WINDSHIELD WASHER

We would like to call your attention to a revision in the Michigan statutes on the use of windshield washers.

The following quotation was taken from the Motor Vehicle Equipment Handbook compiled by the Field Relation Sub-Committee on Vehicle Regulations and published by the Automobile Manufacturers Association:

“Sec. 9.2409 (e). No motor vehicle license as such, and manufactured after January 1, 1956, shall be operated on the highways unless it is equipped with a windshield washer maintained in operable condition at all times and capable of cleaning the windshield in such a fashion as to leave the driver with a clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway. (As amended by Pub. Acts 1954, No. 167, eff. Aug. 13, 1955, No. 174, eff.)

Although the percentage of factory-installed windshield washers is relatively high, Michigan dealers should instruct prospective owners of this requirement.

 

CONTROL OPERATION

1956 HEATER, DEFROSTER & AIR CONDITIONER

Because of the numerous inquiries received regarding the heater, defroster and air conditioner controls, it is apparent that the instructions covered in the Owners Guide are not being read. In order to fully inform dealer personnel on the proper manipulation of the control knobs, we are reprinting the complete instructions from the Owners Guide.

OUTSIDE AIR VENTILATION SYSTEM

This is a built-in ventilation system which is standard equipment on all Buicks, and is regulated by pulling either or both “Vent” control knobs shown in Figure A.

1956 Buick Instrument Panel Air Outlets

1956 Buick Instrument Panel Air Outlets

With these knobs pulled out, the forward motion of the car forces air through right and left ventilators mounted in the dash just above the floor mat.

NOTE: On Air Conditioner equipped Buicks, the right vent control knob is omitted; on these models the right vent is operated by a lever on the air conditioner control panel as explained later.

INSTRUMENT PANEL AIR OUTLETS

All Buicks equipped with Heater and Defroster or Air Conditioner have an air outlet mounted on each end of the instrument panel. Each outlet has two sets of vanes which may be adjusted vertically and horizontally by a knob so that forced air may be directed as desired. Figure B. To lower the air stream, pull the knob downward; to raise the air stream, raise the knob upward; and to deflect the air horizontally, rotate the knob in the direction desired.

During normal winter heater operation, the air should be directed down between the seat and door panel with windows and dash ventilators closed. This setting gives even heat distribution to both front and rear seat passengers.

Forced ventilation of outside air is readily available through these outlets by merely operating the blower.

HEATER AND DEFROSTER CONTROLS

1956 Buick Heater and Defroster Controls

1956 Buick Heater and Defroster Controls

  1. “BLOWER” switch has two (2) speeds, “HI” and ” LO’ ‘. It controls the blower which draws in outside air for circulation through the heater and defroster outlets. Place switch in center position to turn blower off.
  2. “DEFROST” knob, when pulled out, directs the flow of air supplied by the blower to the windshield. In cases of extreme side window fogging, adjust instrument panel air outlets so that air is directed up toward the side windows. For maximum windshield defrosting, place “Heat Range” lever in “HOT” position and “Heat and Vent” lever in “OFF” position, then pull out defroster knob; place blower on ”HI”.

For less defrosting and more heating, push “Defrost” knob in, then move “Heat and Vent” lever to the right. Air may be directed equally to defroster and heater outlets by placing “Heat and Vent” control in center position and pulling “Defroster” knob out. CAUTION: Due to the design of these controls, full defrost cannot be obtained at the same time as full heat. Do not force controls as damage may result.

  1. “HEAT RANGE” lever is the temperature control which regulates the temperature of forced air provided by the blower. For coldest setting, place lever in “OFF” position. For warmest setting, mover lever to extreme right position. The lever may be set between “OFF” and “HOT” as desired to suit personal comfort. When this lever is in any position except “OFF” or “HOT”, temperature of car interior is automatically controlled.
  2. “HEAT AND VENT” lever regulates the volume of heated or unheated forced air, depending upon position of “Heat Range” lever, supplied at three (3) outlets; one midway underneath the instrument panel and one at each end of instrument panel. The volume of air supplied to the passenger compartment at these points increases as the lever is moved from the “OFF” toward the “ON” position. For maximum rear compartment heating, make certain that all windows and outside ventilators are completely closed; then move this lever to “ON” position and place blower on “HI” Refer to “Defrost paragraph when defrosting is desired with heating.

