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98 Lumina Air Vents not working


Mlewk
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When I turn on the A/C or the heat I can hear the blower turning on (quite loudly if it's on 3 or 4) but no air comes out of the vents. If I put my hand near defroster vent it feels slightly cold or hot depending on the setting but no air coming out.

Any ideas on how to fix the issue?

Thanks.

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sounds like your heater core or evaporator may have a bunch of buildup on them. otherwise, a blockage in the feed path to the blower. if you put the position selector on MAX, the blower should then attempt to draw air from inside the cabin and you'll hear a distinct change in both volume and tone.

 

other than that, then the fan motor is damaged in such a way that the center of it spins, but the blades do not.

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Yes. When I put the blower on hi it has a distinctly different noise. How do I access the heater core and evaporator to clean them? Also, where exactly is the feed path to the blower?

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When I turn on the A/C or the heat I can hear the blower turning on (quite loudly if it's on 3 or 4) but no air comes out of the vents. If I put my hand near defroster vent it feels slightly cold or hot depending on the setting but no air coming out.

Any ideas on how to fix the issue?

Thanks.

 

If the blower is indeed spinning and blowing air, and it's not coming out your vents, it could possibly be a leaky vacuum hose in the dash because the vents are not opening. Had this to happen a few times over the years with various cars.

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If the blower is indeed spinning and blowing air, and it's not coming out your vents, it could possibly be a leaky vacuum hose in the dash because the vents are not opening.

 

Where are the hoses located exactly in the dash and how do I access them?

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I have one already I'm just not sure where they are located.

 

Just thank Lord Jesus that you don't have a Jeep that you have to remove the whole dash just to get to the heater core.

 

Anyway, never tore down one like yours. If I were you, I would dig tear into it until you get to the main flap/air control, and that should be around the heater core and blower area. If that air control flap is not opening, then there is not going to be much air coming through the vents. If it's like what I have worked on before, there should be a vacuum line running over to the flap mechanism that operates on vacuum when you move the switch on the control panel.

 

I had a 79 Cutlass Supreme, and I was the second owner. The previous owner said that it blew just enough heat to keep you warm, but really was not enough air flow to keep cool during the Summer. He said the fan would run wide open, but that did not change the air flow coming out the vents. I tore it down which was simple on the car to the air box/flap, and saw that air control flap was only opening about an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. I knew something was binding the air control flap, so I got to looking at it, and there it was a screw that was too long installed at the factory, and it was binding the door. Cut the end of the screw off, and it starting blowing air out the vents like it was supposed to do.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My 97 Lumina had the same problems. Air blowing out of the defrosters but not anywhere else, sometimes slightly from the floor . i traced it to a vacuum ball located in front of the drivers side tire in the wheel well. I had to acces it by taking the wheel off and taking the plastic whell weel screws out and shifting the plastic. The vacuum ball was fine but dirty but the vacuum line was cracked. I cut off the hard part of the vacuum line and slid it back on the vacuum ball with just enough line to do it. Started the car and instantly my vents worked perfectly again.

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My 97 Lumina had the same problems. Air blowing out of the defrosters but not anywhere else, sometimes slightly from the floor . i traced it to a vacuum ball located in front of the drivers side tire in the wheel well. I had to acces it by taking the wheel off and taking the plastic whell weel screws out and shifting the plastic. The vacuum ball was fine but dirty but the vacuum line was cracked. I cut off the hard part of the vacuum line and slid it back on the vacuum ball with just enough line to do it. Started the car and instantly my vents worked perfectly again.

 

When I turn on the A/C or the heat I can hear the blower turning on (quite loudly if it's on 3 or 4) but no air comes out of the vents. If I put my hand near defroster vent it feels slightly cold or hot depending on the setting but no air coming out.

Any ideas on how to fix the issue?

Thanks.

 

 

You need to feel the air at your feet, where it comes out on the bottom setting.

 

 

If there's air piling out there, you have a vac leak (regardless of where your vents are saying that the air is going out).  I think that the vac ball is on the driver's side of your car, trace the line to the firewall.

 

If there's no air pilling out anywhere including the bottom vents at your feet, then go with Saar's suggestion.

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