ok so heres the deal:
1) the top vents work on every setting except heater. When I switch to heater I can here a door close behind the dash

2) when I'm moving warm air blows out of the vents by the transmission tunnel on the console, but when I am stopped the air is cold.

The hoses coming to and from the heater core are hot, but the vacuum line to the valve has no vacuum.

Does this just sound like a bad valve or broken vaccum line? also it takes the car a while to warm up about 8-10 mins if just idleing, so if the thermostat is stuck open would that cause the heater not to work? Thanks.

 

you may have to take the dash apart to see whats going on, mayb something broke in there and it isnt properly closing.

and i think that when the temp gets to a certian point, then vacuum is applied to the hose which opens the valve heater control. i guess you have an A/C pump. if it takes 10 mins for your car to warm up to opperating temp then by that time, if the interior isnt hot, then you either got a blockage, the fan isnt working properly, or your heatercore isnt getting the hot water it needs (but thats pretty unlikely).

what do you mean by top vents? the defrosting vents or the ones that look you right in the face in the centre of the dash that heat your head?

 

Yeah the vents hitting my head. air doesn't come out of anywhere except the bottom vents but only when the head unit is switched to heater. In all other settings all the proper vents work. I replaced the heater core not to long ago and it was getting water. I'm thinking it is the vacuum line to the heater valve I just need to get off my a** and start troubleshooting this thing. Thanks for your help.

 

ya, i bet its something so simple its stupid, but ill take you hours to find it. just start workin from the heatercore and work your way out.

 

I was JUST troubleshooting this problem of mine, and I can chime in a bit on this. After looking at 2 different valves, the vacuum opens the valve dirverts the coolant back into the radiator, bypassing the heater core completely (unless there is ample pressure going back to the radiator inbetween the hose before it hits the T in the metal line). It seems that it only dumps coolant into the heater core when there is no vacuum. My problem is different though, somehow I have next to no coolant system pressure and the car gets to 220*F but wont overheat, think its a problem with a bad radiator cap.
Anyways, not hijacking the thread, I would look at the vacuum switch itself in the head unit, if not check the valve on the heater box, I have seen a few cracked here and there and would not open the vents with that bad of a leak. Hope it helps.