[iowa-k]

My '82 Lebaron convertible was turned into my daily driver last week due to a family vehicle being in the shop after hitting a deer.

Noticed with the heat/AC settings with the fan on high and the heat button is pushed in plenty of air movement coming out of the floor vents. Switch it to vent and I hear a change in the pitch of the air flow, the amount coming out of the floor vents is reduced, but very little air flow (for the fan being on high) out of the dash vents. Switch it to defrost, hear the changes in air flow and I get plenty of air flow at the windshield in front of the driver (thankfully) but not much in front of the passenger.

Quick look under the dash in front of the passenger seat and see nothing but plastic. Thoughts on what to check or how to fix?

 

[AllanC]

. . . Noticed with the heat/AC settings with the fan on high and the heat button is pushed in plenty of air movement coming out of the floor vents. Switch it to vent and I hear a change in the pitch of the air flow, the amount coming out of the floor vents is reduced, but very little air flow (for the fan being on high) out of the dash vents. Switch it to defrost, hear the changes in air flow and I get plenty of air flow at the windshield in front of the driver (thankfully) but not much in front of the passenger. . . .

You need to inspect the MODE door actuator and the associated door shaft on the climate control plenum. Check and make sure door moves freely, actuator connected properly to door shaft, vacuum hoses intact and not leaking to the actuator. See attached image.

 

[iowa-k]

Thanks for the illustration. Where is this located, or what do I need to remove to access it?

My '84 has the bi-level setting but my '82 doesn't, does this make a difference? There is a vacuum actuator(?)
at the far right side I noticed that moves when I push the off button.

 

[AllanC]

. . . Where is this located, or what do I need to remove to access it? . . .

Look under the dash from the driver side. You probably will have a trim panel under the dash / steering column that will need to be removed.

The bi-level setting had a vacuum actuator that would provide a small amount of heat at the floor level but some cooler air from the vents for moderate temperature days. Your 1982 has the vent button but no bi-level. You should still be able to identify vacuum actuators by color of hose connected to it. The MODE door actuator will at least have the red line and possibly the brown line.

You can identify the HEAT or DEFROST actuator by pressing the def button and watching for movement. The other actuator viewable from under the driver side of the dash is the MODE door actuator which is the one to investigate.

. . . There is a vacuum actuator(?) at the far right side I noticed that moves when I push the off button. . . .

The actuator at the far right side above the passenger foot well is the recirculation actuator. It is activated only when the climate control OFF button or MAX A/C button is selected.

 

[iowa-k]

Looked under the dash today. As I pushed the buttons I could feel all the modulators move that I could reach. While laying under there I notice a big gap between the air box under the dash and the plenum under the HVAC controls and sitting on the console hump. Plenty of foam attached to the airbox that was still pliable, just wasn't sealing the gap between the two. Really not any adjustment to move the plenum closer unless I take it out and re-drill the mounting holes.

Took some black Gorilla Tape and taped around the gap the best I could for the time being until I figure out the next step. Not too noticeable unless you really bend down and look under the dash. Made a big difference on the amount of air coming from the dash vents.

Knowing the quality of cars built in the early 80s it could have been like this from the factory.

 

[AllanC]

. . . . As I pushed the buttons I could feel all the modulators move that I could reach. While laying under there I notice a big gap between the air box under the dash and the plenum under the HVAC controls and sitting on the console hump. Plenty of foam attached to the airbox that was still pliable, just wasn't sealing the gap between the two. . . . .Took some black Gorilla Tape and taped around the gap the best I could for the time being until I figure out the next step. Not too noticeable unless you really bend down and look under the dash. Made a big difference on the amount of air coming from the dash vents. . . . Knowing the quality of cars built in the early 80s it could have been like this from the factory. . . .

Time and exposure to temperature changes from summer to winter can cause plastic components to distort and misalign. Glad this seems to be a relatively easy fix.