AIR CONDITIONER

Buick’s Air Conditioner system available as optional equipment consists of a mechanical refrigeration system which is combined with the heating and defrosting system to provide heating, defrosting, cooling, and dehumidification in any combination required by the weather. In addition to these features, all outside air flowing through the system is filtered.

AIR CONDITIONER CONTROLS

The air conditioner controls have been combined with heater controls for simplified operation. See Figure A, below.

The left half of the air conditioner panel is used to operate the heater and defroster and is identical in operation to that of the “Heater and Defroster” described above; likewise, the “Blower” switches are identical.

  1. “BLOWER” switch is operated in the manner described above for “Heater and Defroster” and is also used for air conditioning.
  2. “DEFROST” knob is also operated in the manner described above for “Heater and Defroster”. Due to mechanical design, defroster cannot be opened when air conditioner is ”ON”; this prevents windshield fogging. NOTE: “Heater-Air Max” lever corresponds to “Heat and Vent” lever referred to in “Defrost” paragraph under Heater and Defroster Controls on this page.
1956 Buick Air Conditioner Defrost Controls

1956 Buick Air Conditioner Defrost Controls

  • “WARMER” – The lower left hand lever is the heater and defroster temperature control which regulates the temperature of forced air provided by the blower. For coldest setting, place lever in “OFF” position. For warmest setting, move lever to extreme right position. The lever may be positioned anywhere between “OFF” and extreme right position as desired to suit personal requirements. When this lever is in any position except “OFF” or ”HOT”, temperature of car interior is automatically controlled.
  • “HEATER-AIR MAX” -Operating the upper lever within this range regulates the volume of heated or unheated forced air, depending upon position of temperature control lever, supplied at three (3) outlets, one midway underneath the instrument panel and one at each end of instrument panel. The volume of air supplied to the passenger compartment at these points increases as the lever is moved from the “OFF” toward the “MAX” position.
  • For maximum rear compartment heating, make certain that all windows and outside ventilators are completely closed; then move this lever to “MAX” position, place blower on “HI”.

    The right half of the air conditioner control panel operates the air conditioner system. Figure B.

    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Blower Controls

    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Blower Controls

    1. “FRIGIDAIRE” – Moving the upper lever through this range to the extreme right ”ON” position puts the compressor into operation and starts the air conditioner system when engine is running. By moving this lever from “MAX” to “ON” position, it also closes the air outlet located midway underneath instrument panel and opens the right dash ventilator. During air conditioner operation the opened right dash vent permits return air from passenger compartment to be mixed with filtered outside air. The mixture is then cooled before entering the passenger compartment.
    2. ”COLDER”-Moving the lower right lever through this range to the “MAX” position provides the greatest amount of cooling when the heater and defroster temperature control is in “OFF” position. The lever may be placed anywhere between “COLDER” and “MAX” positions as desired to suit personal requirements.
    3. An air outlet mounted on center of instrument panel is equipped with a valve which may be raised or lowered as desired for upper level cooling. During heater operation, this valve should be closed completely.
    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Air Outlet

    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Air Outlet

    CLOSE WHEN HEATING OPEN FOR COOLING

    In hot climates, when car is parked in the sun with the windows closed, it is recommended that the windows be •opened for a short period of time to allow the accumulated heated air to be expelled. This will help your Air Conditioner to cool the car interior more quickly. Driving with transmission in “Low” range in city traffic for a short period after starting will also reduce cooling time.

    During a rain, especially in mild climates when the temperature is low and the humidity is high, the Air Conditioner can be operated in conjunction with the heater by moving lower lever “Warmer” to the right. The Air Conditioner will dehumidify (dry) the air and the heater will then warm it.

     

    BLOWER MOTOR

    Gr. 9.779, Part #504 7864, Motor-Defroster and Heater Blower, has now been released for replacement use on 1956 cars. This motor will eliminate the necessity of replacing the complete Blower and Motor, Gr. 9. 779 Part #3135223 when only the motor is needed. Motor No. 5047864 will be put in the 1956 Parts Book with the March 1st replacement pages.

