Chimaera cabin heat soak
Chimaera cabin heat soak
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Discussion

Harry Flatters

Original Poster:

180 posts

275 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Hot day yesterday, out for a run to Dungeness and pretty much boiled alive in the driver's footwell. HCV is fine, because fan on full with HCV set to cold and I have two tiny asthmatic dwarfs blowing cold air out of the vents in front of the gear stick and from the screen vents. None of which has the slightest cooling effect on my lobster-like legs!

Now I am hoping someone is going to tell me that part of the problem might be the missing clutch MC domed cover on the O/S/F wing. Will this be letting copious amounts of under bonnet hot air through the wing into the cabin? Please say yes!

Other than that - any ideas? It really was quite unpleasant and uncomfortable - not something I'm keen to repeat too often!!

Bowks

1,458 posts

222 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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I've had my car since 96 and a few weeks back I found the cold air switch under the dashboard. Do you have that set to full?


Harry Flatters

Original Poster:

180 posts

275 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Never heard of this. Can you point me to it or send snap?

Belle427

10,793 posts

250 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Under the dash where your right knee would be have a look for another fan control switch, this is for another blower motor to introduce fresh air to the cabin.

ric355

215 posts

166 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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The cold air switch/fan is only on the early cars.

ric355

215 posts

166 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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In the footwell next to your left knee, under the dash, is an extra vent you can open. It's a hole in the side of the tunnel inline with the centre air vents, with a rotating section you can push inward to open up (sort of like a throttle plate).

I'd say there will indeed be a lot of hot engine bay air coming in through that open clutch cover hole. If you don't have one, put some gaffa tape over it just as a test.

Also, the air flow through the vents should be reasonable albeit not a tornado. If you don't have much air flow you might have a pipe hanging off slightly. They are only loosely connected to the vents.

Harry Flatters

Original Poster:

180 posts

275 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
quotequote all
Shame about the extra cooling only being on early Chims. Pretty sure it's not there on my '98 Mk2 450.

Are the pipes getatable?

Oldwolf

994 posts

210 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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The carpet in the footwell of mine has come away from the rubber seal for the door opening, it lets a nice cool breeze in so I'm not going to fix it smile

2gins

2,854 posts

179 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Surely it's just fibreglass car with 4.0 V8 in it + 34C outside = HOT cabin?

I was out in mine and it was warm, but manageable to be honest. Mind you, I had the prescience to wear shorts.

Harry Flatters

Original Poster:

180 posts

275 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
quotequote all
Nope! Fibreglass with 4.5l V8 tongue out

I also had shorts on - hence the lobster legs!

I'm going with the clutch M/C cover solution first and the so-called fresh air eyeball vent above left knee.

pits

6,606 posts

207 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Harry Flatters said:
Shame about the extra cooling only being on early Chims. Pretty sure it's not there on my '98 Mk2 450.

Are the pipes getatable?
I have the secondary cold air fan on my car, it makes zero difference, you would be better having someone fan you from 60 ft away with their hand, it makes bugger all difference.
Hoping to have body off mine this year and I will be insulating the whole tunnel, it doesn't help that my fan heat and directional wheels seem to do absolutely nothing but blow hot air.

NicBowman

785 posts

255 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Definitely put the clutch cover back on. If it keeps water out, I am sure it also keeps hot air out.

RobXjcoupe

3,352 posts

108 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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The cool air blower blows hot or hotter. Wearing shorts whilst driving in hot weather doesn’t help unless they are nasa spec heat deflectors.
The best outside temperature to drive these cars with the roof down is when it’s actually a bit nippy out.
Granted my car is a Griff but it’s basically the same as a chimaera. Used to be a regular question about 20 years back about lack of cold air through the vents.
Steel cars have the entire car to use as a heatsink, fibreglass insulates. Worse still when exhaust pipes have been wrapped to lower the under bonnet temperatures. Heat has to go somewhere so the remainder of the exhaust system gets hotter underneath near where you sit lol.
So long as your radiator is working properly and the engine stays off boil then you are doing well. wink

Harry Flatters

Original Poster:

180 posts

275 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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All looking very much a case of TADTS.

I will sort the clutch M/C cover.

Even though I was cooking in the cabin and it was very hot outside, water temp never went over 90deg.

As a tailpiece to the day, it finished with my alternator frying it's coils, largely I think, as a result of being under rated for the aftermarket electric PAS pump.

They are a trial eh rolleyes

TrotCanterGallopCharge

434 posts

107 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Best times to drive are Winter, Spring & Autumn!

Had to drive my old 4.5 Chim to Le Mans with roof on, thru 2 x rush hour traffic, in hot sun, never again. Metal gear knob almost too hot to touch. Fair play to the car though, it never overheated.

Unless moving fast in summer with roof off, it got a bit too hot in reality to be comfortable. My 1989 S2 wasn't as bad.

Happy motoring, whenever you drive!

2gins

2,854 posts

179 months

Saturday 18th June 2022
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Yeah I wouldn't bother with the vents in this weather. They'll just make it worse if anything hehe

20C roof off is the cars sweet spot imo.

Zener

19,218 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th June 2022
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That hatch will let hot air pour in rolleyes I wear shorts all the time with no fan assistance this time of year no issues at all , passenger side trans tunnel gets warm for obvious reasons

981Boxess

11,821 posts

275 months

Sunday 19th June 2022
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Zener said:
I wear shorts all the time with no fan assistance
Why do you need fan assistance to wear shorts, is this a TVR thing scratchchin

RobXjcoupe

3,352 posts

108 months

Sunday 19th June 2022
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2gins said:
Yeah I wouldn't bother with the vents in this weather. They'll just make it worse if anything hehe

20C roof off is the cars sweet spot imo.
Totally agree, just use the hot air blowers as an additional radiator fan if stuck in traffic in hot weather smile

Zener

19,218 posts

238 months

Sunday 19th June 2022
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981Boxess said:
Zener said:
I wear shorts all the time with no fan assistance
Why do you need fan assistance to wear shorts, is this a TVR thing scratchchin
Funny you should say that scratchchin as I'm sure the fan may keep the plums happy on a hot day biggrin