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Hi Everyone. A seasonal conundrum - I can't get any heat out of the heater!! Scuttle vent lid OPEN, heater core backflushed and found to have a healthy water flow. New heater control valve fitted. Both heater hoses hot during test and heater box also pleasantly warm to the touch. Blower fan aking a blower noise so assumed to be working [negative discharge on voltmeter also suggesting it is running]. I assume the airduct control cable is pushed in fully to divert all airflow to the screen vent outlets? Only thing missing appears to be hot air!!

 

HELP!! Best wishes Willie

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Hi Willie

 

I knew from your headline you either had a serious vibration or a heating issue :)

 

It sounds like the fan is spinning but is the actual fan itself turning first of all? Secondly, these heaters don't actually scorch your trousers,but is the heater flap directing hot air where you need it with the control on the dash?

 

Regards

 

Kevin

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Hi Willie, Mine's a 4A so it might be different but, get down with a torch in the footwell and have a look at what the heater flap is doing, with mine if you push the control fully home then the flap goes past the screen vent outlets and simply seals off the bottom of the fan, to get fanned hot air to the screen vents I need to have flap horizontal with the bottom of the heater unit and just below the vent outlet spigots, I then get nice toasty air up across the screen and over my head in the cabin.

Cheers Rob

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John,

 

Start car and run for a couple of minutes - feel temperature of top hose.

 

Run for 10 minutes - feel temperature of top hose is it hot? Has the thermostat been closed and has now opened allowing hot water into top hose? If top hose never gets hot then it is likely to be thermostat stuck open but that would show on temperature gauge as running cool. If the thermostat is stuck open the heater will be pretty poor.

 

Feel hoses between engine and heater are they hot? If they are and the heater is cold it is the fan not blowing are through the matrix. Fan or debris problem.

 

If the heater hoses are cold then the heater valve in the hoses is not allowing water through. - I would guess most likely option.

 

Alan

 

If all else fails run car down to me and we will look together over coffee.

 

Alan (Wyedean)

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When I first had my 4a I could only smell heat not feel it. After a lot of faffing about I found I had an airlock in the heater matrix & the only way I found to get a flow through was remove the hose from the heater valve & pour water into the hose until water came out of the heater valve then stick the hose back on quickly.

 

Also you say you have the scuttle vent lid open. I thought this only allowed cold air into the plenum & out of the dash vents but I could well be wrong.

 

Dave

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Also you say you have the scuttle vent lid open. I thought this only allowed cold air into the plenum & out of the dash vents but I could well be wrong.

 

Dave

Hi Dave,

the incoming air would get out of the dash fascia vents if they were open.

That is why you need them closed to have the heater working correctly.

 

You could, of course, have the fascia vents open and the external plenum lid shut - this gives recirculating air ona very rainy day.

 

Roger

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To reply to my Wyedean colleague Alan, I did all the obvious checks to confirm no blockages in the heater matrix. I backflushed with an immediate decent flow through a 1/2" diameter hose. Water valve is brand new and both heater hoses got hot when I looked for heat through the vents with the engine at normal op temperature. Having had the heater hoses disconnected, I warmed up the engine initially with the rad cap off, and witnessed obvious air blowing from the top hose into the radiator. Rad then topped up. I must admit to ignorance of the full layout. I will be looking for the flap under the heater, and confirming that the distribution cable is working properly. My further checks will have to wait until after I watch Wales today slaughter Scotland in preparation for bloodying England noses in a weeks time.....reminds me, I haven't taken my medication today!! Best wishes Willie [John Williams].

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The heater on my 4 didn't work just like yours, valve opened fan noises etc but no heat.

I got a heater from a 4A and made a single heater from the pair using the best bits.. The matrix from the 4A was blocked internally and beyond salvage. The 4 matrix was silted up but responded to de-scaler (the type for defurring kettles etc). The hoses to the heater from the bulkhead fitting had collapsed internally and the bulkhead fitting itself was blocked with sludge even after multiple flushing of cooling system. I also found that the foam on the distribution plate had come adrift and was successfully stopping any air coming out from anywhere irrespective of the plate position. This summarizes all the problems which I found in a series of fixes and trials over a weekend. Getting to and at all this stuff is a gymnastic nightmare, So I suggest you might want to consider a complete refurb of everything. It's not something you want to revisit.

For completeness: others might like to note that the 4A and later models have a different arrangement of blowing the air about from the original 4, and I had to blank off the hose holes for the new arrangement in the 4A heater assembly. Can't remember the precise details now as it was 7-8 years ago. When finally all done I had a fully effective heater, allowing hood off winter driving, the demister actually worked and so on.

MIke

Edited by MikeF
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Just back from Cardiff...wow, do I need that medication?????

 

Back to the plot.....Many thanks to all for the additional inputs. One point - I don't consider a blocked heater core to be the problem having obtained a good flow in backflush - this was immediate, so no blockage at all. I haven't looked yet, but is the flap on the heater obvious? I haven't noticed one previously. Is having the control cable pushed fully in correct to force all the airflow through the heater matrix core into the hoses to the windscreen? My problem seems to be with the airflow not the water heating [the hot water supply valve is brand new and opening/closing OK via cable].

 

Willie

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Hi Willie,

if the knob for air direction is fully in it will block off the airflow.

You need to pull it out to the first stop(ish). Put your hand over the screen vents and pull the knob - you will feel the air coming out.

Pull out to the next stop and the airflow should come downwards towards ones feet.

 

From the lefthand footwell you should be able to put your hand under the heater and feel the flap.

 

Roger

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Just back from Cardiff...wow, do I need that medication?????

 

. One point - I don't consider a blocked heater core to be the problem having obtained a good flow in backflush - this was immediate, so no blockage at all.

 

Willie

I don't think it was the water part of the core under suspicion - more the air part, if the airway through the core is blocked with debris - dust, leaves, other general crap, then you wont get any heat out of it.

 

Bob.

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Just back from Cardiff...wow, do I need that medication?????

 

Back to the plot.....Many thanks to all for the additional inputs. One point - Is having the control cable pushed fully in correct to force all the airflow through the heater matrix core into the hoses to the windscreen?

 

Willie, the answer to this question is No, the control cable should not be pushed fully home, read Rogers reply (14) and my reply (4) .... this is all you need to know about how the flap directs air to the screen vents or the cabin (your feet).

Cheers Rob

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Many thanks to Roger and Rob for the additional detail ref the operation of the air flow cable. Blow me down (!!) I should read the handbook more carefully!

 

When I use the cable as intended, I'll update on the outcome. Fingers crossed!! Willie

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Hi Mike,

the 4 and 4A heater/vent arrangement are the same.

 

It changed with the 5

 

Roger

 

https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-model/triumph/tr2-4a/heating-ventilation/heaters-vents-fittings/heating-tr4-4a.html

thank you Rodger, The vendor thought it was from a 4A

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To update, I brought the car up to temperature, both heater hoses hot, flap open and obvious warm air escaping. No sense of hot air reaching the windscreen vents, but at least there is warmth available somewhere!! The significant passenger will be pleased!! I won't bother with any further work for now as the car is in my modern single garage, so access is limited!

 

My grateful thanks to everyone who has contributed. Willie

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