Hybrid_From_Hell Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Hi all. the heater on my 90 is like I guess everyone else’s - erm pretty dire ☹️😂 mine also has a number of problems and the entire gearbox system thingy is currently on my bench and pipes in truck about to be joined together whilst I look at options to upgrade the 2 speed is a joke. Buts like a mouse breathing out and then hi speed mouse panting …. is the later system on say pumas or td5s etc ant better - mine is 1986 flavour anyone fitted something from mother car / 4x4 and if so links / I sort of have it on the bench and fancy making something seriously powerful from bits etc ….and curious as I can’t believe nobody hasn’t come up with something decent ?/ nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Many years ago I fitted a Vauxhall Cavalier blower fan to the series 3 style heater box that I grafted to my series 2 dash. That came with a 4 speed motor and blew an absolute hurricane. Combined with the hot water provided by a 3.5 V8 that truck was windows open all winter long. All the in-dash ducting was 40mm (ish) plastic waste pipe with outlets at the footwells and windscreen. Enhanced demist could be achieved by stuffing a couple of rags in the footwell outlets. The series heater matrix is much smaller than the 90/110 type and I was amazed how much heat it could exchange into the cabin air. I am sure a well flushed out or new heater matrix would make a big deiiference. My RRC used to have warm air in the cabin within a few minutes of startup on a winters morning, and we know how quick the V8 warms up, so the rest has to be down to the matrix, ducting and blower motor. When I first bought my 110 I had the lower dash heater ducts apart and lined the large cavity with foam. My thought was that this might stop the cold steel structure robbing any heat from the first puff of warm air. I'm not sure this really helped, but on my vapour plan list is a scheme to fit modern car type convoluted heater ducting within the lower dash and direct it to the existing outlets. Obviously this won't boost the air flow but I feel sure it should cut down on the losses of heat and wind. 90/110/Defender blower motors do suffer from incoming wet and mud around them; the bearings get tight and/or rumbly and the whole thing struggles to turn. Good used motors are hard to find, but when working as intended they are an improvement over the 30-40 year old one you may have fitted. Another upgrade I did on the 110's heater was to fit a PTC heater element. There was a thread on here many years ago about this written by TSD. I had forgotten I also posted my own PTC build thread too. The PTC packed up some time ago and the replacement has been on the shelf for nearly as long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Have you looked at the leaks and adjustment stuff first? Never had any issues with the volume of air from mine before I stripped it, and that was in a station wagon body too rather than a truck cab. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Think yourself lucky you don't have a TD5 - same asthmatic blower and an engine that runs colder than a cold thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 The Puma heater is somewhat better than the heaters before it, but it doesnt fit in the same place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Rebuild the heater box with a new matrix, and ensure all the ducting/flaps are working correctly. Also sort the drafts from door gaps and the like. The standard Defender heater will produce more than enough heat to make a 90 cab uncomfortable, particular with a big V8 feeding it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Stock heater properly set up should be pretty good, these days I can't help but feel if you want more than that it's only £70 for a knock-off Eberspacher that will hoof out 5kW all day long, and being able to leave it running while parked is very nice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat_pending Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 No trouble with my heater on the 110 once warmed up. I'd get the standard system working properly before deciding if you need to fit something else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 I put a reconditioned Tdi Defender heater system into my 109, and it ends up scorching in sub zero conditions in little over five minutes at around freezing air temperatures. Try removing the hoses, pipes and matrix and descaling them with some appropriate acids. Make sure it gets reassembled with attention paid to preventing air leaks and ensuring correct adjustment of the Bowden cables and I think you’ll be surprised at just how capable it is, especially in a 90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 With a V8 of that stature you should have no problem getting good heat out of the standard setup. Even the asthmatic series heaters are good with a V8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 It's not so much the HEAT but the flow and now I have the hug heater box on my bench its a pretty poor design, I have a few ideas I am munching through, prob most won't work out but will see what I can come up with. Thought maybe later defenders might have had a better system, seems not now !