97 Dakota 3.9 Vents let hot air into the cab like the heat is on even when the heat is set to off and the temps turned to cool
Vehicle has no working AC. All AC components except the condenser and compressor were removed by the previous owner. The blower works fine on all speeds. The vent settings all work as they should when the settings are adjusted, top vents, floor vents, both top and bottom, and defrost. Except there is no way to stop the hot air from getting into the truck when everything is off and all settings blow hot only. The truck never hits operating temperature according to the gauge, it is always on the low end. It will almost get to the middle after sitting in traffic for an hour on a 95 degree day or driving for an hour or 2 on the highway when its very hot out. It never moves from the lowest temp on the gauge in the winter. The heat barely works in the winter, it takes more than 30 minutes just to get warm. My guess there is the heater core needs to be flushed and is probably a totally separate issue. There is no vacuum lines or control valve on the heater hoses to reattach, replace, or adjust. Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Cars & Trucks - Dodge - Dakota - 1997 Dodge Dakota
Answers & Comments
There are flaps called blend doors, they can be ether electronic or manual ( cable operated) and sometimes vacuum, they are the ones responsible for making the HV/AC blow cold or hot air. Just go under dash and adjust the temperature cold/hot and listen carefully for the blend door to move and or an actuator to close or open.. Best thing is just to take out actuator and adjust it manually...
And you probably have a bad thermostat thats why the truck wont reach operating temperature. Previous owner may have taken it out to try to hide and overheating problem. Good luck ??
Well I found at least part of the problem... I was turning the temp control knob and I didn't hear anything opening or closing, so I looked under the dash on the drivers side floor and saw the cable moving as I turned it. Well upon following the cable I found that it was not attached to anything on the other end. There is no damage to the cable and it appears to have been replaced, just never hooked up. I couldn't see where it's supposed to go though??