CHIMAERA HEATER UPGRADE?
Discussion
Having just bought a 93 CHIMAERA and finding the heater motor is u/s ( checked out and all electrics are ok to the motor ) I was wondering if the Mk 2 Astra blower unit could be replaced with something with a bit more blowing power...everyone telling me the standard heater is pretty much useless. Any ideas ??????????
The blower is OK, but there are probably a lot of leaks in the airbox & particularly the pipe across the back of the engine bay.
A couple of owners have recently got the motors going by simply spinning the fan blades thru the access flap
Most complaints seem to be that the heater valve doesn't close...
Dave
A couple of owners have recently got the motors going by simply spinning the fan blades thru the access flap
Most complaints seem to be that the heater valve doesn't close...
Dave
Is the heater system different on later model ones then because my heater in my 97 is ridiculous when turned up. It blows enough so you can still feel it at 100+ with the roof off and is warm enough that you can drive in a tshirt with the roof off when its snowing! It used to be even hotter, so hot that I couldn't put my hand down by the window buttons for more than a couple of seconds at a time, but then I decatted it and engine running temp dropped from 90 in traffic to 80 so isn't quite so bad. Conversly it can also do pretty cool air in summer which surprised me! (no a/c)
Edited by thenick on Saturday 8th December 14:35
I would back flush the heater matrix with a hose pipe, make sure the heater valve is opening fully and that the engine is running at a sensible temperature, i.e not to cool(be sure someone as not removed engine thermostat,a bodge cure for overheating)the only reason i say this is because i think the heater is over kill in IMHO,hard to regulate but most of the time cooking
give me this over a cold heater any day though,but its not a problem at the moment my car is hibernating for the coming months
give me this over a cold heater any day though,but its not a problem at the moment my car is hibernating for the coming monthsEdited by That Daddy on Saturday 8th December 16:52
Sorry I forgot to mention those things in earlier post (got distracted )..
The cars seem to have various configurations for the thermostat (when closed) bypass thru the heater. Early cars had an H piece bypass valve which is very crucial to being able to shut the heater off for cold air (it has been known for it to be missing...).
The other issue is the state of the matrix, there seem to be so many problems with rads getting gunged up - why should the matrix be any different? It is a real pain to get at - so flushing is the only option I can see? This is one of the reasons I flush my coolant regularly and used 'modern' synthetic red a/freeze. I have stripped a heater system & would prefer to avoid doing it on my own car
Dave
)..The cars seem to have various configurations for the thermostat (when closed) bypass thru the heater. Early cars had an H piece bypass valve which is very crucial to being able to shut the heater off for cold air (it has been known for it to be missing...).
The other issue is the state of the matrix, there seem to be so many problems with rads getting gunged up - why should the matrix be any different? It is a real pain to get at - so flushing is the only option I can see? This is one of the reasons I flush my coolant regularly and used 'modern' synthetic red a/freeze. I have stripped a heater system & would prefer to avoid doing it on my own car
Dave
spend said:
Sorry I forgot to mention those things in earlier post (got distracted )..
The cars seem to have various configurations for the thermostat (when closed) bypass thru the heater. Early cars had an H piece bypass valve which is very crucial to being able to shut the heater off for cold air (it has been known for it to be missing...).
The other issue is the state of the matrix, there seem to be so many problems with rads getting gunged up - why should the matrix be any different? It is a real pain to get at - so flushing is the only option I can see? This is one of the reasons I flush my coolant regularly and used 'modern' synthetic red a/freeze. I have stripped a heater system & would prefer to avoid doing it on my own car
Dave
)..The cars seem to have various configurations for the thermostat (when closed) bypass thru the heater. Early cars had an H piece bypass valve which is very crucial to being able to shut the heater off for cold air (it has been known for it to be missing...).
The other issue is the state of the matrix, there seem to be so many problems with rads getting gunged up - why should the matrix be any different? It is a real pain to get at - so flushing is the only option I can see? This is one of the reasons I flush my coolant regularly and used 'modern' synthetic red a/freeze. I have stripped a heater system & would prefer to avoid doing it on my own car
Dave
totally agree(thats not often the case,is it Dave)the time i see cars with cooling systems that are quite frankly appalling and this includes late cars too,most owners consider that as long the cooling system as antifreeze fitted then it needs no maintenance whatsoever,apart from checking the level when it suits them
same applies to motor oil but we won,t go down that slippery slope(no pun intended)
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