Automatic AC's on the 280zx's friggen suck!

[ratedZ]

Are there any other 280zx owners who has been blessed with the not so automatic AC systems in their Z's? I wanted to know if your guys' heater only blow through the floor vents and defrost. For as long as I have owned mine I can't figure out why the heater won't blow through the front vents. AC works fine (I could blow harder through a straw but that's a whole nother subject) and it blows through the front vents like it's supposed to be. Did Datsun do this on purpose? If I remember correctly when I had an 82 turbo back when I was 16 it did the same exact thing so I'm wondering if that's the way it's supposed to me. If it is, I wish I knew who's bright idea it was so I could smack them in the back of the head

 

ps. i don't need the heater right now as it's a 106 in Vegas but might as well ask to get it ready for the winter season

[opie]

I just got an 82 turbo auto (my 1st auto) and under any kinda acceleration, the ac switches to the floor vents until a steady rpm is attained, then it comes back out of the normal vents. I can't orate on the heat issue though.

 

I'm not sure if it is cutting the ac off under accel or just a vacuum anomaly in my car. It stays cool, but could just be residual in the system.

[Guest Aaron]

ZX's used vacuum to move the flapper thing that makes the air come out the defrost/dash/floor. (I hope everyone can keep up with the high tech mumbo jumbo. ) They were notorious with the datsun mechanics for having vacuum leaks, etc., that would make the air come out in undesired locations. The turbos were much worse than the N/As. While I believe the heat not coming out of the dash is by design, changing where it comes out during acceleration is caused from vacuum leaks or bad vacuum canisters. I was going to install a vacuum pump on my ZX in high school, but never got arount to it.