87 holiday rambler P30 - where does the heater cable connect?

[69skylark]

Hello All
Well first I have to say "Thank you" to all of you.  I purchased my 5th motorhome (The rambler) this last December and I have been thoroughly enjoying you amusing chats but mostly the tech help you've been giving me restoring this "bad boy" since I bought it.  As I've said it is my 5th RV (2 class C's, Diesel class A and a B prior) but I'm thinking this is going to be my favorite.  It is so well built and with some "love" and a hammer it's going to be a lot of fun.  I'm an over the road kind of RV'er.  I'm heading from Cape Cod to FL in mid April to take my 80 something year old folks camping on the Gulf in Fort Meyers so it has to be safe and ready to go.  As you can see it's no spring chicken so it needs a lot of attention but it only has 32,000 miles!!! So thank you All for all the help so far!  It has been quite a project to date.

I'm a fairly handy guy and tend to do everything myself from mechanical to finish carpentry.
But here's my problem that I can not and my mechanic friend can't figure out either.


I can not find where the heater cable connects to the heater box.  The cable is not broken just disconnected from the heater box.  It's connected to the control lever on the dash and that works fine and the cable moves in and out.  I found it dangling in front of the radiator near the heater box.  This P30 uses an air valve in the box to control the temperature. It does not have a valve on a heater hose controlling the flow of coolant.  I have searched my 86 (87 RV with 86 chassis) Chevy shop manuals etc.  I am very confident that the heater box was installed by HR so I haven't been able to find info that way.
So the question, does anyone know where this connects too?  I am wits end on this one and I would like to have some heat on the first part of my trip.  FYI - i can stick a hammer handle into the vent at the passenger's feet and open the air valve there and it gives me heat but I'm an engineer by trade aka a little anal retentive and I'd like to fix it right.
Please anyone?
Thank you!!!!!

[SLEETH]

usually has 1 cable to hot water valve
and another to the air blend door

[bluebird]

The cable you refer to was probably the hot water valve in one of the heater hoses that got removed. The blend door should be vacuum operated. Does any of the blend doors work? If not there should be a vacuum ball under the hood, check the lines going to and from that ball. Those lines get very brittle and break all the time.

[69skylark]

It has occurred to me that maybe someone removed the valve, but why would you?  The rest of the coach is extremely original.  I'm replacing original hoses, belts, plugs, wires, etc.  The chevy manuals I have talk about how it is all air controlled even temp. so I assumed that it would be after HR built it.  But maybe you both are right.  I have checked and repaired the vacuum hoses (yes, quite brittle) and all the heat selector stuff works.  But when you add in the fact that when I manually move the air flap at the passenger's feet I get tons of heat I was still leaning towards the air control verse the coolant control.  Well maybe I'll see what else other people say and as a last ditch I'll install a valve.  Any suggestions on where to get the right valve that will also hold the cable?  I guess I can start with local auto supply.
thank you!

[SLEETH]

hot water valves tended to leak=so they got removed
usually there is a small clamp on the valve that holds the cable/some valves are in line/and some valves are manifold  mount

[HandyDan]

If it is of any help, this is what the valve in my '84 HR looks like.  I had to replace it because the old one corroded shut and no amount of trying to fix it would work.  I don't know what the number on it means.  I doubt if it is a part number.  I got this one off ebay.

[69skylark]

Well that pic answers a lot of questions and solves my problem.  That valve would work and would control heat to driver and rear bedroom heater at the same time.  So that's what I need.  Any idea on what to google to find it out there?
Thank you!

[M & J]

Normally that H valve is used only for the dash heat. Some coaches have a separate control or the heat is controlled only by the fan speed for the rear unless the heater hoses are Tee'd between the H valve and the dash heater core.

[HandyDan]

What M&J said is true about the rear heater.  I wish I had a picture of the rear line.  It was a whole different valve that had a switch to a solenoid on the dash.  After it sprung a leak under the rear bed and soaked the carpet with antifreeze, I tore the whole rear heat out.  I never used it anyway.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Can you post a picture of your heater control panel on the dash so we can see the available controls?

[69skylark]

Hey all!
Thanks for your help.  Sorry I've been offline for a bit.  Took the rambler 3700 miles to FL and back.  Great trip.  Few small issues (leaking grey water line) and oh, yeah a fuel.pump in Seffner  FL.  So Handyman I love that pic of your HR being towed.  I now have the same one. .  Overall it did great.  Nicest rv I've had.  It cruises.  So I think I'm all set on the heater valve issue.  Just have to find the right one.  In time.  Now I'm working on changing the generator fuel.pump. the gennie only has 48 hrs on it.  Crazy.