27 replies to this topic

[asmith88]

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Please give your topic a title that quickly describes your problem. Just putting 'Help my Mini doesn't work' is useless to anyone trying to help.
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Model: mini 1982 hl
Year:1982
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):
the heater has been playing up on my mini recently, firstly the fan stopped, faulty earth, fixed.
secondly i tried a higher thermostat, didnt work,

the problem is that if i leave the car running for ten minutes it seems to heat up a little, i give the fan a blast and then ten seconds later it is blowing cold air,

i removed the matrix and flushed it out, it was blocked, i also check both pipes and cleaned them out, built it all back up and slightly better but same problem of not retaing its heat,

i removed the hose coming from the heater valve, the water was sizzling hot,

i cant figure out where to go from here, it dosent seem right at all

any help appreciated, cheers andy



Any non-standard parts that might be involved with the problem?

[AVV IT]

i removed the hose coming from the heater valve, the water was sizzling hot,

but on which side of the valve? Is the heater valve actually opening & closing fully? (as they have a nasty habit of seizing). Are the pipes warm as they enter & leave the heater?

Edited by AVV IT, 21 December 2010 - 05:53 PM.

[keefers]

had similar problem, in the end changed the stat, (even though appeared to work ok), and had no further problem.

best of luck

[asmith88]

heater valve is opening fine, i have blown through both pipes and they seem clear, the thermostat was changed very recently as well,

which pipe is in and which pipe is out of the matrix?

[AVV IT]

which pipe is in and which pipe is out of the matrix?

the one with the valve on should be "IN" & the one that connects to the bottom hose should be "OUT"

[asmith88]

and the hose on the top of the matrix is out, and the one on the bottom in?

[AVV IT]

and the hose on the top of the matrix is out, and the one on the bottom in?

I'm not so sure about that sorry. Unfortunately I'm used to the later type heater, where the hoses exit on the passenger side & are mounted at 90 degrees. (so in my experience it's a case of the hoses being "left & right" as opposed to "top & bottom")...It should be fairly obvious though, if you trace the hoses back through the bulkhead toward the valve & bottom hose etc.

[mikey72]

Mine was nearly blocked solid where the heater hose connects to the bottom hose. The metal tube was full of rust and scale. Give it a poke through.

Edited by mikey72, 21 December 2010 - 07:34 PM.

[asmith88]

i blew through them and they seem to be clear, im pretty sure the hoses are the correct way around, just trying to write off different possibilities.

[AVV IT]

im pretty sure the hoses are the correct way around, just trying to write off different possibilities.

Yes but are they warm??? As that would indicate whether or not water is getting to/through the matrix!! (it doesn't really matter if they are the wrong way around, the water will still flow from the inlet to the outlet, it will just go through the matrix in the other opposite direction, that's all)

Edited by AVV IT, 21 December 2010 - 07:39 PM.

[sonikk4]

It could be something as simple as an airlock. Try leaving your rad cap off, get the engine nice and warm then try squeezing the hoses, this will help to move the airlock if there is one.

[mikey72]

i blew through them and they seem to be clear, im pretty sure the hoses are the correct way around, just trying to write off different possibilities.

Mine was blocked in the bottom hose, not the heater hose, or do you mean you blew through the hose from the valve end, with everything else connected?

[AVV IT]

It could be something as simple as an airlock. Try leaving your rad cap off, get the engine nice and warm then try squeezing the hoses, this will help to move the airlock if there is one.

this was my next suggestion (should I actually have ever ascertained whether or not the heater pipes were hot or not!!)

[asmith88]

have had the car running for a while with no luck, it overheated today which leads me to believe a possible airlock, both pipes are warm, not hot, the car is probably 75% up the temp guage.

[mini danny]

take the rad cap off when the car cold then start her up and let her warm up to temperature and wait for the thermostat to open then just top up as the air should come out