fao Andy, Gareth etc...

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:12 pm

Hi guys
Which way round did you put the hoses on your heater matrix's?
I have my coolant hoses plumbed in the same way as Andys and the hose coming off the T piece (thermo housing/header tank) going to the top heater matrix connection is this right?
The reason i ask is that when i 1st fitted the engine it was a real ball-ache getting all of the air out of the cooling system and today i have drained it again as i suspected my rad was leaking and its being a bastard again!
Cheers Spadge...

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 9:28 pm

Correct way for the hoses is what appears to be the wrong way.
The top heater spigot connects to the "tee" hose that comes from the header tank.
Try to have the car facing slightly uphill when you fill it.

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 9:39 pm

Unclip the M20(?) header tank and lift it up slightly whilst your filling up/bleeding/warming up, fill it right to the top, squeeze the top rad hoze and "burp" the air from the header tank by lifting/tilting it so the filler hole is highest.

Once warmed up properly if you get hot air out of your heater at low rpm then it goes cold and you get a clicking noise then you have the heater pipes on the bulkhead connected up the wrong way around.

Make sure your ignition is on and your heater is set to hot whilst your filling up/bleeding.

HTH

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:27 pm

Cheers guys
I've been doing most of that as well as trying to use the bleed screw but its still a bit hit and miss

I'll have another bash at it tomorrow.
Thanks Spadge...

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:30 pm

Andy335Touring wrote: Make sure your ignition is on and your heater is set to hot whilst your filling up/bleeding.

The heater valve is normally open and powered shut, so as long as the ignition is off it doesn't matter where the heater control is; the valve will be open.
With the ignition on, however, the control must be well away from the cold position.
It is essential to have the heater at full hot when you start the engine to check for signs of heat output from the heater as the car warms up.

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:33 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:
Andy335Touring wrote: Make sure your ignition is on and your heater is set to hot whilst your filling up/bleeding.
The heater valve is normally open and powered shut, so as long as the ignition is off it doesn't matter where the heater control is; the valve will be open.
With the ignition on, however, the control must be well away from the cold position.
It is essential to have the heater at full hot when you start the engine to check for signs of heat output from the heater as the car warms up.

I eventualy got heat from the heater Brian but i suspect there is still a little air in there. I'll shove some 'Calpol' in the mix tomorrow and pat it on the back a few times and see if that shifts the trapped wind

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:10 pm

An E30 which has been filled from empty can take several days to expel every last drop of air, but once you have output from the heater it will shift itself.

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:17 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:An E30 which has been filled from empty can take several days to expel every last drop of air, but once you have output from the heater it will shift itself.

Would i be best off leaving the cap off the header tank or leaving the air bleed screw loose for a few days then Brian? Not going to be using the car so i'm happy to let it sort itself out over the holidays.

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:19 pm

dude.. jack the car up on the pax front side.. that'll shift it!!

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:24 pm

oze30 wrote:dude.. jack the car up on the pax front side.. that'll shift it!!

Col the jack is staying in the garage until Jan 2nd at least so i'll try the Calpol 1st

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:36 pm

It'll only shift the air if it's driven. Coolant level in the bottle just drops a bit for a few days.
Maybe open the bleed valve after a few days as well.

Post Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:39 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:It'll only shift the air if it's driven. Coolant level in the bottle just drops a bit for a few days.
Maybe open the bleed valve after a few days as well.

Ok cheers Brian i'll give it a run for a few miles up to temp over the next couple of days and see how it goes.

Post Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:53 pm

Brianmoooore wrote: The heater valve is normally open and powered shut, so as long as the ignition is off it doesn't matter where the heater control is; the valve will be open.

Cool, i didn't know that