How do you hook the heater control cable on an A/C car?

[WH23G3G]

I've asked before and a couple people have told me there's no real way to hook up the A/C control cable on the 73 Chargers. But I've been fighting it for months on and off trying to get it hooked up and working properly. I thought buying a new control cable would help since it wouldn't be rusty inside the plastic. But it's just as hard to figure out how to get it to work properly. I measured the new cable which was a Mopar part suppose to fit a 73 Charger with A/C. It measured exactly the same as my old cable. I have an original water valve bolted to the fender just how the original should have been. I've got the little clip holding the cable to the top of the cowl. I've got the clip on the water valve to hold the housing on. I've got the clip on the back of the A/C control unit to hold the cable in. It's hooked now. It moves between COOL and WARM, but it won't go all the way to WARM because it's like the cable is too long. So of course it bent it now. It stops about midway between WARM and COOL so it doesn't move nice and smooth like a new one would. Which it is basically all new. Is there a science to installing this cable correctly? Should it go all the way to WARM or stop before the selector hits the side of the controls? I've just been working on it for two hours and couldn't get anything accomplished. I want to make sure this is working right before I hook up the A/C controls and bolt on my steering wheel because I have to climb under the dash to get to it.

[Charger74SE]

The book says to adjust cable in this order.

1. Disconnect cable from water valve lever and cable housing from retaining clip and place the temp control lever to full WARM position. Make sure water valve is closed.
2. Position the self adjusting clip on the cable about 2 inches from the end of the loop. Place clip with  cable on the water valve lever then snap cable housing back into the retaining clip so that 5/8" of cable housing is sticking out past the clip.
3. Move temp control lever to full COOL position. This will self adjust the cable.
   
(You will probably feel some resistance when your moving the lever to the cool position. Thats from the cable being pulled through the self adjusting clip on the water valve lever.)

[WH23G3G]

I saw that in my 73 chassis manual under air conditioning. That's the procedure I just did. It actually worked, and didn't take but a few mins. Now my question is. On the water valve cam end. Is the loop on the cable suppose to hook onto the cam lever of the water valve. Because it doesn't. The wire just goes through that metal clip that attaches to the came lever. Then the cable housing goes in the clip behind that to keep it locked in place. So what's the purpose of the loop end on the water valve side? Is it just to keep it from coming out?

[Charger74SE]

I saw that in my 73 chassis manual under air conditioning. That's the procedure I just did. It actually worked, and didn't take but a few mins. Now my question is. On the water valve cam end. Is the loop on the cable suppose to hook onto the cam lever of the water valve. Because it doesn't. The wire just goes through that metal clip that attaches to the came lever. Then the cable housing goes in the clip behind that to keep it locked in place. So what's the purpose of the loop end on the water valve side? Is it just to keep it from coming out?

The loop on the end of the cable doesn't attach to the adjuster clip although I have seen it that way because they didn't know how to correctly set the cable. The loop has two purposes. Its there so you won't accidently pull it out of the housing and second, it won't stick you when your working in that area.

Mike G.

[Bob]

I changed mine on the 74 and one thing I did learn was that when you clip in the cable at the contoler/slide lever/hot-cold, you need to use a small wire to squeeze the clip together to keep the cable in place. My original set up had the litlle wire. Work the cable back and forth to make sure it is not binding. Place it in the cold or hot position and go out to the valve and hook up the cable there. Same thing with the little wire. There is 2 little holes on the crimp/clamp that holds the cable. It drove me crazy also.
Bob

[Charger74SE]

I changed mine on the 74 and one thing I did learn was that when you clip in the cable at the contoler/slide lever/hot-cold, you need to use a small wire to squeeze the clip together to keep the cable in place. My original set up had the litlle wire. Work the cable back and forth to make sure it is not binding. Place it in the cold or hot position and go out to the valve and hook up the cable there. Same thing with the little wire. There is 2 little holes on the crimp/clamp that holds the cable. It drove me crazy also.
Bob

Thanks for the info. I've never seen that little wire on a cable housing clip before. It wasn't there on my 74 and the cable has never been replaced.
Learn something new every day.

[WH23G3G]

Mine seems to be installed correctly. And the slider controls move as they should with no binding. I guess having a new NOS cable helps, the original was all rusted inside and wouldn't move easy. I won't know if everything's good until the motor is back in and the car gets started up. I've got everything on the A/C controls hooked up properly now. It was a pain to install the control assembly after everything is back in the interior. It's hard to get under there and get the nuts on the dash studs that hold the controls in. Now I'm wondering if anyone has a picture of how the A/C vacuum harness routes over the steering column. Because although mine is hooked properly it appears it hangs too low. I'm wondering if I'm missing a bracket to hold it up or if I routed it wrong.

[Charger74SE]

Mine seems to be installed correctly. And the slider controls move as they should with no binding. I guess having a new NOS cable helps, the original was all rusted inside and wouldn't move easy. I won't know if everything's good until the motor is back in and the car gets started up. I've got everything on the A/C controls hooked up properly now. It was a pain to install the control assembly after everything is back in the interior. It's hard to get under there and get the nuts on the dash studs that hold the controls in. Now I'm wondering if anyone has a picture of how the A/C vacuum harness routes over the steering column. Because although mine is hooked properly it appears it hangs too low. I'm wondering if I'm missing a bracket to hold it up or if I routed it wrong.

You should have 2 illustrations in the 24 Section of the Service Manual showing the box assembly mounted to the firewall with the vacuum lines routed on top of it on one page and the short section of vacuum lines going to the control assembly on the other page.

Mike