HEATER BRASS MONKIES

[plasticpig72]

I know a S3 is for driving in the summer with the roof down listening to the exhaust note.
Maybe i'm strange but i would like to get the heater working. The problem is that the heater blower motor is seized. For sure i am not going to strip down the dash to remove it.
I want to have heat in both footwells. So i am thinking of buying 2x 50mm 12v axial fans, then placing 1 in each outlet flexible in the footwells. These will extract air from the heater plenum.
What do you think
Alan B

[Griffinr]

Might be worth a try, but the air will be sucked past the heater fan blades which will offer resistance, and will also come in through the screen vents which will obviously be cold.
Rob.

[Bobhon]

When I stripped out the dash to remove the heater from my old S2 I actually found that you didn't need to remove the heater box from the car to get the fan and motor out. i.e. I think that you could get it out without removing the dash.

Expect the usual GRP rash on the backs of the hands though.

Bob

[phillpot]

As Rob (griffinr) said, I think it may well take the path of least resistance and pull air in through the screen vents totally by-passing the heater matrix?

When I had my heater out I found the flap thingy that diverts air to either screen or interior made a rubbish seal when in interior position so again air took easiest route to the screen rather than a metre or so of wiggely pipe to the footwell "eyeballs".

[Oldred_V8S]

phillpot said:

As Rob (griffinr) said, I think it may well take the path of least resistance and pull air in through the screen vents totally by-passing the heater matrix?

When I had my heater out I found the flap thingy that diverts air to either screen or interior made a rubbish seal when in interior position so again air took easiest route to the screen rather than a metre or so of wiggely pipe to the footwell "eyeballs".

What he said, moving the direction slider on mine seems to slightly reduce the air to the screen

[AutoAndy]

plasticpig72 said:

...The problem is that the heater blower motor is seized...
Alan B

Just a thought - Has it seized or has the switch stopped working - this has happened to me and some others.

[plasticpig72]

i can touch with my fingers the blower blades at the back of the heater and i can not make it rotate. It is definately seized.i have tested the output from the fan switch with a multimeter and it is o.k. I have tested the blower moter circuits and they are both o.k.( high and low speed) but it does not rotate.
Alan B

[plasticpig72]

just an update on the heater blower. I drilled a hole through the blower body on the pasenger side. i then poked a screwdriver in the hole to free up and make the rotor turn. Now it turns, but is still a little stiff. Reconnected the cables but it will still not turn under power.I think i will increase the size of the hole to 50mm dia, so i can squirt some WD40 on the bearing. That will be it's last chance!! If no good then plan "B", fitting axial fans in each of the footwell outlets.
If the axial fans work i will think about the same idea for the fresh air vent eyeballs in the centre tunnel between the seats.
Alan B

[Gerald-TVR]

plasticpig72 said:

just an update on the heater blower. I drilled a hole through the blower body on the pasenger side. i then poked a screwdriver in the hole to free up and make the rotor turn. Now it turns, but is still a little stiff. Reconnected the cables but it will still not turn under power.I think i will increase the size of the hole to 50mm dia, so i can squirt some WD40 on the bearing. That will be it's last chance!! If no good then plan "B", fitting axial fans in each of the footwell outlets.
If the axial fans work i will think about the same idea for the fresh air vent eyeballs in the centre tunnel between the seats.
Alan B

got a complete heater unit if that helps

[magpies]

Hi Norman
can you pm me with the price of the heater as mione had the pipes cut flush with the bulkhead when he took the engine out

[phillpot]

magpies said:

mine had the pipes cut flush with the bulkhead when he took the engine out

Aren't the pipes just rubber? they go straight through the bulkhead and join onto the heater up behind the dash, mine do (and a right fiddle to access, steering column out helps).

[magpies]

I must admit I have not looked at that yet

[phillpot]

Had I known about these at the time think I'd have used one.
A more "professional" and easier to water-proof way of passing through a bulkhead .

[greymrj]

Good 'spot' that one Mike, I am going to get one from Car Builder Solutions and see how I get on....will report back. Might as well do it while everything else is out!