Heater Problem

[Talitha2]

Hi...I am new to this but would be grateful for some advice. My car is really old 2001 318si. My heater fan stopped working. I had heat behind the vents but zero fan action. I left it into garage and got new fan motor and heater resistor...Since I got it back (3 days ago) the fan is working but the heat is only just warm and never changes regardless of what setting I use. I will go back to the garage but wonder if anyone here would have some knowledge of what could have actually gone wrong. I paid the guts of £400 and am so annoyed at the poor outcome.

[Elliot2000]

To be fair to the garage - u went in with no blowers- they have fixed that.

It’s now been uncovered that the heater matrix isn’t getting as hot as it should- be- but this wouldn’t have been known to the farage at the time as without air being passed over the matrix taking some of the heat out of it then it would get nice and warm.

[Talitha2]

Thank you for replying. I understand the fan problem is fixed. Is it likely then for all of this to have happened at once as before the fan stopped the temperature settings were working fine. Would you know what it is that I need now?

[Collectingbrass]

Have you checked the cabin / pollen filter?

[Talitha2]

Thanks...I don't know how to do that. This is what I'm afraid of with the garage, that it is something simple but as a girl they may just spin me a yarn about something bigger needing done.

[Elliot2000]

It won’t be the cabin filter stopping it getting hot.

It could be thermostat stuck open meaning with the colder temperatures outside now the coolant never gets really hot in the first place.

It could also be an airlock in the pipes in the heater matrix so your not getting the flow through it like u should be.

On that age of car it could also be sludged up in the matrix, so again getting low flow.

Or when they have done the blower - they may have moved or bent mixer flap somewhere - I doubt it tho as most people take the motor out through the engine bay.


Easy thing to check first is ur coolant level - if it’s low top it up and maybe bleed any air out ( there’s bleed screws in various places around the engine bay included one on your pipes going towards the matrix.

But if ur coolant is low u may also have a leak somewhere.

[Talitha2]

Thanks so much Elliot2000 for these probabilities. I was able to do the coolant and bleed, no bubbles showed at all, the coolant rose up smoothly to the hole at the bleed screw. I was able to get just under a litre of coolant in although this didn't change anything. I realise from looking up control valves and heater cores and thermostats and looking under my bonnet that I am never going to be able to fix this myself. Thanks again.