What is a rheostat?
02-10-2019, 02:52 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14
What is a rheostat?
I have a 65 mustang and I decided I would redo the heating system. The car hasn’t had operating heat since I got it years ago. I took the heater box out and there is no heat resister in the front of it and there’s no hole where there ever was one and I don’t see any wires for it either. I also noticed that the heater control in the dash looks different than the ones I see pictured in the parts magazines.
I then saw a heater jumped wire that looks more like what plugs into my heater control switch and I am wondering is this what I need or do all 65 Mustangs have the resistor? Do I need to cut a hold and put the resistor in?
I then saw a heater jumped wire that looks more like what plugs into my heater control switch and I am wondering is this what I need or do all 65 Mustangs have the resistor? Do I need to cut a hold and put the resistor in?
02-10-2019, 03:50 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,327
It's basically an adjustable resister...
It can can adjust generator characteristics, dim lights, and start or control the speed of an
electric motor. A potentiometer is basically the same thing, but I generally characterize a
rheostat as more heavy duty, but the term "rheostat" is becoming obsolete, and being
replaced by potentiometer.
You can replace a HVAC fan controller with one, which gives you complete adjustment.
The resisters in HVAC car systems are staged levels using fixed resisters for set speeds.
Using a rheostat will just allows you whatever speed you want. The dash light dimmer
you turn on the headlamp switch is a rheostat (potentiometer). If you had a resister
pack like in a HVAC fan controller for dash lights, then you'd only have three - four
fixed settings for the dash lights...
It can can adjust generator characteristics, dim lights, and start or control the speed of an
electric motor. A potentiometer is basically the same thing, but I generally characterize a
rheostat as more heavy duty, but the term "rheostat" is becoming obsolete, and being
replaced by potentiometer.
You can replace a HVAC fan controller with one, which gives you complete adjustment.
The resisters in HVAC car systems are staged levels using fixed resisters for set speeds.
Using a rheostat will just allows you whatever speed you want. The dash light dimmer
you turn on the headlamp switch is a rheostat (potentiometer). If you had a resister
pack like in a HVAC fan controller for dash lights, then you'd only have three - four
fixed settings for the dash lights...
Last edited by 08'MustangDude; 02-10-2019 at 03:56 PM.
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