heater issues won't turn on sometimes

[Holy^ghost]

ok so heres the prob. I go to start my car in the morning and the fan turns on and runs fine. but when i park it at work or something then come back to it and turn the car on the fan doesn't want to work. but after about 20 mins of driving it turns on and runs slow even when its on hi . but if I change the speed from low to hi it goes back to normal. please help

[MessyHonda]

you might have to clean out your contact on the switch

[2ndGenGuy]

Sounds like you need to replace that little knobby switch thingy that you twist. I'm not sure if you can replace that switch without pulling the whole HVAC control panel. If you do have to pull that whole thing, you're in for a treat. It's got the temperature vent cable connected to it, and a bunch of wiring harnesses and brackets.

I had the dash pulled off completely, and still that thing was a pain to remove. I'll go look at the spare control box out in my garage tomorrow (it's really cold out there and late now), and let you know how to pull that thing apart. My hunch is that you pull the knob from the temp controller lever, pull the knob off of the fan switch and then that face pops off. The FSM says to remove the face by prying with a screwdriver strangely enough. You should be able to see from there whether or not that switch can be replaced easily.

[2ndGenGuy]

Aww hell, I was curious myself, so I went out and froze my ass off for pictures.





Once you get that face off, turn that big white nut on the front of the swith, then drop it down through the bottom of the dash below the radio. Disconnect the wiring harness and you're done. Here's a guide on testing the switch and removing all that crap.

[Holy^ghost]

omg thats a bit of work. so were do i get the damn knob thingy

[2ndGenGuy]

If you're lucky, the Honda dealer. If not, the junk yard.

[Holy^ghost]

i bet the Honda dealer will have one. but its been working for about a week without stopping but the other day it just stopped then started again 5 mins later

[Boltgunner]

My radio was already out when I had to dive for my switch. Once the radio is out it is easy.
I hope Vintage Parts through Honda can help you - wish I had a yard full of parts cars...

[2ndGenGuy]

I wonder how it went... haven't heard from him in a while...

I think that it's funny how my 2g is "Vintage" Honda.

[Holy^ghost]

i found the issue it wasent the knob it was a relay thats located behind the glove box. but im too lazy to change it so smacking the dash works to turn it on. another issue came up though. it clicks when i put it into heater mode. it will make this annoying clicking noise every 5 seconds but only when in heater mode. if i put it on vent or defrost or anything it acts normal.

[offthahook]

2nd genguy was right and those switches do tend to fail. I got a few of them used and they all sucked. I finally bought a new one and it was like $74, but it works fine. I want to say that relay is either the fresh/recirc. vacuum switch or the defrost. something or other. Man, my mind is fuzzy right now. You might want to look out for a switch that is used and works just in case. They are the same for all 84 and 85 Accords, but the knob and "AC" button are orange on the hatches and white on the sedans (in case you care).

If you take the glovebox out, I think you can get to that relay pretty easily. Good luck and I think you're on the right track.

[2ndGenGuy]

Man my car does that same thing with the clicking. It's those little vacuum solenoids that open and close the vents. When the rods come off of them, the vacuum pulls on them until they hit like a check valve that releases the pressure. Then the vacuum pulls it open again and it cycles. It sucks when that stuff breaks.

[Ichiban]

I think my hatch was doing that. While I was driving, I was getting an annoying plasticky "click" every few seconds with the heater on. It was coming from somewhere under the dash.

[2ndGenGuy]

I think my hatch was doing that. While I was driving, I was getting an annoying plasticky "click" every few seconds with the heater on. It was coming from somewhere under the dash.

Thats exactly what it is. The plastic parts in the HVAC system get stressed over time and just snap. Opening and closing a few times a day for 20+ years with no lubrication or maintenance on the hinges tends to cause a little stress. The ironic thing with my car is that the day I got it, all that shit worked great. It wasn't until about 2 weeks later, my whole HVAC took a big dump.

Problem being that the car was formerly owned by a nun, who likely left it set on defrost and never touched anything except the temp controls. Parts kinda froze into place and it worked great for her. Well put my ass in the car, I'm gonna push all the buttons and move all the ceased up vents...

Just another reason why NOT using your car can be worse than using it. My theory is, a low mileage car is more likely in worse shape than a well used car with a few hundred thousand on it.

[Holy^ghost]

depends how new the car is. and smashing your dashboard doesn't make it stop