Heater valve o-rings

[scottt]

I pulled my heater valve to repair a drip. I have the early all metal valve. There is a o-ring arond the cover part and one on the shaft, the seal on the shaft appears to be square in profile with a bit of a step to it. Does anyone know if it was originally a o-ring that has just deformed over the years and will a standard oring seal ok ? or do I need to try to find a square shaped seal ? Thanks

[Mike Self]

that both rings were replaced with some found at a local hardware store, so I presume they were both round cross section. You could goo up the ring that seals the cover to the housing with a little gasket sealer if you wanted to be extra careful, but I'll bet a round cross-section O-ring will work.

Be sure and reinstall the valve facing the right direction, and same with the lever. It's easier to install the cable to the lever, then the lever to the valve. But if you get the valve on wrong, you'll get warm air when the dash control points to cold, and vice versa! Voice of experience here.

cheers

mike

[scottt]

Thanks for the hints Mike,

I picked up o-rings at lunch. The closest I could get really don't fit well at all, the only one that would fit the cover is too thick and keeps the innards from pressing the shaft seal against the housing. The ring that fits the shaft is a little too small in cross section to seal against the inside housing. I guess I'll use RTV on the cover and pipe it into the heater hoses to test it before I reinstall.