Heater probs...
Discussion
Hey Guys,
Went to get our own license plates at the LTO office yesterday and got caught in a freak blizzard
.
About the same time I realized, "It's awfully cold in here!". No heat. The car, a 99' Griff 500, has had some "modifications" performed to the dash at one time in it's life. I'm not sure if it's wired right, so maybe someone could let me know if the knobs are working correctly and what to look for. The directions in the manual don't correspond with what is actually occurring. Regarding the four knobs in front of the shifter:
Upper right: Turning the knob does nothing. Depressing it turns the blower on and then rotating it varies the blower speed. Depressing it again turns the blower off.
Upper left: Doesn't appear to do anything with rotation, visually or audibly. I *think* it's supposed to be the temp adjust. Depressing it enables the A/C compressor though.
Lower right: Appears to vary the location of the blower, fully CW goes to the demister
Lower left: Turning it left and right causes a servo to move somewhere. Maybe for fresh air or recirc? Depressing it causes a solenoid to click under the dash. Not sure what that is for.
Mysterious black pushbutton by your left knee. Two position, "set" (pushed in) and "un-set" (popped out). Manual seems to indicate it's for the instrument lighting? I have a toggle switch for instrument lights. Maybe it's just bypassed?
There are also an assortment of LEDs, some I think were added by the previous owner. They don't correspond with my owner's manual either. As for the heater, I pulled the panel out of the pass floor and checked the heater fuse. It's good. I also found, what I believe to be, the temp selector valve on the heater line. Lay upside down and you can see it behind the glovebox, outboard side of the car. Thing is, I can't see how it's controlled. It has a little knob on top that you can spin. It spins and does not appear to have a stop in either direction. I didn't see or feel any wires going into this valve. So how is it controlled? Do tiny TVR elves pop out and spin it? (Update: Rotated while watching it, no elves emerged!) Or maybe that's some sort of manual lock out valve? Doubt it. Maybe something is missing?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers,
Ryan
Went to get our own license plates at the LTO office yesterday and got caught in a freak blizzard
. About the same time I realized, "It's awfully cold in here!". No heat. The car, a 99' Griff 500, has had some "modifications" performed to the dash at one time in it's life. I'm not sure if it's wired right, so maybe someone could let me know if the knobs are working correctly and what to look for. The directions in the manual don't correspond with what is actually occurring. Regarding the four knobs in front of the shifter:
Upper right: Turning the knob does nothing. Depressing it turns the blower on and then rotating it varies the blower speed. Depressing it again turns the blower off.
Upper left: Doesn't appear to do anything with rotation, visually or audibly. I *think* it's supposed to be the temp adjust. Depressing it enables the A/C compressor though.
Lower right: Appears to vary the location of the blower, fully CW goes to the demister
Lower left: Turning it left and right causes a servo to move somewhere. Maybe for fresh air or recirc? Depressing it causes a solenoid to click under the dash. Not sure what that is for.
Mysterious black pushbutton by your left knee. Two position, "set" (pushed in) and "un-set" (popped out). Manual seems to indicate it's for the instrument lighting? I have a toggle switch for instrument lights. Maybe it's just bypassed?
There are also an assortment of LEDs, some I think were added by the previous owner. They don't correspond with my owner's manual either. As for the heater, I pulled the panel out of the pass floor and checked the heater fuse. It's good. I also found, what I believe to be, the temp selector valve on the heater line. Lay upside down and you can see it behind the glovebox, outboard side of the car. Thing is, I can't see how it's controlled. It has a little knob on top that you can spin. It spins and does not appear to have a stop in either direction. I didn't see or feel any wires going into this valve. So how is it controlled? Do tiny TVR elves pop out and spin it? (Update: Rotated while watching it, no elves emerged!) Or maybe that's some sort of manual lock out valve? Doubt it. Maybe something is missing?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers,
Ryan
That valve is the Heater Control Valve (HCV) it rotates on a balanced electrical circuit. With the ignition on and the engine not running you should hear and see it rotate when the top left hand control is turned. It's a slightly modified Volkswagen Golf part and they usually fail open (ie hot) rather than closed. I would feel the pipes once the car is up to temp and see if someone has bypassed the whole lot.
If you search for HCV there's loads of info on it on here. A replacement valve is only about £12 from GSF.
If you search for HCV there's loads of info on it on here. A replacement valve is only about £12 from GSF.
Loubaruch said:
Jackpot! Thanks for the link. Do the rest of my controls appear to be working like everyone else's? Because their operation differs from what is in the manual. Thanks,
Ryan
My controls (96 500) operate the same as the manual but things could be different on your later car. No doubt someone will be along to confirm or otherwise. I would doubt that anyone would alter the functions of the heater controls, too much trouble and they are complicated enough already!
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