Vacuum Controlled Heater Core Valve

[FuzzFace2]

Ok, I think I have the answer: The 1980-84 Integral A/C controls can easily be adapted to provide vacuum to a valve in Vent and in A/C Max. But the 1985-86 Integral A/C controls cannot. However, the earlier controls may be able to be used in the later trucks. Read on....

I'm going to show you why and how, below, but want to write it up for the website and need your guidance on how/where to do that. My thinking is to put a tab called something like Improvements on the HVAC/Integral A/C page, and then show the info below on that tab. Plus, I'll place a link in the Resources folder here on the forum to that page so people can more easily find it. Thoughts?

As for why and how the 1980-84 controls can be modified to control a valve, here's the table from the 1981 shop manual again. Notice that the vacuum source is port 7, and that port 1 isn't used. However, it has vacuum to it in both the Vent and A/C Max positions, but none other, which is perfect for controlling a valve closing off the flow of hot water to the heater core as we would have no heat in Vent or A/C Max, but heat in all the other positions.

And here are the ports on the switch, with port 1 being open.

But, here's the connector for the vacuum harness, and you can see that port 1 doesn't have a hose on it. In fact, it is blanked off.

Here's a side view of that connector and you can see that there's plenty of room to drill the connector and insert a piece of either hard plastic tubing or a piece of brass tubing, onto which you can slip a vacuum hose.

But, why can't that be done on the 1985-86 Integral A/C controls? That's because the two unused ports, #'s 5 & 6, are not connected to vacuum in Vent and A/C Max. They are only connected to each other, and that doesn't help. So, what can be done? Change out the 1985-86 control w/a 1980-84 control. But that will also mean you'll need the 1980-84 vacuum harness and will have to change the pinout on the blower switch connector. And, that won't work with a 1985-86 truck with electric fuel pumps and dual tanks as the tank switch is much more complex than the earlier switch. However, I'll check to see if that switch can be swapped, which would solve the problem.

Bill, Do you have both control panels & vacuum switch parts?

I can tell you the later switch does use 2 screws to hold it to the panel.

I do have some pictures of the panel/switch but not one from the bottom showing the screws but do have 1 from the top.

1 screw is at the end of the black rectangle housing, to the center of the control.

the other screw is to the right (back side) the other end of the rectangle housing.

I just can not tell from your picture & drawing if they will swap panel years or not?

I can get other pictures if you want.

Dave ----

[85lebaront2]

Bill, Do you have both control panels & vacuum switch parts?

I can tell you the later switch does use 2 screws to hold it to the panel.

I do have some pictures of the panel/switch but not one from the bottom showing the screws but do have 1 from the top.

1 screw is at the end of the black rectangle housing, to the center of the control.

the other screw is to the right (back side) the other end of the rectangle housing.

I just can not tell from your picture & drawing if they will swap panel years or not?

I can get other pictures if you want.

Dave ----

Dave, if I have the 85/86 control head, it is still in Newport News in my old dash. I didn't bring that over as I really have no need or really use for it.

[Bruno2]

Nice work gentlemen!

Some of the forums I used to be on had a section called DIY Mods (Do It Yourself Modifications). This would be where all custom upgrades were done or a home cooked version of some kit aftermarket vendors would sell. Saves a lot of time and money for the guys not scared to jump in.

This is where I am butting heads with the vendors on the FB pages. They are squash conversations like this so they can sell a kit with parts to do a mod at 3X the cost of what it would be if guys knew what parts to buy as well as where to acquire them. IMO this is what these types of pages are for and not a place where all of these vendors can fleece the members.

[Gary Lewis]

Nice work gentlemen!

Some of the forums I used to be on had a section called DIY Mods (Do It Yourself Modifications). This would be where all custom upgrades were done or a home cooked version of some kit aftermarket vendors would sell. Saves a lot of time and money for the guys not scared to jump in.

This is where I am butting heads with the vendors on the FB pages. They are squash conversations like this so they can sell a kit with parts to do a mod at 3X the cost of what it would be if guys knew what parts to buy as well as where to acquire them. IMO this is what these types of pages are for and not a place where all of these vendors can fleece the members.

