Hoping someone who reads this has some idea's. The heater on my 1981 El Camino (305) is not working. The AC works fine but the heater just won't heat. I have recently replaced the heater valve, only after running the car for a full day with the heater on full blast (only cold air coming out) and checking the heater hoses to find that they were as cool as could be. I don't know where to look next. Obviously the heated water is not making it to the heater core so do I look at a vacuum issue with the heater valve? The Chiltons I bought doesn't even show vacuum lines when referring to the heater so I don't know where to look to solve that problem or do I look at the water pump? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure which valve you have on yours. Some open with vacuum and some open when vacuum is removed.

I suggest removing the vacuum line and plugging it off to see if the water will flow.

I'm in the middle of trying to design my own control system for my hot water flow to the heater core. Right now I have it full on and it gets hot! I could control it with a vacuum valve by removing the vacuum line and putting it back on. Not elegant, but it would work for now.

Worst case scenario for you is that you could remove the vacuum valve completely and let the water flow all the time.

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Chad Landry
TC Member #643
ACES Member #4556
'68 El Camino

you do need to look at valve you installed, lack of heat is never the fault of the waterpump, overheating is another story, if the heater core is not plugged big time, and the heater lines don't have a big crimp or obstruction then its the valve assy. has failed..