I would check the heater control valve. It will be located inline with one of the heater hoses. It is vacuum operated.
While it's cold outside, bypass the heater control valve altogether. Just run both hoses directly to the heater core from the engine and not through the valve. This will eliminate vacuum issues then if you still don't have heat, mess with the blend door adjustment. It's the little crank looking thing at the middle lower edge of the HVAC box. Feel both of your heater hoses after bypassing the valve to make sure they are getting hot once the engine warms up.
Haha. This is my first car and I'm 19 years old, never had anyone show me anything. So dumb things down a little bit? XD
You said that your car had AC, so look for the valve "Krazy" put a photo of (post #15). If you have that, it will be in one of the heater hoses. Turn the lever on it to the other stop. You may need pliers to do it if it's stuck. It may leak afterwards so be prepared to remove it and replace it with a section of tubing. This will instantly give you heat if this part is the problem! The thermostat being bad will give you at least some heat, but it will only be barely warm. What was said about the blend door can also be the problem, but start with the easy stuff and leave that until last.
Yeah the one I pictured mounts inline and is for a six, the V8 version has a bracket and hangs on the firewall...
You might need a manual if you aren't at all familiar with these cars as a lot of the information you will receive assumes at least a very basic working knowledge of the system. There are several resources on this site you can use but you will need to get an idea of what is involved with the system you are experiencing issues with so you can learn while doing. These cars are very simple compared to newer vehicles and is well within the scope of the home mechanic so don't get overwhelmed. There are two 5/8" hoses from the engine to the body of the car that go to the heater core. The factory AC car hoses clamp at the firewall and are easy to change and check the temperature of while the engine is running. Coolant has to flow through those hoses and the heater core if you are to have heat. The vacuum system is too complicated to try to explain in text so removing the valve from the system is the easiest thing to do if you have a water flow problem blocking coolant from reaching the heater core. If both hoses are warm but one isn't hot to the touch, the thermostat may be stuck open or missing altogether. If you can get a repair manual( I have seen these for sale on ebay and some members here may have one or two they may sell) it will be a great help to go through and get an idea of what you are dealing with. Good luck!:Handshake
Simple man made it simple. Thanks dude! And as always, thanks to all for help. I will keep you guys updated!
Until you can get it figured out and/or repaired and to keep from freezing, you may want to invest in one of these small electric heaters that plug into the cigarette lighter well: http://www.popscreen.com/p/MTU2OTEz...er-Defroster-with-Light-Electric-Portable-Car- Lots of places sell a version of this, I've even seen them in automotive stores.
The default for the factory AC system is defrost. If you take the vacuum supply away or there is a leak present, it will divert air to the defrost vent. You either have a vacuum supply leak somewhere(more likely), an inoperative vacuum switch, or a large leak in the system after the switch. There is a vacuum reservoir under the hood that are good for developing holes(if its metal) or having a faulty check valve(if it's plastic). Also, the high setting on the selector is both floor and vent, and the low setting is floor only. The defrost/fog will blow out the floor and defrost vents, the defrost/ice setting will blow out defrost only. Someone else may have removed the heater control valve from under the hood already since valves of those vintage are likely sources of coolant leaks, so it's not uncommon for it to have been removed.
Chenny, can you post some pics of your engine compartment? If the valve is there, I'm sure someone can identify it in a picture.
Sounds like your "mechanic" forgot to put a vacuum hose back on when reassembling your heater box - that has to be covered under some sort of warranty - I would take it back
I'm wondering if they even hooked the hoses up! Let us know if you have a 6cyl or a V8. On a 6cyl, one of the heater hoses goes to the right front of the cylinder head. The other hose goes to the water pump. On a V8, one hose goes to the front of the intake manifold and the other goes to the water pump. In either case the water pump connection is the return and the head (6cyl) or the intake manifold (V8) is the outlet. In other words, the coolant flows from the outlet, through the heater core, and back through the return. It is a simple system until you get to the vacuum control part! Even if your vacuum is disconnected, you should still get warm/hot air no matter if it's coming out the top or bottom! Ok, next step, look down at the right hand side of the floor and you should see a duct with a small rectangular hole in it. Right above that hole (about 5") you will see a cable attached to an arm coming out of the heater box. Move your lever on the dash that says"Cool/Warm". while you are doing that, watch the end of the cable and see if it's moving the arm on the heater box. You may have to use a mirror to see this. They may have forgotten to hook the cable back up, or it may be broken. If the arm and cable don't move when you move the lever on the dash, manually move the arm to the left (drivers side) and you should get heat. That arm works the "blend door" mentioned earlier on. You can temporarily hold that arm over to the left with a rap tie, if you have to. Like was suggested, though, take the car back to the place that worked on it! If you paid them to get you heat, that's what you should have!
