HVAC Water Valve Control Cable Seized

[brokedownboys]

My water valve control cable (55907-28010) is seized up. I cant adjust the heat.

I tried wiggling the cable loose with teflon spray and pliers but accidentally put a kink in the cable and made it even worse.

Now the only way to turn on the heat is to reach under the front bumper and pull the tiny switch 'manually' (see picture 4).

Obviously 55907-28010 is discontinued. Has anyone found a similar cable which can be purchased online in bulk and cut to length? Sadly I dont own a parts van.

[brokedownboys]

^Tiny control water valve control switch ^

[MarkH]

That kink doesn't look too bad. It could probably be carefully straightened out. Coincidentally, I've been lubricating mine in the last couple of days. Taking apart the dash to access it was fun. I wouldn't bother with the teflon spray. If it's the kind I'm thinking of, the "spray" (solvent?) part of it is pretty volatile and evaporates quickly leaving the dry teflon residue. That's good for places where you don't want an oily mess, but I've found it's not runny enough to work it's way all the way down that cable. I've been using a food-grade (no smell) spray lube which I'm assuming is just thinned mineral oil. In the past I've used silicone spray as well. I sprayed a bit down the end of the cable every so often over the last 2 days to let the small amount work it's way down the cable. Today I carefully worked the cable in and out and sprayed more lube in every so often. Yesterday, I also drenched the heater valve under the van with the spray. Now it works pretty good. Basically, the process can take awhile to fully lubricate the cable.

[Jan-Willem]

I found you do not need to get behind the dash at all to lube the cable. There are those motorcycle brake cable lube kits. Those clamp around the end of the outer cable, and you need a lubricant with a spay tube. Clamp it underneath the van, at the valve, then spray until you hear it coming out of the other end, underneath the dash. Cleaning it out with a solvent first, like wd40 or so will probably make a bit of a mess under the dash... but then again... who is gonna see?

[Sunbeam]

Control cables were a nightmare on my wives '88. We purchased the van in Vermont and corrosion attacked everything. She destroyed the quadrant (the plastic structure that has the levers that move the cables) trying to open and close the vents and the heat. I found that 1989 models used a multi wire (like motorcycle or bicycle control cables) control core and not the solid wire cores that were giving too much resistance. I used metal strips to reinforce the broken parts and glued (epoxy JB weld) the quadrant back together and changed the control cables lubricating them with TriFlo and they have been performing wonderfully. I may have a quadrant that can be used and I could find the old solid wire cables if you would like to use them. I was lucky to find those slick control cables on that 1989.

There is a 1987 cargo van at my local u pull it here in Albuquerque, I took the blower out and I may be able to get you a heater control cables, I should have the original from my wive's 1988 however were I put it may take more time than visiting u pull. Is the heater control valve something you would like as well? Greg

[brokedownboys]

Ahhh I wish I had not even bothered with the teflon then. How nasty of a substance to have residue of. I should have at least gotten the applicator tool. I saw it online but didn't want to wait for one to ship. Now I have a mess.

I think my next move is to pull the cable all the way out through the bulkhead and work on it at the bench. My cable is solid core. Any techniques or tools for getting it un-kinked?

[Sunbeam]

Howdy, I don't have any tricks for those cables, I spent a great deal of time trying to get the solid core wire control cables to work with less friction. I also broke multiple quadrants trying to exercise the cables after I lubricated them. I have no great tricks or tools, I was a bit disturbed to learn I needed to upgrade them to the 1989 cables, I don't know, I may have found a van which someone had independently upgraded from the original to a custom built special cable.

If I find that the 1987 van at my local u pull was crushed, no more parts from that vehicle

[brokedownboys]

I would be interested in a spare cable as long as it is not seized up like mine. I'll send you a private message.