Window Demister

[sammy]

Hello, Could anybody tell me how to access the heater motor and all the workings, it heats up great, but no matter what I do, I cant get it to blow on the windsvreen. If I press the button for the windscreen, I can hear the motor selecting it and moving, but it sounds like the flap is sticking.
Thanks
sam

[beachcomber]

Hi Sam. Maybe I can help.

When you push a heater control button a small stepper motor pushes or pulls a short cable (sort of like a bicycle gear cable). This cable moves a set of nylon levers that change the position of the flaps that direct the air. What can happen is that when the motor moves, instead of the cable pushing the levers to the required position, the cable kinks and the levers (and so the flaps) do not move.

The motor is situated very low down on the central bulkhead, behind and lower than the radio. About the size of a 20 cig packet. You need to take a fair amount of the front facia away to get at it. The nylon levers are in the driver's footwell, up against the central bulkhead. The cable runs from the motor to the levers (about 10-12 inches). It may be worth looking at these first to see if they are binding.

If it is the cable, you may be able to straighten it, but once it has kinked and weakened in one spot, it is always likely to happen again if there is any resistance to it moving. Cable about £5 from Toyota.

Best of luck.

Don.

[sammy]

Hi Don,
Mines a '95 surf ssx-r, Its got the push button electric job, I cant see any cables but there is a plastic lever that moves (a bit sporadically mind). There's some degree of clonking from behind the dash though. I'm wondering whether the flaps have become disconnected?
Cheers SAM

[beachcomber]

Hi Sam,
Mine's the same (but a '93 model).

There's not a cable from the buttons to the motor...this is an electrical connection...only from the motor to the nylon levers.

Have you tried "assisting" the levers to move as you select each of the buttons? The cable can only push/pull and I worked out what the cable was trying to do for each button and that way eased the levers to get the fan to blow on the screen, vents, etc.
If all this is happening then you may be right and the flap(s) have become disconnected. In that case, I'm afraid I can't help you any further....never been that deep into the heater box.

Best of luck!

Don

[sammy]

Hi
Sorry to keep bothering everyone, Have dismanteled all dash, moved all cables, everything moves properly.
At one point there was a loud clunk, and the windscreen blew sweet air, but then another clunk took it away again. Beggining to think its inside the box. Has anyone had similar problem? Which box is it that controls the direction of air flow and how can I access it?
This is one of only 2 faults I have to rectify to have a perfect surf, please help me achieve it.
Regards
Sam

[kitesurf_phil]

Hi Samuel

Are you selecting demist with the recycled air or air-con selected? Mine won't let me select demist with either of these, presumably, so recycled humid air isn't blown onto the cold screen. My Vauxhall had the same sort of thing and when the air-con solenoid stuck it was down with the windows/out with the chamois! .........Well until the n/s window regulator went ( well the rep-mobile was 17 months old by then!!) Ahem, I digress

[sammy]

No, Definately tried it with all combinations. I normally only use fresh air option anyway, dont like the recycled stuff!!
The air-con should come in handy next time we have a really hot summer up here in sunny scotland (more used to the 4x4 option in the snow!)
thanks
sam

[fasteddie]

Did you have any joy with this 'cos i have just found that my surf has exactly the same problem ('93 ssrx BTW)

[sammy]

Did you have any joy with this 'cos i have just found that my surf has exactly the same problem ('93 ssrx BTW)

Hi just replied to your post in general. Sorry no luck for me, decided it must be a disconnected flap internal in the unit which selects where the air is blown. Let me know if you have any luck.
Cheers

Sam

[fasteddie]

I have fixed mine today

It turned out to be the wire/cable that is located behind the stereo had become bent when i had fitted my new head unit!
If you send me your e-mail address i will send you some photos i took of the problem.
What you need to do is look at the arms on the RHS of console/air box, the lower guide/army thing which is in an L shape, mine was only getting to the bend in the L then stopping where as it need to get all the way round to the top(clockwise) for it to engage window heating, giving mine a good pull allowed it to move round but once it turned to top vents then back round to window again it didnt work.
I then set about stripping the dash out, just behind the stereo, a bit lower down is a small white plastic box(roughly behind the fag lighter) going into that box is a wire the very end of that wire was bent and catching on the top of the white plastic box, a pair of pliers to straighten it back out has seen it working fine since!
All that was left was to put the stereo back very very carefully and hey preston we have window demisiting!
It was difficult to tell if there was a kink until i pushed the army thing round by hand again which made the kink 'pop' out from under the white plastic box.

I hope some of that makes sense its very difficult to describe these things without photos but i have tried to upload one and i am afraid this is the best i could get to upload, but if you PM me your e-mail i will send you full qulity photos!

Good luck.

[fasteddie]

heres one of what it should look like!

[sammy]

Congrats

Glad you got it sorted, I never got round to taking stereo out. May have to try that soon, Pm'd you with email address.

Regards

Sam

[sammy]

Just found the problem, Mines in exactly the same place! Does anyone know where I can get the cable from-Mines had it!

Cheers

[fasteddie]

Just found the problem, Mines in exactly the same place! Does anyone know where I can get the cable from-Mines had it!

Cheers

sorry i didnt reply to you sooner, i have just e-mailed you and then looked on here!!

[sammy]

sorry i didnt reply to you sooner, i have just e-mailed you and then looked on here!!

Hi didn't get the email, did you get the right address??
Its samnshiv@tiscali.co.uk
Thanks
Sam