Vintage Air Gen IV 72 Chevelle - Dissappointed, not blowing air well

[Jeebus]

Hello, i had installed a vintage air Gen IV kit into my 72 non AC car 2 years ago, the first year, i did not have the duct work plumbed as i was still working on the car, and removing the dash every other weekend, so i used it without the duct work for about 6 months.



I decided this winter, while my interior was getting done to install the duct work for everything, and get it going. I followed the vintage air diagram in the book as best i could, and im just super super not happy with the performance of the unit. I cant even feel the air coming out of my vents while it is on full blast.

The diagrams that came with the kit for installation were my first issue.... the duct work output plate on the unit, looked nothing like the plate that was on my unit that i had to attach my duct work to. I was told this was not their problem when i called to ask, because it was past the 15 day return policy, and i should have noted it earlier.

When i turn the air controls to "dash" i can hear the fan running, and its blowing like crazy somewhere.... but it sure as hell is not coming from where the vintage air diagram says it should be coming from, because nothing is getting to my vents...

Has anyone had this problem?

[70chevellemalibu]

I will be doing this install in about a months time not what i wanted to hear....

Is it possible to disconnect the duct work and turn it back on, go through all the modes on the unit and reduct as required? It might be possible that you have a few ducts in the wrong location?

[raustinss]

I will be doing this install in about a months time not what i wanted to hear....

Is it possible to disconnect the duct work and turn it back on, go through all the modes on the unit and reduct as required? It might be possible that you have a few ducts in the wrong location?

I'd say the same thing...this is the first time I've heard anything bad about vintage air. I'd disconnect the duct work check each outlet. Then reconnect each duct one at a time...possibly there is something blocking the airflow? Or for that matter possibly massive air leaks?

[Jeebus]

Well, i did this again today.

I will tell you this, first things first. Them having you attach a round piece of duct hose, to an oval output on the unit, makes no sense at all.

Secondly, all the duct hoses are connected to the unit properly. I even took the duct work off, and tried to feel if air was even coming to the output places that the directions say to connect them.... and its not.

Nothing i can do with my control panel will allow me to have air come directly out of the oval output spots on the vintage air unit.

However, there is a long skinny rectangle duct output behind all 4 oval outputs, and that is blowing air... but this does me no good at all.

Im absolutely lost, and their tech support is no help at all, all they say is... it should be working...

[raustinss]

Somewhere someone is missing the boat for sure....id guess keep trying on here and tech support until you get the answers..good luck

[70chevellemalibu]

Do you have a vintage air dealer in your area? if so a ride down to their shop to discuss might be worth it.

[ccmc]

Go through the reset option where you ground one of the wires. The air is coming out of the footwell outlets. A friend set his up with the slider controls and they did not match. We called and went through the set up / reset settings and it started working right.

On a side note when I change mine from defrost to dash vents it occasionally doesn't switch and my dash vents are nowhere near as powerful as the defrost setting.

Rick

[sccacuda]

Have you checked to make sure the fan isn't wired backwards. The fan will spin the opposite direction, make tons of noise, and do almost nothing.

[70chevellemalibu]

^ is that an easy mistake?

[Jeebus]

Craig,

Well, i have to assume it is wired correctly, only for the fact that the "defrost" function works just fine, blows air fine.


rick, some more info on the reset procedure would be great! i cannot seem to locate any information online about grounding a wire to reset the system. I did disconnect the battery, but it seems as tho this did not re-set anything.

Tahnks

[Jeebus]

Well, it appears that I have found the problem. The wire that is supposed to show output to the flapper door (white with yellow stripe) that directs air to each duct, has no output to it, when it is moved into the "dash" position. So, this means either my dash panel is bad, or the wiring is bad to the main unit ,or something on the main unit is bad.

still fairly dissappointed, as im sure this is not going to be covered under any kind of warranty, and its over 90 days old.

[dontlifttoshift]

Did you get a new control panel with your kit or did you retrofit your existing controls with slide switch converters? The calibration procedure is for a control conversion, not for a new panel. I don't remember when the changeover was for those cars.

Did the ecm get wet? Are all the pins inserted in the plugs properly?

Do you have full range fan speed, low to high?

Does everything else work, compressor, heater valve, etc.? You can check for power at the compressor or the safety switch to see if it is sending a signal to turn it on.

Does the unit go from floor only to defrost only?

Did one of the servo motors get wet, specifically the one controlling the dash flapper? On a related note, did the unit bolt up okay, I've seen some creative mounting solutions put the unit in a bind and not allow various doors to open.

[ccmc]

Search for the slide switch calibration mentioned above. But I notice that changing from floor to dash or defrost always seems to hesitate when choosing the dash outlet. And again, much more pressure from defrost then dash.

[dontlifttoshift]

That's the difference between pushing the same volume of air through two 2" ducts or four 2 1/2" ducts.

[ccmc]

Makes sense. I'd rather have more velocity at the dash vents. I wish I could swap out the fan for an oem one that pushes more volume

[70chevellemalibu]

cant you just re route the hoses from defrost to dash and vise versa?

[Jeebus]

The kit has a new control panel, from Vintage Air. Its plugged in correctly and all the way. Its installed properly, we have done several of these, never had an issue like this before. Its rather un pleasing.

I can make the unit switch to defrost and floor only, however its a very slow process, i have to slide the lever very slowly to make it work.

Everything else works fine, there is no issue besides the dash setting not functioning properly.

I suppose i could attach the hoses to a different output, but honestly i dont want to do that. Seems like a waste of an expensive product to half ass use it.

I will most likely have to buy a new control panel from Vintage Air, as it is not under warranty at all.

[70chevellemalibu]

ya your right...maybe i missed something but why isnt the control panel under warranty? Is it possible to take it to an electrical repair shop and have them go through the panel, it might be as simple as a bad connection in the panel?

[ALAMOHOTWHEELS]

ya your right...maybe i missed something but why isnt the control panel under warranty? Is it possible to take it to an electrical repair shop and have them go through the panel, it might be as simple as a bad connection in the panel?

If you are still having issues with your Vintage Air Chevelle system, please call me at 800-862-6658 ext.198 (Shane in Tech). We understand that it can take some time to finish a car. We are more than willing to work through any issues. Your system is under warranty.

[dontlifttoshift]

Did you talk to this guy?

If you are still having issues with your Vintage Air Chevelle system, please call me at 800-862-6658 ext.198 (Shane in Tech). We understand that it can take some time to finish a car. We are more than willing to work through any issues. Your system is under warranty.