Majofo

Here's the diagnostic on the air mix controller for the Driver's side. The steering column dash cover is just held on by a bunch of clips. You can shim it open or apply steady pressure and they'll pop. Let us know if you figure it out.

Majofo

You know what, I think you're right. I thought of it as a single diverter but after looking at the setup, it appears to be split. Indeed check the cable first, then follow-up with the diagnostic on the controller.

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

I ordered the parts, but I have a question now that I have the parts in front of me. The cable part number I ordered is 79544-SDA-A10, however, the cable is black and has different ends compared to wire end on the blue cable in the car now. Did they upgrade the cable? Did I order the incorrect part?




Dan,

Gonna shoot you a pm.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

The ends should be wire-wound...the sleeving, crimp-end, and general construction are the same, but this is not consistent with the OE component.

I don't know if the part was revised by Honda, but this is not the OE component.

Majofo

That is the right cable but for a 6MT. I'm not sure if it's much different than the 5AT. Years 06-08 also have a different P/N.

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

I'm concerned because the cable in my car is the same blue cable in the DIY.

Majofo

No worries, I'm not sure why they used the AT cable in your car, probably mixed up during assembly, but that is indeed the right cable. I'm guessing the only difference is the connector. Why are you replacing the cable?

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

That's good to hear.

I figured since I was replacing the valve, I may as well replace the cable. My looks a little bent somewhat. I'll snap a pic in a few.

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

Took them with the phone.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

DAMN!!!!

Yes, my friend...your cable ends are seriously fatigued and in need of replacement.

Majofo

If I knew for certain that the application of the 5AT valve cable was not in spec to meet the 6MT needs, which it definitely looks like, I'd have Acura fix it on their dime.

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

Do I contact Acura Corporate or the dealer? I'm sure the dealer would say it is up to spec. I wonder how many 6MT drivers have the blue cable rather than the black.

allykahn

iTrader: (1)

Just finished installing the valve and changed hoses. What a pain in the ass!

It has to be the cable. I manually opened the valve without the cable on an heat came through.

I used to get service at metro Acura, including mine. If I recall, there may have been two 6Mt cars getting service there and I did get my heat valve changed before when I wasn't getting heat a few years ago.

Majofo

Sounds like the culprit. They probably replaced the cable with the wrong one.

Atlas.46

Helped me with the install in my 7th gen accors 6-6.. but my strut bar is a big p.I.t.a compared to that of the TL. Also I flushed my heater core since it was just one more hose to disconnect.

Now I have heat!!!

gdong

Hey guys, sorry for the bump, but I'm suffering the same issue as last year. I haven't changed anything yet on the car, and I do have heat, it's just not hot enough. I have the heater set to 82F / 28C full blast most of the time during a 45 minute drive and I don't feel hot. On my 94 accord if I blasted max heat I wouldn't be able to take it within 15 minutes.

All vents seem to be roughly the same temperature. The problem is that the air is not hot enough. Coolant is topped off. Car temp is constantantly above 4 small ticks on the temp gauge, which I am sure is fine. Any ideas? Thanks.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Did you even read this thread?

1.) Replace the valve body
2.) Replace the cable
3.) Calibrate

06TLASM

How do you calibrate?

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

This is the cheapest I could find it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Water-...-/200456846023

Should work just fine right? I wanted to double check before I ordered it. I also cannot tell if it is OEM or not.

08NJCpe

OP Thanks for the great write-up, I just did this last night with ease thanks to this. I had one question tho, should the silver crimped end of the cable be in the clamp on the bracket, or how it is shown in the original pictures of this thread?

That's how mine was before I started and I left it like that and well, no heat still. I'm going to go out and mess with it again today. Any help would be great. Thanks

BTW It's an '07 Type S Automatic.

08NJCpe

I calibrated the cable to the heater control valve and know it's working as it should with the Hi (open) Lo (closed) settings and I still have no heat. I've worked the thermostat as others have from Lo to Hi and allowed the car run up to temperature twice with no change. I've also checked all fuses. Any one else have any other ideas before I need to take it to the stealership? Bad heater core?

08NJCpe

In my case I needed "Step 9: Drive car around for 5 min so the coolant can circulate!"

I left my house earlier after double checking everything and a few miles down the road the Heat came on! Guess the coolant hadn't fully circulated with me running it up to operating temps twice in the driveway. Go figure! Now I'll enjoy defrosting my car in the mornings Thanks again for this thread. Easy to do, Yes. Easy to figure out, Not with out this thread.

b15

I know this is old, but people may still be looking at this. If you've determined it's your cable that's bad and the valve is still good, my suggestion is to save yourself the headache and just unhook the cable from the valve, and manually set it to the open position. Honda eliminated these parts starting with the 4th gen TL/8th gen Accord. The mix doors are what controls the level of heat, so having coolant always flow through the core is fine.

