sammyb Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hi, I've recently bought a 89' 2.5Td 'fender and it has possibly the worst heaters I've ever come across!! what have people done to cure this?? I mean they literally just circulate cold air around the cab Any help is apprecaited as its flipping freezing atm lol Samo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have just rebuilt my heater box and hope it will give plenty of warmth when the truck is back together. The potential for improvement by doing a rebuild is huge. 1 The heat exchanger had a slight weep and was probably half full of corrosion so not working very well at all. 2 The flap that directs the air over the heat exchanger was missing any foam so had gaping gaps around it. The cables need to be adjusted so this gives a tight fit so all cold air goes via the heater and not via the by-pass, 3. The heat exchanger padding had all disintegrated so there was a 1 cm gap all around it so any cold air would simple go round it and not through it... 4 The big rubber gasket to the bulkhead was perished giving an other source of cold air ingress into the system other than via the heater. So there you go. Buy yourself a pile of 4mm rivets, a new heater matrix, a new bulkhead rubber seal and a pile of self adhesive draft-excluder/padding and set to. Get the heater on to a bench. Remove the top and remove the fan and you have access to most of the critical bit. When open it will be obvious how it all works. Remember what you are aiming for it to get all the air coming through the bulkhead opening to have come via the heater matrix. Replace the matrix and get busy with the insulation. If any air can find an alternative route then it is going to make it cooler. HTHs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyb Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thanks ill have a go at rebuilding it tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=33481 have a read & check the cables are set up correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frax Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I did as Western said and now on runs of 10 mile or more I need to take my jacket off. Well worth a go before you strip it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutz Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I had done a rebuild, but also after i refitted it i made sure all adjustments had been made and mine is toastie, even without all the rubber and insulation in it; although i do get wet through condensation ( mental note to myself, put roof lining back in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyb Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 I'll try that first then! Thanks guys I'll let you know if it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashtray Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-86182-BlueCat-Heater/dp/B000ZJ97C8 :-) I have used one to "preheat" my landy before, make sure it doesnt fall over though. Works brilliant in a tent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyb Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 I dont think a butane heater is a good idea lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 its all well and good getting your heater set up right - but my tdi struggles to warm the coolant sufficiently on my morning journey to make the heater matrix worth having! engine gets up to temp, but not hot enough to force open the thermostat and actually noticably warm the rest of the coolant!!!!!!! Now if my commute involved a good motorway blast where i could get some heat into the engine, brilliant - but unfortunately sat around 20-40mph doesnt generate enough heat to get the thing going. Radiator muff is on the cards for tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Radiator muff is on the cards for tomorrow. Card is exactly the thing - the side of an old box works a treat, or a bit of tough plastic sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 its all well and good getting your heater set up right - but my tdi struggles to warm the coolant sufficiently on my morning journey to make the heater matrix worth having! engine gets up to temp, but not hot enough to force open the thermostat and actually noticably warm the rest of the coolant!!!!!!! Now if my commute involved a good motorway blast where i could get some heat into the engine, brilliant - but unfortunately sat around 20-40mph doesnt generate enough heat to get the thing going. Radiator muff is on the cards for tomorrow. But the heater matrix is permanently plumbed in on the engine side of the thermostat, the thermostat being closed is advantageous when trying to attain a hotter water temperature for cabin heating purposes surely? My Tdi is up to temperature on the gauge at 4.5 miles from home on my commute down to college, about a 10 minute drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamloveshisninety Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I can't even hear the fan making a noise on mine. have checked the fuse and fuse terminals. Checked wiring as far as i could see/reach in the engine bay. Maybe something blown up inside the matrix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 The two biggest things to fix/check... 1) Make sure the thermostat does not leak. The upper hose should be stone cold until the engine gets to 88 C. Any heat means it is leaking. IME, at least 50% of NEW ones leak... 2) Adjust the hot/cold flap so it is forced hard to the hot side. This takes 10 seconds.... There are bunch of other things to do, but those are the most common problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I can't even hear the fan making a noise on mine. have checked the fuse and fuse terminals. Checked wiring as far as i could see/reach in the engine bay. Maybe something blown up inside the matrix? The fan is probably stuck from dirt/mud.... Take off the intake grill and stick in something other than you hand and spin the fan until it frees up. This is very common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyb Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamloveshisninety Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Yes as above thank you for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrfarmer Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 its all well and good getting your heater set up right - but my tdi struggles to warm the coolant sufficiently on my morning journey to make the heater matrix worth having! engine gets up to temp, but not hot enough to force open the thermostat and actually noticably warm the rest of the coolant!!!!!!! Now if my commute involved a good motorway blast where i could get some heat into the engine, brilliant - but unfortunately sat around 20-40mph doesnt generate enough heat to get the thing going. Radiator muff is on the cards for tomorrow. my 90 runs at 60'c unless i put the muff on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 my 90 runs at 60'c unless i put the muff on Then surely your thermostat is duff....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Barrett Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Then surely your thermostat is duff....? Or perhaps he still has the viscous fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 my 90 runs at 60'c unless i put the muff on What about your 110? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Or perhaps he still has the viscous fan? The fan cools the radiator not the engine! If the thermostat is ok it won't open until 88c and radiator/fan has no bearing on the engine temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Barrett Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 But in particularly cold weather it will be pulling cold air through a cold radiator and shoving it over the engine won't it. So if the engine isn't under strain isn't it possible it won't actually get fully up to temp because of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 The concensus from a number of Scandinavians on this forum a while back that rad muffs make no difference, and I think they get colder weather than we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 At 60 degrees there is definitely something wrong, probably thermostat as above. Won't be doing much good for the efficiency of the engine either, being so cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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