William,

Probably the later. I was just into my 84 heater control recently due
to a sticky cable. I noticed the cable had bent and was not allowing
the valve to close properly. After straightening it out and applying
some lube, it works smooth as silk and closes all the way. Hope that
helps...

Keith O

On Jul 20, 2005, at 7:42 AM, Greenamyer, William L wrote:

> Got a question on the front heater core valve.  I have it closed but
> there appears to be some coolent still getting through the core because
> it gets warm in the dash.  Is this usually an early failure mode in the
> valve or does the cable that adjusts the temperature just need to have
> the length adjusted slightly to insure the valve closes?
>
> William
>