"
Tom M.

[tealindy]

Yea! I finally found the control unit I needed. My hubby gave up on trying to install it but my son did a great job taking out the old one and putting in the new one.
(well new from the salvage yard) Everything works, now I just have to get it retrofitted and hope the air condition will still blow cold.