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 I was meaning flow too.... they shift a decent amount of air but that's obviously no good if the seals all leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 As long as the motor /switch is in good nick (new ones are available) and the fan is kicking out air properly, it's just a matter of sealing the airflow so it doesn't escape round the sides of the matrix, out all the little gaps I'm the heater box, and out the crumbled foam gasket on the bulkhead before it makes it as far as the vents. Some neoprene tape and pu sealant works wonders. The air from my screen vents will part my hair on full whack 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 When I first bought my 300tdi the heater worked well, but 10 years later it flows cold air at all times, getting only warm when turned fully on. It is nearly time for the 110 to get a birthday, but haven't quite finished the v8 one yet. When I pulled the v8s heater out the fan housing had rusted thru so I had to make a new panel for it, unfortunately I didn't buy the new complete fan I saw on ebay a few years ago. The lower dash/duct was in good enough condition but all foam seals were determined so replaced all of those and zinc plated and powdercoated all the parts I could in that and the heater box. When it all is working as new it is pretty good, even in snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 That’s what I’m trying to say - the standard spec is plenty, as long as it’s in good order. No need to waste time and money on expensive upgrades, just clean, refurbish and carefully reassemble the standard parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 Again this is more an off-road issue - when it goes in bonnet deep the amount of steam that arrives on the inside of the screen is bonkers so I want more air flow to clear it quicker road use its fine … I saw on a challenge truck guys who had even fitted internal wipers which was a unique solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat_pending Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 5 hours ago, Hybrid_From_Hell said: when it goes in bonnet deep the amount of steam that arrives on the inside of the screen is bonkers Raised air intake for the heater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Heated screen has got to be the quickest option then IMO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat_pending Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 6 hours ago, pat_pending said: Raised air intake for the heater? And stick one of these bad boys on it... Universal 3'' Car Electric Turbocharger 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I haven't used this but it makes claims! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395271229127?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=gnvCGhCvRzm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=9yXbXNDuQSq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Mo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Where's the steam coming from? I have often seen more steam on the outside than in.... which the heater can't solve unfortuantely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I'm going to drop @TSD in it here as the only chap I know who has instrumented & tested Land Rover heater fans as well as a few popular alternatives, if he's still got the data to hand or at least the vague outlines of the results... I believe the short version is that in actual use (blowing into a closed box) the Land Rover fan is actually very hard to beat - provided it's not half seized / full of mud and assorted flora and fauna as most of them are by now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSD Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I've probably still got the spreadsheets somewhere, but yes, once the mud, leaves and various dead dogs are removed, and the motor cleaned and oiled, the Defender fan preforms as well as the often suggested Suzuki fan - when pointing into the Defender dash. Just running up the fan on its own, the Suzuki unit feels a lot stronger, but it can't deal with the pressure restriction of the dashboard, so once fitted it performs about the same. Puma fan can deliver more, but its bigger and opposite handed so it isn't an easy option. As already said above, once it's all clean and shiny, then making sure all the linkages are right, and sealing the leaks where possible makes the biggest change. Even a small leak has a large effect, because the fan is pushing into a series of restrictions all the way to the windscreen. So heater box, bulkhead seal, lower dash airbox and flaps, and the pipes up to the demister slots are all worth looking at. For running the fan at full chat, the wiring is usually inadequate. Something like the common headlight upgrade with a relay can be done for the fan. It won't make any difference at the lower speeds where the resistor block dominates, but at full chat there's more to be had. Beware it's possible LR never intended the motor to see the full 13.8V, so the motor life might suffer if used a lot or for long periods. You might need/want a slightly larger fuse too. Instant steam when entering the water almost certainly means the heater box has filled with water - a better fan and heater is only going to make that worse unless the water is kept out. It also suggests the heater box is drawing air from the engine compartment, which isn't really a good idea. That said, my Ibex has been doing that for twenty years and it hasn't killed me yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jon White Posted August 12 Popular Post Share Posted August 12 I’ve just been through all of this. The RDX fan is just a freelander 2 fan. Nothing more special than that (Nige and I saw it on sale at a show last year and took a note of the part numbers off the back). (Also used in an Evoque and various Volvos including a V60). Anyway - less than a tenner from the breakers and a bit of fabrication its fitted. I can report it makes a MASSIVE difference over the rubbish defender fan, and also forced me to remove the metal intake scoop i had over the wing top inlet as it can pull way more air in than that scoop can flow. Slow speed is now faster than the defender was on full pelt, and on full pelt it makes a massive difference. Airflow is now much more balanced and equal side to side. I do also have an Eberspacher (equivalent) so heat was never a problem for me, however sufficient airflow for demisting was. Hope this helps someone. Jon 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 You could probably 3D print a decent enough adapter plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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