Car wasn't getting any heat. I looked at the temp control **** (cracked) and also disconnected cable from heater valve. Temp control **** (repaired) works freely now, and the heater valve is stiff and spongy (like a strong spring) when opening the the valve, although it seems to close nicely. I assume that the reluctant heater valve required too much force from the control ****, causing it to break.

It seems the heater valve should be replaced. What is the best way? The air inlet hose blocks easy access from above, and it has clamps and hoses attached to it that will probably break when trying to remove them. Is the heater valve accessible from below, or is that a bad option? In any case, I think I should have replacement hoses and clamps for the heater valve. Any hints for repair or things I've missed?

 

You might consider replacing the small hoses that run to the idle air control (IAC) and the cold idle valve. You might also consider replacing the thermostat and the "O" ring that seals the thermostat body to the head. There is a hose running from the metal pipe that connect to the water pump on one end and the thermostat housing on the other. Each end of the pipe has an "O" ring.

I think you have to cut one of the heater hoses to provide the short piece of hose that connects to the heater core on one end and the heater valve on the other end. You might want to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses while you have the system open.

Please remember to use Genuine Honda Coolant. Honda claims Prestone and other non Honda coolants will cause the water pump to fail prematurely and it will cause the seals to leak in the water pump. The water pump is usually changed at the same time as the timing belt(s). The timing belt drives the water pump and it makes good sense to replace it while you have the timing belt off.

Good luck and I hope this goes well for you.

Sincerely,

Brían S. Du Bois
Evansville, IN

 

I'm new here -- When I looked at my previous post, the word k n o b was ****. Is that a bad word to use?

 

I am about as new and I have no idea. This is exactly what I would have called it.

I changed all my hoses about two years ago when the upper gasket on the radiator failed. I changed the heater hoses from both locations, if I remember correctly. The hardest part for me was removing the clip that secures the heater control cable to the mounting bracket. I need to reset the location of my cable as it does not completely turn off the flow of coolant and I have heat when I don't need it or want it.

There are two hoses running from the metal pipe, behind the engine, and mine were ready to burst. Key 11 is: "pipe, connecting" as listed in the honda diagram link: Honda Automotive Parts


Illustrations 1, 2, 3, and 4 are the small hoses I mentioned in my previous post. The link is: Honda Automotive Parts



The heater valve is Illustration 1 and illustrations 2, 3 and 4 are the heater hoses you will need if you plan to replace them with the valve. The link for the diagram of the heater hoses is: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...y5=WATER+VALVE


The following diagram lists the radiator hoses, the overflow hose and the pickup hose/tube for the coolant overflow container. Honda Automotive Parts

Please note the small hoses located near the bottom of the radiator connect the transmission to the transmission cooler section of the radiator.



I do have a question after rereading your original post...... are the gears/mechanism screwed up in the heater control unit? I have an issue with mine and it is not the ****. It is the air conditioning switch. Some moron in the engineering department at Honda decided to integrate the a/c switch into the unit. You cannot purchase the switch separately and you have to purchase the entire unit. The unit lists for $193.82 and that does not include the blower switch, which lists for $61.05 or the ***** which are $6.63 each. The total is $268.13. I reuse both ***** and that will save $13.26. The blower switch is working, however, I really don't want to have to remove all the trim to get to the switch if it fails. Honda could have simply made the a/c switch an independent unit attached with screws on the back. This would have made too much sense. The heater control unit can be found for $135.67 plus shipping, handling and tax.

The following link will take you to the diagram for the heater control: Honda Automotive Parts

Please go in and either select the year, make, model, engine, transmission and emission group for your vehicle or type in you VIN to make certain you have the correct model selected. I have not purchased from Majestic Honda because the shipping cost will not save me anything over what it cost at my local Honda Dealer. I use the Majestic site because they provide an excellent resource for looking up part numbers.

I apologize if my post is rather long, however, I hope the links will provide you access to the parts you need or will need. You may have already looked up all the parts and this may prove to be a waste.

Best of luck with your repairs and please let me know if this helped any.

Sincerely,

Brían S. Du Bois
Evansville, IN

 

I missed one item in my previous post. The heater valve control unit, item 4, is available separately if the gears are screwed up. The cost is $48.58 list and that beats purchasing the entire unit. Link: Honda Automotive Parts

Best of Luck

BSD

 

thrilldoctor... I did not understand your post until my thread posted and evidently there is some type of word police or **** system that edits one's posts. What the hell are we supposed to call a K N O B? Will the sysops please address this issue? This is NUTS!!! The HONDA parts diagram uses the term K N O B without spaces. Has this country gotten this screwed up with political correctness? I appreciate the great service this board provides and I do not wish to appear ungrateful or unappreciative. A K N O B is a K N O B and it has been for many years and it will continue to be a device on the end of a crank or other device. What next????? One cannot use the word crank because it might be deemed inappropriate? Please address this issue and restore common sense to an outstanding board.

Thank you in advance for your kind attention and consideration.

Sincerely,

BSD

 

The best way is not to replace the heater valve unless necessary. Once I disconnected the cable from the heater valve, I found the heater valve moved freely, and also the cable, now unattached on both ends, moved freely. The problem was lots of rust where the cable connected to the lever arm of the heater valve. Once I cleaned off all the rust and applied grease, the connection was able to rotate as intended.

Now I'm still struggling with the way Honda designed the combination of the air vent flapper and the heater valve to be operated from a single cable. It was designed and installed so that the two do not reach their open and closed positions simultaneously. To make both function properly, a different length cable needs to be installed, something Honda has addressed. I'm avoiding the hassle of fixing it properly by operating the heater valve manually for at least the winter months, i.e., the heater valve is full on, and the cable is disconnected. I'll check it in the summer to see if the A/C gets cold enough, even with hot water circulating through the heater core.