     

    IMPROVED HEATER TEMP. CONTROL

    Since the publication of the improved heater temperature control article covered in BPS 2.399 dated December 30, 1955, the Engineering Department has made further improvements in the 1956 heater system, which will provide a greater range of control from the Ranco Valve. This change will become effective in production approximately May 1.

    The new Ranco Valve can be readily identified from the old by observing the angle and location of the inlet pipe as shown in Fig. 87.

    1956 Buick Heater Temperature Control

    1956 Buick Heater Temperature Control

    The Parts Department will exhaust all stock of old valve before shipping new ones; therefore, whenever an old type Ranco Valve is used as a replacement, it should also be adjusted and corrected in accordance with Paragraph ”1 ” of this procedure.

    The following corrective measures, when applied to the old Ranco Valves, Gr. 9.795 Part #1171149 will be effective in increasing the range of control and will improve heater operation.

    1. Remove the Ranco Valve and place a piece of rubber or plastic tubing 5 3/4″ long over the capillary tube and slide it down to the mounting plate. This tubing should be flexible and have a 5/16″ I.D. with approximately 1/2″ O.D. The end of the capillary should then be coiled as shown in Fig. 88 & 89.
    1956 Buick Heater Temperature Control Ranco Valve

    1956 Buick Heater Temperature Control Ranco Valve

    1956 Buick Capillary Tube

    1956 Buick Capillary Tube

    Care should be exercised when bending the end of the capillary tube not to break it. The adjustment screw on the Ranco Valve body must be turned one (1) full turn (360°) clockwise. Before reinstalling the Ranco Valve assembly in the car, cut a notch in the dash mat as shown in Fig. 89; this will hold the flexible tubing in the proper location.

  • The coiled part of the capillary tube should then be placed in the adapter housing as shown in Figure 89.
  • NOTE: The rubber or plastic tubing on the capillary should extend from the valve mounting plate on the Ranco Valve to 1/2″ inside the adapter housing as shown in Fig. 89. Severe kinks in the tubing must be avoided because the purpose of the tubing is to provide an air passage from the heater duct along the capillary tube.

    CAUTION: Make certain that sufficient clearance exists between coiled end of capillary and adapter housing to prevent rattles.

    To prevent pinching the tubing where it enters the heater adapter, the slot in the heater adapter should be cut 1/2″ wide as indicated in Fig. 90.

    1956 Buick Adapter Housing

    1956 Buick Adapter Housing

    Care must be taken to position tubing so that it does not interfere with operation of cam on the Ranco Valve.

    1. To make sure that there are no air leaks between the Ranco Valve mounting plate and dash, a small amount of Purma Gum or suitable sealing compound should be placed around the Ranco Valve as shown in Figure 93.
    2. If a noticeable difference in temperature exists between the left and right discharge nozzles (instrument panel air outlet), the heater defroster core should be sealed with Purma Gum or sealing compound as shown in Fig. 91.
    1956 Buick Right Heater Core

    1956 Buick Right Heater Core

    Access to this core can be gained by removing the inner heater housing. However, this will not be necessary on cars built after January 1, 1956, or on cars which have the capillary tube repositioned in heater adapter housing as outlined in BPS 2.399.

    Fig. 92 & 93 shows 1st and after job heater hose arrangement.

    1956 Buick Water Hose from Ranco Valve to Radiator

    1956 Buick Water Hose from Ranco Valve to Radiator

    1956 Buick Water Hose from Ranco Valve to Bottom of Radiator

    1956 Buick Water Hose from Ranco Valve to Bottom of Radiator

    The following method of re-routing the heater hoses on after jobs is recommended to simplify the change:

    1. Disconnect both hoses from Ranco Valve and remove and discard short hose leading from top of heater core to Ranco Valve inlet shown in Figure 92.
    2. The water hose from water manifold to heating core shown in Fig. 92 should be disconnected from the water manifold end and cut 23″ from water manifold end to fit on the outlet pipe of the Ranco Valve as shown in Figure 93.
    3. Remove hose from Ranco Valve to bottom of radiator shown in Fig. 92 and cut to sufficient length for installation between Ranco Valve inlet and engine water manifold shown in Figure 93
    4. A new hose 56″ long for 40-60 Series and 61″ long for 50-70 Series will have to be installed from the top of the heater core to the bottom of the radiator. See Fig. 93. Care must be exercised when installing hose that it does not interfere with the lower control arm.

