furnace pilot light

Are you following the instructions? Does it light and then go out or never light?

Try holding the pilot valve button down 30 seconds to purge the line of air, let the gas clear from around the burner - try again.

Voltage from the thermocouple good after it warms up? don't know what the voltage should be since haven't come across that issue - but will be very low.

if the holding coil is getting voltage but it's not staying open, i would jump to the valve. Can't recommend changing it yourself; after it's changed gas pressure and monoxide should be checked.

moving parts can fail especially if they're old and in one position for a very long time.

Do you know how if a water shutoff valve which is normally open starts leaking at the stem once you mess with it? same idea.

A 1970s furnace is one that I would be afraid to touch unless really needed without extra parts and the know how - ie being a licensed tech. Take things apart, fiddle with gas valves and if something breaks you get the blame, especially if whoever you're with or doing it for isn't very understanding of such things/has no confidence in your abilities. :devil3:

The gas valve is dangerous to change if you don't know what you're doing, have experience with gas lines. Also, the valve may come calibrated for a certain pressure and may need adjustment to get the firing/fuel input rate correct.

Honestly, a 1970s furnace should only be repaired if there's no money to fix it or it's rarely used.

Long term in a climate which experiences real winters a new condensing furnace would slash the gas bills by 1/3rd, be infinitely safer.

JimL64 said:

Retired , living on a small pension and SSI .A new furnace is not in the near future . But thanks :smile: Jim

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Hopefully it's still safe and can be repaired - ie heat exchanger not cracked, burners not corroded.

I do encourage you to see in advance if there are any low income weatherization programs in your area which may offer financial assistance or even cover furnace replacement should it ever be needed. Good to know what's out there so there's no emergency.