Both my cable and valve are fine, I had issues with the driver side mix motor, but checked these as a starting point. Since I was already in there I just disconnected the cable. One less failure point is fine by me. There are no negative effects.

Majofo

Yeah, it's a poor design feature.. Good to know it's just a passthrough on later designs.

b15

It sure is. It's double bad that the driver side mix motor also controls this valve (via a 'see saw' like gear design). So if the cable/valve is stuck it'll prevent the driver blend door from opening as well. Not sure what the chances of the cable going bad are though, my '06 with 79k miles was perfectly fine. I manually moved the cable/valve and it was smooth, but I'd rather bypass the whole valve system and be done with it.

06TLASM

I'm having heating issue now whereby I have to increase the temp to max before any heat can produce. But once I lower it, the heat seems to stop coming out. Do you think this is due to the cable? Also, how do you manually set and keep the valve open when the cable is unhooked? I'd like to try this method before having a mechanic check it out. Thanks!

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

No one can state with any amount of certainty the cable is causing it, but it's one of the predominant failure modes with the heating system as the cars age. When I replaced mine, I found that the cable was being caught up in the sleeving, and it's not all too unlikely yours will be the same.

Easiest fix is to start by replacing the valve and the cable, which is pretty cheap and relatively easy to do. Make sure you follow the service manual and the attachment studs for the valve and mixer are in the proper position before attaching. This has worked for a good number of members.

Majofo

DM

b15

Hard to say. Mine wouldnt get hot until I set to max heat, but then it would adjust properly as I lowered the temp. My cable and valve were fine, ended up being the driver side mix motor. This same motor also controls the heater valve.

Take a look at the first post/pics in this thread. Once you find the valve on your car you'll see how to manually open/close the valve. 12:00 position = closed. 9:00 = open

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Still motorin' along, just very little time for well...any interests given the demands of work, family and grad school. I'll still be an active poster on the forums for another 2 to 3 years at least (daycare costs are absurd in NJ) albeit to a lesser extent

Majofo

Keep kicking ass! I don't even have teh TL anymore and I'm still here.
How much is it there? This shit place down the road is $1400 / mo, 2nd kid is only 5% off.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

I'll likely do the same once the time comes. Although many years away, it's a toss-up between the TLX and two other vehicles, both of which have comparatively slow forums and will go unnamed until the time grows nigh.

Child #1: 3-years old, fully potty trained
Child #2: 17-months old
10% discount applied since S.O. is a teacher

...$1782 a month. I can't complain, though. The program and its staff are genuinely caring educators that are serving well for my children's education.

to us when these days are done and to some at least diluted fixed costs!

Majofo

Majofo

That time of year I guess.. ttt

Gordon Murray

Thanks alot of the write up. I just picked up an 05 TL and I'm liking this community already.

donkiboy

Are there any signs that the heater control valve has failed? I'd hate to replace it, only to find out it's something else.

Will the valve not turn or engage, or will there be coolant leaking around the valve??

My heater just doesn't work at all. Whether it's stationary or in drive, there's no warm air coming out at all. Unlike OP, it doesn't come on even after car is fully warmed up.

Nytetime6

I noticed that mine was going bad when I used to stop at a red light or a stop sign and the car would blow cold air. It would blow warm when I started to move again.

yakovi1

I have made this DIY this week because I had a coolant leaking from this part. However, I noticed that the switch(and the wire controlling it) is in the middle positions between open and close (not fully opened or fully closed) and it never moves whatsoever. It doesn't move when I turn on the car in the morning or turn it off or after driving the car for a while. Has anyone who performed this replacement noticed something like that?

nfnsquared

Well, after 15.5 years and ~311K miles, my HCV finally turned into a geyser. The internal plastic part of the rotating valve had totally "melted" away and coolant was leaking out of the front of the valve where the shaft is.

I found it easier to first unbolt the bracket from the firewall (use a swivel on the end of a long extension, 10mm). This gives you a fair amount of play to access the spring clamps on either side. I pulled both hoses off and then removed the bracket and valve in one piece. I found my 16" curved needle nose pliers invaluable in this task.

Thanks to Majofo for this DIY!!

Edit: Bought the new valve from Amazon for ~$15 shipped. I wouldn't be afraid of the lousy rating. Looks like a couple of Honda dumbasses bought the wrong part and choose to give negative reviews for their dumbassness:

Majofo

That's pretty good mileage before yours failed!