You will notice there are no vendors here. Nor fees. Nor advertising, at least not "commercially". However, if we start up cottage industries around these trucks then there might be some advertising in a sense. For instance, if Reamer comes up with a tail light bracket for the Flaresides we might create a folder for things like that.

As for Facebook, I use it to keep up with people. But I don't see the value in it for things like we do here. It just doesn't lend itself to this.

Anyway, are you suggesting that we have a DIY section on the website? A how-to section?

[Bruno2]

You will notice there are no vendors here. Nor fees. Nor advertising, at least not "commercially". However, if we start up cottage industries around these trucks then there might be some advertising in a sense. For instance, if Reamer comes up with a tail light bracket for the Flaresides we might create a folder for things like that.

As for Facebook, I use it to keep up with people. But I don't see the value in it for things like we do here. It just doesn't lend itself to this.

Anyway, are you suggesting that we have a DIY section on the website? A how-to section?

Yes, a DIY section is where threads like this should end up so they can be referenced fairly easy bypeople looking for some small projects or upgrades. Things like 3G upgrades and such as well.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, a DIY section is where threads like this should end up so they can be referenced fairly easy bypeople looking for some small projects or upgrades. Things like 3G upgrades and such as well.

Ahhh, we are talking at cross-purposes. You are talking about this thread and I’m talking about taking all the pertinent info from this thread and creating a separate web page for the how-to.

Here are my thoughts about various approaches:

• Facebook: Nice for chatting with people, but horrible for documentation. People jump in and take the conversation in multiple directions. And most search engines don’t find things on FB so the documentation will never be found.

• Threads: Better than Facebook as the discussion will be indexed by search engines, but still poor for documentation.

• Whiteboards: This is my term for a locked thread, which I’ve allowed authors to do in the Projects folder. So you, as a member, can create documentation without others taking the discussion hither and yon.

• Web Page: By far the best way to document. You get to keep the topic on your train of thought, and there are far more tools available, like captions to pics, or galleries of pics, or text beside pics, or even embedded spreadsheets or interactive pages where clicking on something takes you to another part of the page.

My plan has been to take the salient points from this thread and create the appropriate web page to House it. In other words, use this thread to tease out the issues in order to make the web page “correct”.

[Gary Lewis]

Ahhh, we are talking at cross-purposes. You are talking about this thread and I’m talking about taking all the pertinent info from this thread and creating a separate web page for the how-to.

Here are my thoughts about various approaches:

• Facebook: Nice for chatting with people, but horrible for documentation. People jump in and take the conversation in multiple directions. And most search engines don’t find things on FB so the documentation will never be found.

• Threads: Better than Facebook as the discussion will be indexed by search engines, but still poor for documentation.

• Whiteboards: This is my term for a locked thread, which I’ve allowed authors to do in the Projects folder. So you, as a member, can create documentation without others taking the discussion hither and yon.

• Web Page: By far the best way to document. You get to keep the topic on your train of thought, and there are far more tools available, like captions to pics, or galleries of pics, or text beside pics, or even embedded spreadsheets or interactive pages where clicking on something takes you to another part of the page.

My plan has been to take the salient points from this thread and create the appropriate web page to House it. In other words, use this thread to tease out the issues in order to make the web page “correct”.

I need some help. How does the heat control cable connect to the 1985-86 control? The parts catalog shows there to be three different cables: 1980-82; 1983; and 1984 - 89. But, I thought there were essentially only two different control setups: 1980 - 84 and 1985 - 86.

Here's a pic of the cable I have from a 1982 truck and the 1985 control, and I don't see a way to connect it. What am I missing?

That appears to be the stumbling block in swapping a late control into an earlier truck or vice versa. Here's what I've found of "connections":

• Heat Cable: This is the one un-answered question. So, if we can answer this one I think we will have this nailed.

• Vacuum: There's a vacuum harness for each of the controls, meaning early vs late, and you have to use the correct harness. But, the vacuum motors didn't change, so use the harness for the control you have.