     

    RANCO VALVE LEAKAGE

    Supplementing the information in BPS 2.409 dated July 16, 1956, relative to “Insufficient Cooling” on 1956 Air Conditioner equipped cars, we have found in some cases that the ranco valve will operate satisfactorily when the air surrounding the capillary tube is above 70° ; however, on air conditioned cars when the temperature surrounding the capillary tube is below 70°, the valve doesn’t operate properly , allowing hot water to enter the heater core where it will warm the cool air before it enters the passenger compartment. This is caused by the cool air surrounding the capillary tube condensing or liquifying the gas in the tube, resulting in a loss of pressure on the bellows in the ranco valve, consequently, allowing the spring to take up the slack in the valve linkage and hold the valve open.

    This may easily be corrected in the car by bending the lock pin on the ranco valve “Up” just enough to cause a drag on the cam, or when rotating cam should only be made at room temperature or n t lower than 70°; otherwise, proper adjustment will not be obtained.

    clockwise, the cam overcenter spring snaps the edge of the relieved portion of the cam to the centerline of the lock pin. See View A, Figure 94.

    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Ranco Valve Adjustment

    1956 Buick Air Conditioner Ranco Valve Adjustment

    Further movement of the cam to the fully closed position will lock valve closed. CAUTION: This adjustment

     

    BLOWER SWITCH BREAKAGE

    1956 Model

    We have received reports that the heater and defroster blower switch on 1956 models is being damaged when the control panel is disconnected and pulled to one side carelessly to perform other operations on the instrument panel. We have found that in most cases service men are neglecting to disconnect the blower switch wires when they disconnect the control panel. This is the primary cause of the switch breaking. Therefore, before removing the control panel, always disconnect these wires.

     

    HEATING COMPLAINTS

    1956 Models

    This article supersedes rear passenger heater complaints issued inBPS2.399datedDecember30, 1955.

    If any owners complain of insufficient heat in the rear passenger compartment, it is suggested that the following be checked:

    1. Make sure all heater air hoses under the instrument panel are properly connected.
    2. See that front and rear carpets are not rolled up under the seat, preventing heat from passing to the rear compartment.

    After checking the above two steps, instruct the owner in the proper method of heater operation.

    1. Make sure all windows, door ventilator and dash ventilators are closed. NOTE: Opening door ventilator creates a vacuum in passenger compartment and allows cold air to flow into rear compartment from the trunk.
    2. Adjust air outlets on each side of the instrument panel so that it is aimed between the door and seat, and that it is directed downward.
    3. Turn blower to “High” speed position.

    If the above steps are followed, the rear passenger compartment temperature will be the same as 1955.

     

    SEAT BELTS

    The Seat Belts which were recently released by the Parts Department for 1956 as a dealer installed accessory, can be used in Past Model Buicks by using the same method as shown on the instruction sheet which is included with each Seat Belt Package.

    When installing these belts in past model Buicks, the belt attaching holes should first be located on the floor pan, and before drilling the hole, it will be necessary to determine if the hole or mounting washer will interfere with any pipes, brackets or frame members on the under side of the floor pan. If an interference should be found, relocate the holes so the mounting washer will have adequate clearance and bear solidly on the under side of the floor pan.

    The Flat Rate Times for installation of seat belts are as follows:

    Front Seat – All Models (except 52-53-72-73) One Pair (for each person) .6 (Add .2 hr. for each additional pr.)

    Front Seat – Models 52-53-72-73 Includes: R&R back of front seat back and install “seat protector stripe.”
    One Pair (For each person) 1.7
    Two Pairs 2.1
    Three Pairs 2.3

    Rear Seat -All Models -One Pair (for each person) (add .2 hr. for each additional pair) .7