Floor Vents Question

austinb · Post by **austinb** » Thu Mar 06, 2003 8:32 pm

My floor vents (you know, the ones by your feet?) produce heat even when they are closed. This is ok in the winter, since it is cold. Summer will be here soon, and I dont need want the heat coming out if those vents.

I am thinking of taking the vent cover off and blocking the heat some how (stuffing some thing in there?) but I am not sure what type of materials to use, since that area of the car can get hot.

Any body else ever have this problem?

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- Austin
1971 Ghia Coupe
http://home.attbi.com/~austinb71/

Air-Cooled Head · Post by **Air-Cooled Head** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 7:06 am

I had this problem w/ a bug once. It means that the flap isn't closing completely under the back seat, and/or on the heat exchanger. As a temporary fix, remove the accordian tube between body and heat exchange.

Goodwrench · Post by **Goodwrench** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 7:26 am

Before doing a temporary "summer" fix, I'd pull the floor vent and make sure the wire is attached and allowing the flaps to close completely. I'd also check the wire run from the flap to the control handlle for being kinked. It does run under the carpet and may have been kinked or squished someplace. Then clean the entire assembly, do a WD-40 lube, and then hook up the cable and run the flaps through several times to see if they close completely. If that fails, you can either replace the flaps with a new one or do one of the various "summer" fixes. Hope this helps.

- Allen
74 Ghia Coupe

austinb · Post by **austinb** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 10:14 am

ok, let me make sure I am getting this. Bear with me...

The heater control levers by the emergency brake open and close the vents beneath the back bench. That much I can grock. I see how the heater control levers work for the heater holes bneath the back bench.

If these wires for these levers are kinked, then the vents located (at the front part of the heater channel) don't close all the way? The front vents look like they are controled by a little lever and a flap directly on the vent.

How do the two heater control levers by the emergency brake effect the very front floor vents?

thanks

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- Austin
1971 Ghia Coupe
http://home.attbi.com/~austinb71/

j_c_hamilton · Post by **j_c_hamilton** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 1:25 pm

Of the two between the seats, the right-hand lever should be considered the master switch. It allows any or all heated air into the interior through the operation of two vents at the heat exchangers. If this lever is forward (and everything works) the interior should not be heated at all.
The left-hand lever only controls the vents just under the jumpseat. With the lever forward, these vents should be closed and all air should then be directed forward.
If hot air is still evident at the open front footwell vent when the right-hand lever is forward, it is because the heat exchanger vents are not closing.

You can always remove the forward footwell vent facia itself (2 Phillips screws), and make a blanking plate for the summer months, but repairing the heat exchanger vent won't be difficult. Most likely the cable has become detatched.

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Jason Hamilton
The Online Karmann Ghia Resource
1969 & 1970 Type 143

austinb · Post by **austinb** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 3:13 pm

thanks, j c. Now, all I need is a dry day and a few hours to get under the car to check out the cables. I'll let you know what I find...

turboGhia13 · Post by **turboGhia13** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 8:45 pm

i think it is possible that something as simple as the knob not working, and it is just stuck on....i would buy or take aprt the thing to see of anything looks broken inside, and i dont know how good it would be if you clogged it with something...in my mind that realy just heats up all that **** and it might get kinda hott

Goodwrench · Post by **Goodwrench** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 11:31 pm

My Ghia is a '74 and the front vents don't have any operating lever that you can grab and open or close. There is a cable that hooks up to the vent flaps and runs to the heater control for the back seats. I guess on the '71s the vent flaps are manual. In that case, I'd give them a good cleaning and lubrication and see if that helps. If not then you either have to bite the bullet and buy new ones or do a summer fix. Maybe someone with a '71 and '74 will chime in and help us both out.

- Allen