83 Pace Arrow Dash air Conditioning and heater doesn't work

[kartvines]

Question,we have a 83 Pace Arrow P-30 chassis Chevy 454 engine, and my dash air and heater doesn't work, it blows a very small amount of air [but not worth mentioning because it merely a whisper] but nothing else. I hate driving when it hot and my wife is supper cold so she need heat when it is cooler, so this is something that must be repaired, so I was hoping that someone who owns a similar model can provide me with your input on what I need to do to get both of these problems corrected. My only option now is taking it to my mechanic and having him waste countless hours trying to figure it out, because I do no have a clue where to start and or the skills to make the effort to do it myself. Or would be be more beneficial to take it to a shop that specializes in air conditioning? If that is indeed the case does this shop have to be a RV related shop?

[Wanabee FTer]

I have seen rodents build nests inside the blower motor "squirrel cage" before.
The nest restricts the amount of air coming through the dash a/c and heater vents. This may be the problem if you can hear the fan running at it's various speeds.

[Duketech]

I found just what Wanabee FTer says above in my '82. If you turn on the blower & you start to notice "stuff" on the dash, leaves, fuzzies, etc, there is probably a nest in there. I accessed it pretty easy from opening the passenger side hood.

[nbounder]

Certainly is fan related. If it's the standard Chevy design, locate the blower motor (usually right in front iof the passenger) and make sure it is getting solid 12VDC when the fan switch is on high. If not, there MAY be a relay close by with fat red wires. That relay is un operated when fan swith is off, or on med or low. On high, the relay operates and sends full juice to the fan motor. I shall assume you have jiggled the heck out of ther fan switch inside the cab. They can go bad too. Another thing to try - close all the air outlets but the one closest to the blower motor, and blow cooious quantities of compressed air into that outlet - it SHOULD spin the blower motor at least a little bit. If all else fails, go to a reputable service center. By no means does it need to be a RV shop.

[DAN L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartvines Question,we have a 83 Pace Arrow P-30 chassis Chevy 454 engine, and my dash air and heater doesn't work, it blows a very small amount of air [but not worth mentioning because it merely a whisper] but nothing else. I hate driving when it hot and my wife is supper cold so she need heat when it is cooler, so this is something that must be repaired, so I was hoping that someone who owns a similar model can provide me with your input on what I need to do to get both of these problems corrected. My only option now is taking it to my mechanic and having him waste countless hours trying to figure it out, because I do no have a clue where to start and or the skills to make the effort to do it myself. Or would be be more beneficial to take it to a shop that specializes in air conditioning? If that is indeed the case does this shop have to be a RV related shop?

check the vacuum lines from the heater/ac control to the various control modules. if there is a vacuum leak, the system is supposed to default to defrost air vents.

[kartvines]

Thanks for the feedback I tried to take that panel out last week end was only able to get about a inch, and it hung up on everything. So I was unable to see anything, does any one have the first hand knowledge of what is holding it up and what can be done to pull this panel away enough for me to see behind it, I thought I would pull the speedo and gauges out and then go in for the right, but have not tried it yet, I also think that the AC and Heater control may need to be replace, but have not been able to locate a replacement, and or the chassis repair book to provide me with more information

[Wanabee FTer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duketech I found just what Wanabee FTer says above in my '82. If you turn on the blower & you start to notice "stuff" on the dash, leaves, fuzzies, etc, there is probably a nest in there. I accessed it pretty easy from opening the passenger side hood.

Are you going in through the inside of the coach or outside under the hood.
Duketech mentioned he accessed the blower motor outside the coach by working under the hood on the passenger side.

[kartvines]

I checked that area and only found this unit, must i take the cover off to find that fan? http://1983pacearrowmotorhomerestora...ard-wired.html

[Wanabee FTer]

The picture appears to be the evaporator suitcase. It should have the a/c evap coil and the heater core inside. I can not see a blower motor in the photo. Look inside and out for what will look like the end of a 4 to 6" diameter electrical motor. The base of this blower motor usually has appx 8-10" flange that will bolt/screw in the vicinity of the evap suitcase. It could be inside or outside of the coach. If possible look up under the passenger dash side with a flashlight. Hopefully someone that has your same model will chime in with the exact location.

[kartvines]

I will continue looking as far as removing the dash, I had little luck overall, not wanting to risk breaking something that now works and then has an additional problem to worry about.

I begin trying to remove the top of the dash today but was unable to get to the last 2 screws due to their tight location so I put all of the screw back in until I can discover the correct tool to remove these tight screws. They I will revisit the situation

[Midniteoyl]

What your looking for is known as an 'offset screwdriver'. Cheap ones can be had anywhere and are kind of a pain, but there are ratcheting types as well..

right angle scredriver - Google Search


Good luck..