greetings...

it is my understanding astro ventilation is supposed to flow air from the wiper door thru the astro balls and out the back louvers... the back louvers operate... just caints getts anything from the ball vents...

i push the knobs in and getts zero air flow when motoring down the road...

i pull the knobs out and getts zero air flow when motoring down the road...

have tried with heat on... have tried with defrost on... have tried with fan on...

are the knobs supposed to be out to flow air... or are the knobs supposed to be in to flow air... 

johnny

Hi, The pull knobs are supposed to be out to flow air. If you look in the vents, you can see the door and how it operates with the knob. Very likely the duct is missing, or badly misaligned with the system to produce air. Also previous owners may have had a hand in the system.  It's 53 years old. A lot can happen in that span of time. 

Click on image for full view

Pull the knob out then look through the vent diffuser to see if the door inside moved. If the door doesn't open use a stick or screw driver to gently push on the door when pulling the knob. Do this several times to get it unstuck. The seal might have deteriorated gluing the door shut. Also, it may be just need lubrication on the hinge/cable.

Jan

My guess is a vent tube underneath the dash somewhere is missing Johnny, like Manchestershark suggested. 

Also, you should be feeling some resistance when operating the vent's knob. If not, the flapper valve could be stuck in the closed position and the knob's rod is detached from it.

Good luck.

Steve 

greetings...

both sides are working properly... can see the flapper open and close working the push pull knob...

felt zero air flow until it turned colder last week... could feel ambient temp air flowing...

johnny

Steve