Club 80-90 Forums

After fixing the heater blower a couple of months ago I've been coping with the heater putting out a little heat to just take the edge off things in this weather. I put it down to my short trips to work and back being not long enough for the heater to heat up but on a recent trip to Sheffield there was no change in heat hardly. Matt at Autohauls Dolby said these things are usually "nuclear" at putting heat out.

Where should I start looking? When the heater does start to put some heat out is probably after say 5 miles and by that time I'm a mile off work. Should the heater start getting warm before the main radiator at the front?

Rob

1_eyed_jim wrote: Should the heater start getting warm before the main radiator at the front?

Rob

Yes - is the heater valve moving when you adjust the heat? Above the spare under the the gearstick gaiter to the right.

1_eyed_jim wrote: after say 5 miles and by that time I'm a mile off work.

Rob

that's the same as mine..

Yup - check the heater valve behind the spare wheel, it sometimes needs a little help to move that final couple of mm even thought the lever on the dash says it is fully across. made a huge difference to mine.

That said i guess less heat when stationary at traffic lights but it picks up again as soon as i start moving. So if your 5 miles is in stop/start traffic you probably wont get much heat at all.

Blasting down the motorway it positively blasts the heat out.

Also loads of heat in the summer even with the valve fully on cold!

chriscburgess wrote:Also loads of heat in the summer even with the valve fully on cold!

You have a worn valve

Oldiebut goodie wrote:

1_eyed_jim wrote: Should the heater start getting warm before the main radiator at the front?

Rob

Yes - is the heater valve moving when you adjust the heat? Above the spare under the the gearstick gaiter to the right.

The heater valve moves when someone adjusts the controller in the cab.

Someone mentioned the thermostat maybe stuck open thus taking the system forever to heat up. Is this a possibility? Or are they generally crap heaters with too much space to heat

My heater belts hot air out

I'm tempted to leave the engine running in the winter instead of firing up the Propex

With my diesel its usually putting out plenty of heat within a couple of miles or so...But if its -10c outside it may take a while longer.

Mark

1_eyed_jim wrote: Someone mentioned the thermostat maybe stuck open thus taking the system forever to heat up. Is this a possibility? Or are they generally crap heaters with too much space to heat

Yes, that is a possibility, if the thermostat is stuck open then the coolant will take an age to warm up as it being continually cooled through the radiator (I have this problem) - the temp gauge should give you a good indication of how hot your heater is going to be ... the hotter the gauge is showing, the hotter your heater air will be ...

Mine starts belting out nice hot air within a couple of miles . I always let her warm up for a few minutes first before setting off.

1664 wrote:

chriscburgess wrote:Also loads of heat in the summer even with the valve fully on cold!

You have a worn valve

Have you been speaking with my wife?

In my experience you need at least 7 minutes from cold to get anything approaching 'noticeable' heat from the front, new blower or not. Oh, and your engine timing also plays a part in heater output as some engines can run hotter than others. When I first got my T25 the heater was outrageous until I set the timing correctly

You can certainly improve things quite a bit by sealing areas where heat might be lost, insulationg doors, floor etc. Lots on here regarding insulation (even on a budget). Also. giving the cooling system a really good flush with a flushing agent and new antifreeze can make a hell of a difference.

A Propex heater is best solution in winter though. I now have an extra timer/relay which automatically switches on the Propex 20 mins before I leave for work - result = toasty on freezing mornings and defrosted windows withoiut the hassle of having to crunch across the ice in slippers just to start getting the vehicle warm .

If its not really cold out there, it doesn't fire anyway up as the thermostat works all that out. On the way to work , eventually the front heater starts kicking out some real heat and this in turn prompts the Propex thermostat to switch off. The timer is important though otherwise its rather too easy to lock up, go into work whistling a nondescript tune, and five minutes later the Propex starts up.

On leaving work, the cycle repeats. I've not found an interior heating solution that works better than that.

CovKid wrote:In my experience you need at least 7 minutes from cold to get anything approaching 'noticeable' heat from the front, new blower or not. Oh, and your engine timing also plays a part in heater output as some engines can run hotter than others. When I first got my T25 the heater was outrageous until I set the timing correctly

You can certainly improve things quite a bit by sealing areas where heat might be lost, insulationg doors, floor etc. Lots on here regarding insulation (even on a budget). Also. giving the cooling system a really good flush with a flushing agent and new antifreeze can make a hell of a difference.

A Propex heater is best solution in winter though. I now have an extra timer/relay which automatically switches on the Propex 20 mins before I leave for work - result = toasty on freezing mornings and defrosted windows withoiut the hassle of having to crunch across the ice in slippers just to start getting the vehicle warm .

If its not really cold out there, it doesn't fire anyway up as the thermostat works all that out. On the way to work , eventually the front heater starts kicking out some real heat and this in turn prompts the Propex thermostat to switch off. The timer is important though otherwise its rather too easy to lock up, go into work whistling a nondescript tune, and five minutes later the Propex starts up.

On leaving work, the cycle repeats. I've not found an interior heating solution that works better than that.

Nice well thought out system you've got there. Food for thought.

MidLifeCrisis wrote:

1_eyed_jim wrote: Someone mentioned the thermostat maybe stuck open thus taking the system forever to heat up. Is this a possibility? Or are they generally crap heaters with too much space to heat

Yes, that is a possibility, if the thermostat is stuck open then the coolant will take an age to warm up as it being continually cooled through the radiator (I have this problem) - the temp gauge should give you a good indication of how hot your heater is going to be ... the hotter the gauge is showing, the hotter your heater air will be ...

So is the cab heater matrix separate from the front radiator and the thermostat separates this and only opening when things get too hot?

Just been out with a thermal imaging camera and pointed it at the thermostat housing. All pipes leading to and from the housing are getting warm at the same rate. So this to me confirms the thermostat is stuck open or even worse not there!

Another job on the list to do