• Blower Motor: The blower speed switch was the same from 1980 through at least 1989, so this connection is not an issue

• Tank Selector: There were several different switches, but they will swap from the early control to the later control and vice versa. So, this isn't a problem if you have both controls available.

• Illumination: The connector for the bulb to illuminate the control is different from the early to late control. But, the socket, wire, and connector can be easily swapped from one control to the other.

• Function Switch: The connector on this switch went from a square plug to a flat plug, but both have the same 4 wires. So Jonathan/Ford F834 has figured out how to pull the pins out of one connector and put them in the other, so this one isn't a problem either.

Bottom Line: If there's a way to use the same temp control cable then I can write up a how-to on swapping the controls. And then I can write up the how-to on the shut-off valve, which will refer the reader to the how-to on swapping HVAC controls. Make sense?

 

[Gary Lewis]

I need some help. How does the heat control cable connect to the 1985-86 control? The parts catalog shows there to be three different cables: 1980-82; 1983; and 1984 - 89. But, I thought there were essentially only two different control setups: 1980 - 84 and 1985 - 86.

Here's a pic of the cable I have from a 1982 truck and the 1985 control, and I don't see a way to connect it. What am I missing?

That appears to be the stumbling block in swapping a late control into an earlier truck or vice versa. Here's what I've found of "connections":

• Heat Cable: This is the one un-answered question. So, if we can answer this one I think we will have this nailed.

• Vacuum: There's a vacuum harness for each of the controls, meaning early vs late, and you have to use the correct harness. But, the vacuum motors didn't change, so use the harness for the control you have.

• Blower Motor: The blower speed switch was the same from 1980 through at least 1989, so this connection is not an issue

• Tank Selector: There were several different switches, but they will swap from the early control to the later control and vice versa. So, this isn't a problem if you have both controls available.

• Illumination: The connector for the bulb to illuminate the control is different from the early to late control. But, the socket, wire, and connector can be easily swapped from one control to the other.

• Function Switch: The connector on this switch went from a square plug to a flat plug, but both have the same 4 wires. So Jonathan/Ford F834 has figured out how to pull the pins out of one connector and put them in the other, so this one isn't a problem either.

Bottom Line: If there's a way to use the same temp control cable then I can write up a how-to on swapping the controls. And then I can write up the how-to on the shut-off valve, which will refer the reader to the how-to on swapping HVAC controls. Make sense?

Getting ahead of the game, I've done three things:

1: Created a tab labeled Swapping Controls on the HVAC/Integral AC page. That explains how to put earlier controls on a later truck, or vice versa if you were so inclined.

2: Created a tab next to that one called Heat Shut-off on which I explain how to shut off the hot water flow to the heater core.

3: Added a topic to the Resources called HVAC, and included on it links to the two things above.

So, please read through those and give me upgrades, corrections, etc. And, please answer the question about how the temp control cable attaches to the later control lever.

[Gary Lewis]

I've found lots of references to F87Z-18495-AA, which is also said to be Ready-Aire by Transpro 4-Seasons #74809. Here's a link to Air Conditioning Mod - Ranger Shutoff Valve where they talk about that valve and have pictures thereof, but it is a 4-port valve that recirculates water to the engine.

Since Ford rarely changes the basic part number I then turned to the 1980 - 89 parts catalog looking at "18495". Turns out that they had a valve for the Ranger ® in the 80's:

Searching for YG-264 got me the following picture here, although it is said to be E4TZ 18495-A:

EDIT: THIS VALVE WILL NOT WORK AS VACUUM OPENS IT!

Note that I edited the referenced post as the indicated valve will not work. It opens with vacuum instead of closing.

[Ford F834]

Note that I edited the referenced post as the indicated valve will not work. It opens with vacuum instead of closing.

Gary, I have not had a chance to read through the links yet, but just very quickly I will say that the new style controller needs the new style cable. It has a squeeze lock end that pushes into a hole on the white plastic leg on the back of the controller, and the cable tip is a dog-leg that goes through the little hole on the metal lever. I will try to get pictures of this if I still can on mine.

Also, from what I see, the old style vacuum switch and square connector was 1989-1982. The flat connector and new style switch happened in 1983 when the face design changed.