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77/79 Programmer

Started by Barry M. Wheeler #2189, January 03, 2007, 11:16:42 AM

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Barry M. Wheeler #2189

As some of you may remember, my 79 Fleetwood has been belly up since late fall due to a malfunctioning programmer. (No heat.) I just got a replacement from a recently junked 79 in Cleveland. In comparing it to the one that I have out of the car, I noticed a major difference. The new one has a piece of masking tape attached to the bottom of the ambient temperature horn and the ones that I have been switching in and out of the car, either this has come loose and fallen out, or I have taken it out, thinking it was not important. In re-checking the repair specs from the shop manual, it does mention replacing this tape. It kind of leans against the bottom of the horn, covering a couple of wires that go up inside the horn. I cant get the car into the shop until tomorrow, but I am hoping that the tape will make the difference.
If this works, it will be quite ironic that a top-of-the-line car could be laid low by a 1 long scrap of adhesive paper being missing...
This might also explain how the car would work correctly at times and not at others, and finally, and probably, the paper dried up and came loose. There is quite a bit of vacuum needed to operate the programmer. Ill let you guys know.

Joel Den Haan #21586

Hi Barry-
I have a programmer from a 78 sitting here in my office, and I just looked at it and the masking tape is in fact there.  Its actually kind of a foam tape that has become really brittle and dry.  Id be interested in what happens to your 79 because one of the reasons I have turned my 99 percent rustfree 78 Fleetwood DElegance into a parts donor (in addition to a whole range of bodged electrical repairs, a damaged padded roof $$$, and a motor that has at least one light cylinder/ burned valve) is that I could never get the heat to work in it either (or the AC for that matter).  I imagine youve been through all the other diagnostics around heat issues- hot water valve vacuum etc. etc.?  What a long, painful process....

wm link

I have purchased more than one Cadillac back east with no heat. The problem is usually vacuum or programmer. Im frozen and dont care. Just before the frostbite sets in... I dive into the programmer and manually move the lever against the spring tension. I vicegrip it there! Now toasty warm until I get home.

TJ H 20664

So this piece of tape is an insulator? Some sort of air filter?  Some sort of seal/gasket?

I just got a 78 running and the blower never shuts off but at least after replacing one melted relay and socket it does run.  Ac has no freon so Im not sure about its function.  Heat seems to work OK but I find I have to have it set just a hair over 65 to be comfortable.  If its all the way down it just blows cold air but when set a hair higher it will blow warm after the car warms up, when its cold it blows hot with a higher fan speed.  Does this sound normal?  Or am I going to be learning about more about these things than I want to?

I have never had one of these apart, becides aging electrical components and connections what else is there?  O rings? Seals & gaskets?  Other than lots of parts are these things servicable without real special (expensive) tools?  Is the regular shop manual good enough or is there a special one for the programer?
 
T JH
20664
StPaul/Mpls MN USA
73 Eldo convert(s)
78 CDV

denise 20352

> If its all the way down it just blows cold air but when set a hair higher it will blow warm after the car warms up, when its cold it blows hot with a higher fan speed. Does this sound normal?

    It should start out on high fan when its cold, and then step down to slower speeds one at a time as the temperature inside the car gets closer to the setting that you selected.  After the fan slows down, if you turn the temperature way up, the fan should speed up again.

-denise