1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Heat - dash vents, footwell vents, defrost vents?

Discussion in 'Subaru Sambar' started by Colin, Dec 5, 2007.

  1. Colin

    Colin Member

    My Sambar makes heat, but it only blows out of the footwell vents and defroster vents. That's really all that's important, but it would be cool to be able to blow heat out of the upper dash vents, too. When I flip the lever to dash vents, cold air blows. Is my selector door fubar'd, or is this normal for a Sambar? :sly:

    Colin
     
  2. my sambar blows cold when on the vent but I will have to see if it blows hot on floor or defrost. I tried the vents a lil while back and got only cold air.
     
  3. Colin

    Colin Member

    Hmm. Maybe it's normal.
     
  4. BLES

    BLES Member

    Colin:
    I'll check out mine tomorrow, too. I assume you read my post.? I'm finally a mini truck owner now, too.
    BLES
     
  5. Colin

    Colin Member

    Congrats on the purchase. :)
     
  6. BLES

    BLES Member

    Colin:
    Just warmed mine up and tried it. Nice heat on defrost and floor positions but as soon as I switched to the panel vents it went to cold. Sorry, I guess that's the nature of the beast!
    BLES
     
  7. Ridgerunner

    Ridgerunner New Member

    Must be a natural. I have a 1990 and it does the same thing.
     
  8. mjseiler

    mjseiler New Member

    Same Answer Here

    I have a 1997 Susuki Carry. I was perplexed because I experienced the same. Mine only blows hot air from the floor board and defrost! When I switch it to the dash vents it only blows cold air! Maybe that is the way they all operate?
     
  9. Colin

    Colin Member

    Another of life's great mysteries, I guess. :)

    They probably figure you need all the heat you can get when all that separates your boots from the tundra is a thin piece of sheet metal.

    Colin
     
  10. hamradio

    hamradio Member

    It doesn't sound too weird or anything; on my vw rabbit, heat only comes out 2 little vents by speaker grilles in the dash, and a vent on the heater box. The 2 main vents in the dash blow cold. Apparently it is supposed to be this way. On my vw scirocco, it has 4 vents in the dash. 2 on the outside of the dash, 2 on the inside. heat only comes out the 2 inner vents.
     
  11. hamradio

    hamradio Member

    Also, couldn't one put down something that would provide a little insulational value, like dynamat or something? Along with a whole rubber floor mat?
     
  12. frostback

    frostback Member

    I'm glad to hear this is normal, I thought I was going to have to tear the dash apart. At least the heater works good on defrost.:)

    Derek
     
    Lazorswardz likes this.
  13. earl660

    earl660 New Member

    Yeah mine does the same thing. The Sambar vans have a foot heater for the backseat on a separate fan switch :D
     
  14. LAZ 1

    LAZ 1 New Member

    I just bought my Sambar from a nice young Japanese lady, and when I gort it home I emailed to ask why the heater blew cold out the dash vents???
    Here is her reply ....

    " The heater has a "safety feature." It will only work for feet and windshield defrost. Transport Japan thinks delivery drivers will fall asleep if warm air is directed at the body."


    Now isn't that interesting?
    LAZ 1
    [;{)
     
    Mistery510, Drain and TahoeSambar like this.
  15. Deanclean

    Deanclean Member

    I have a 1997 Sambar Classic, and It blows warm air from the dash vents. It looks like this maybe out of the ordinary. It doesnt really matter anyway because I pretty much always just have the heat on my feat and windshield.
    Ryan
     
  16. I don't know if anyone can help me with this but I just bought an 84 sambar, I love the little truck so far, other than it's lack of power lol but it's a great little truck. My dash panel for the heat has no control, no off, on, no Hi-Lo. And it doesn't blow out any air at all. I know the heater coil works because when I feel the heater ducts their warm. Does anyone have a solution or any helpful hints? Please help me
     
  17. Kody902

    Kody902 Member

    Mine doesn't work on any setting other than feet or defrost(or if I balance it between the two) however I think that may be the cable is in the wrong spot, at first it didn't work on anything but defrost so we adjusted it.

    Weirdly enough, mine will only blow hot air, whether it's set to cold or hot. I think that may be another issue entirely? Not a huge deal as if it gets warm I just throw the windows down. Probably won't bother fixing it unless I start to fog up in a warm rain lol
     
  18. What do you have? I had a 84 sambar and it would only blow on feet and defrost. The mid vent only blew cold but my 99 carry blows on all. It was a safety thing, blowing hot air on your face makes you tired lol but your mid doesn't blow nothing?
     
  19. TahoeSambar

    TahoeSambar New Member

    I've got a '91 Sambar, same thing. Heat out of the feet and/or defrost, cold air out of the dash vents. Interesting that it is a "safety feature" - I'll be putting in a new radio & speakers soon, I'll check while I'm in there and see if there is a way to bypass
     
  20. Their must be a way to bypass it but if your sambar is anything like mine was, in order to get anything like that done, you'd have to take the hole dash off........ I believe. I've had my carry for a while now but no lie, I miss my old sambar. She was a great little truck, all 2 cylinders of er lol I'm looking into making a trade with a gentleman from my area, my 99 carry for his 90's supercharged Subaru. Fingers crossed:)
     
    TahoeSambar likes this.
  21. Kapium

    Kapium New Member

    It’s not a safety feature. This is common in old, simple cars. The heater core isn’t in place to service the whole system. Since heat is generally directed down they just put the core in that part of the vent system. It can’t blow hot air to the upper vents without significant modifications.
     
  22. Richard Morris

    Richard Morris New Member

    Cold air out the vents sucks. The only way to shut them is flipping them so the direction blades close as much as possible but they leak cold air. I wish they had an on/off cable that opened or shut the supply off. (I don’t think the external/recirculate control does much if anything to those center vents).

    I have to pull my blower motor to repair a blade on the fan. One end has broken and makes a big racket if it higher speed than the lowest. I can stick a high res fiber optic camera and look at how the various air flow settings move.

    My defroster setting is miserably bad. Anyone else have this issue?
     
  23. NACHONAILS

    NACHONAILS New Member

    Mine also does the same exact thing and is a 1995 Sambar Dias Classic. I questioned the exact same thing though when I realized it did that. Glad we know now!
     
  24. udidwht

    udidwht Member

    1990 Sambar Try XS Supercharged and it does the same thing.
     
  25. rkrenicki

    rkrenicki Active Member

    Sambars did not get the ability to put heat out of the dash vents until partway through 1996. The airbox assembly was completely redesigned at that point to allow heat to go to any position.
     
    udidwht likes this.

Share This Page