C4boy

I found a solution for the discontinued heater control valves for 85-87 Corvettes! A valve from an 82-84 full-sized Chevy is almost identical. The only difference is, the Chevy valve doesn’t have the long length of tubing, or a place to connect the coolant line that runs from the intake to the Corvette HCV.

The Corvette valve usually leaks from 2 seals in the valve and will drip around the screw. You'll find the main seal behind the screw will be all dried out.

C4boy

Here are all your options:
1. You can rip out your heater control valve, replace it with heater hose, and cap off the line coming from the intake (if you have one).
2. You can replace it with another used valve from a boneyard or ebay, if you can find one and hope it doesn’t leak – About $50-80.
3. An aftermarket company is supposed to be making a new replacement valve. One website listed the price as $139. The original AC Delco was about $85.
4. If you don’t have a coolant line running from your intake, you can replace your old valve with the Chevy one and just run new heater hose. Everything will work perfectly.
5. If you do have a coolant line running from your intake and want to keep it - you could cut the tubing at your old valve, leave the rest of the plumbing, and connect the Chevy valve in line between the heater core and old coolant lines.
6. Or, you could rebuild yours for about $25! (insert Tim Allen grunt).

Removal Instructions:
1. Loosen all heater hose clamps from valve, remove mounting screw from wheel well, 1 nut on evaporator case, vacuum line attached to valve, and remove connector from AC switch (2 blade connector pulls straight back).
2. Slice heater hoses at heater core to valve lengthwise and slide a screwdriver in there to pry the hoses away from the heater control valve. Twist the hoses at the other end of the valve to loosen them and remove valve.
3. Slice the heater hoses on the heater core side and gently remove them. Measure the length and replace. They are 5/8” & 3/4" diameter.


Rebuild Instructions:
1. Try the disassembly procedure on your old valve first. Remove the screw and 1 piece of linkage from the vacuum actuator. Using a pair of cutting pliers, gently pry up the tabs on the bracket. Separate the bracket from the valve with a screwdriver. (I mixed and matched some of the pics from the new and old valve)



2. Pry the outer seal out with a screwdriver and pull out the plastic valve behind it.




3. With the plastic valve removed, you should be able to see another rubber seal inside the bottom of the housing. Using a screwdriver or a paper clip, make sure you remove all of the old seal. Scrape out the edge where the outer seal goes and clean up your old valve. Blow it out with compressed air or flush it with a garden hose. I also sanded my old valve & primed and painted it.


4. Now do the same disassembly procedure on the new Chevy heater valve and remove these 3 parts. 2 seals and the plastic valve. (You might be able to remove the plastic valve and actuator assembly from the heater control valve housing as one piece - without removing the small screw - but you won’t be able to pry the bracket off with a screwdriver. Unscrewing it lessens the chance of breaking the plastic valve).



Reassembly:
1. Place the new outer seal over the plastic valve.



2. Insert the new plastic valve into the vacuum actuator bracket. To attach the linkage, rotate the plastic valve until it lines up with the linkage. They are both shaped so that they only match one way. This ensures the valve goes back into the housing in the correct position. Replace the screw.


3. Slide the new valve assembly into your old housing. You may have to straighten the tabs a little to get the bracket to line up. Once it’s centered and in place, tap the tabs down with a hammer or a socket extension and a hammer.

Put the valve back in, warm it up and check for leaks. Done! You've got a brand new valve for $25.



©2008
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Original heater control valve part #’s:
1985, 1986, 1987 Corvette heater control valve, hot water valve.
AC Delco - 15-5389
GM – 10120965

Replacement Chevy Valve Part #’s:
This valve fits several mid 80’s GM cars. I bought one from Advance Auto and it matched up perfectly. If you get one of the other brands, just make sure the tab cutouts line up to your old valve before you tear it apart. For a parts lookup you can use:
1982-1983 Chevrolet Malibu V6-229 3.8Lw/Gauges (4 Port valve)
1982-1984 Chevy Full Sized – V8 305 w/Gauges (4 port valve)

ReadyAir – 5935 (Autozone brand)
Four Seasons - 74800
Factory Air – 74800 (Advance Auto brand)
AC Delco - 15-5302

Heater Hose Sizes:
Heater core inlet: 5/8” (upper tube)
Heater core outlet: 3/4" (bottom tube)

(first person to quote this post gets a bitch slap )

car5car

deleted

Benny42

Nicely done. Thanks for the part #s and pics. Its on project
list now. benny

Redeasysport

And why do you need it the LT1's just have a "T" in that spot?

H P Bushrod

Informative article, C4boy. Thanks for sharing!

Joe C

good work, but are you sure the original heater valve has been discontinued?

http://www.acsource.net/xcart/home.p...=0&page=2&js=n

scroll down to...

SKU: Control Parts for 1987 Chevrolet Corvette (5.7 V8 Gas FI)
Valve; Heater Control
AC Shut Off

SKU: 24606-P/N: 15-5389

Auto AC Parts

AGENT 86

Nice write up, C4boy !!

C4boy

Joe, I called AC Delco a while back and they were the ones who told me it was discontinued. I think you gave me that link to AC Source about a year ago - thanks. I called and spoke to the guy there and he said he had several calls on the part #. He can't get it. The catalog system he uses still has the Delco part # in its database, but he can't remove the listing or get the part.

Pete K

Thank you very much for this thread.
Threads of this type were the reason I joined the vette forum years ago, and they are few and far inbetween these days.
Great job

Joe C

thanks for that info - i'll file your original rework intructions for future reference. don't have my 85 anymore, but my son has taken ownership - never know when we'll need it...

Joe C

...just got a NOS AC Delco heater control valve, p/n 15-5302 on ebay for $26. don't need it now, so it will go into the parts stockpile for future use. again, thanks for the info C4boy!

C4boy

great idea Joe.

And thank you very much Pete.

engle1147

Well done - great post! I think you became a C4MAN!

Jennifer@KeenParts.com

Check out my other post. We are in the process of making a reproducttion right now and a re looking for a tester with preferably an 85 to try it out.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-p...l-for-you.html


Kevin
Keen Parts

Orphen1987

This is great I just did mine and it works perfectly. Another part # for the one I got at NAPA was 660-1225.

Jennifer@KeenParts.com

We have the reproductions valves in stock now if anyone is interested in one.

Kevin
www.KeenParts.com
800-757-5336

C4boy

Or you can find original valves cheaper on ebay.

btr85vette

Kudos to C4boy! Worked perfect!

The part I used for my 85 was at Autozone: 74800. $21.99, booyah!

Chapindad

This worked perfectly! Thanks so much for the Thread! It saved me $125.

I will say that my old rubber seal did not come out so nicely. It had completely fell apart and glued itself to the metal, so I spent an hour cleaning it out. I had to take a small sun glass screw driver and bend it to able to reach into the hole. And I had to use all the pieces because the plastic value inside fell apart when I pulled it out. But all it well and it it working great.....