Heaters. How can you turn them off? Shut them off?

[Rosco]

Great to have a heater, but the trouble is it either gives out bloody hot air, or hot air, which I really do not need this time of year. Is there a simple way of moving pipes or sealing off the vents etc. I don't want to remove the heater altogether, but I really do not want hot air either.

Can anyone help?

[rjnewman]

Habve you checked the little black plunger under the dash is all the way in? If not it may just be the heat from the engine making everything hot. The centre tunnel on mine was lethal today

Richard

[ewenm]

rjnewman said:

Habve you checked the little black plunger under the dash is all the way in? If not it may just be the heat from the engine making everything hot. The centre tunnel on mine was lethal today

Richard

As above - there should be a choke-like plunger under the dash by the driver's right knee. This controls the valve that opens and closes the heater. Pushed in is off, pulled out is on. Mine has seized up before (or the cable behind it has) so check it all the way to the heater matrix.

[Tango7]

Adjust the heater control cable by undoing the little bolt that holds the outer cable. When the control knob is pushed fully home, the valve should have a small amount of tension to make sure its fully closed and not allowing a small amount of hot water to pass through the matrix. This should ensure the heater is kept cold.

[Rosco]

Yes the choke is fully in, so maybe it does just need adjusting. I'll try that.

Will it totally stop any heat from coming in through the vents? I know the tunnels get bloody hot as hell, always got burnt in the race car

[ewenm]

Rosco said:

Yes the choke is fully in, so maybe it does just need adjusting. I'll try that.

Will it totally stop any heat from coming in through the vents? I know the tunnels get bloody hot as hell, always got burnt in the race car

It stops the (hot) coolant flow into the heater matrix so you'll just get ambient engine-bay-temp air coming through the vents.

[Rosco]

OK, thnak you guys!

[sjmmarsh]

Rosco

The easy way to check is to take the bonnet off and see whether the valve on top of the matrix is fully closed when the black knob is pushed in under the dash. It should be hard against the stop at the end of its travel (try closing it manually - if it moves, it needs adjusting).

Steve

[Rosco]

Thanks Steve, tried this last night and yes it seems to be fully closed now. Will find out when I go to Silverstone tomorrow.

Cheers
Steve