New Owner - Heater Problems?

[thirsty]

After years of admiring TVRs, I finally broke down and bought a '98 Chimaera 4.5. It's a beauty, and I Love it ! I look for any excuse to drive it.

I do have a couple of niddly problems that I am curious about.. I know that TVR's are supposed to be warm, but I would swear that the heater valve is stuck open. Even selected to full cold, I get very warm air out of the vents. I don't think I will be able to deal with that during the summer. (the fan switch is off)

Also, I have to drive very slow down our street (lots of little kids). I can't just let it idle down the street in fisrt gear. Car seems do lug and jerk along the way. Normal?

[ATG]

In reality, the heater control in my 97 4.0 is either on or off. When in the fully cold position, it produces cold air. When turned half an inch towards warm, the air is roasting. The wheel control pulls on a cable. I guess if it even slipped a little, it might leave you with permanently hot air.

Mine also tends to kangaroo if you let it idle in gear. I think I read somewhere that this was due to the feedback mechanism that is used to control the idle, but I could be talking out of my bum.


P.S. Congrats for buying it. Big grin may start hurting soon, so you might want to get a physiotherapist lined up.

>> Edited by ATG on Monday 15th April 19:04

[manek]

For what it's worth the kangaroo effect can be all but completely eliminated by a) taking it to Mark Adams (check the oily pages here on PH for details) who will rechip it so the fuel map works at low revs and b) fill up with Shell Optimax.

The combination works for me: I can trickle through urban areas at 30mph in 4th with the engine burbling away at idle speed. Sounds great!

[ATG]

did that have any impact on your insurance?

[beano1197]

quote:I know that TVR's are supposed to be warm, but I would swear that the heater valve is stuck open. Even selected to full cold, I get very warm air out of the vents. I don't think I will be able to deal with that during the summer. (the fan switch is off)

Hasn't anyone mentioned that the factory specification you could order was either:

a) extra roast version
b) freezer from Iceland on a warm day in Siberia version?

I know Tuscan owners who wear little blankets round their knees to keep warm in Autumn and Spring!!! Don't even think about mid winter........

I happen to have a Type a. This means that the manual air conditioning system allows nice warm air to come blasting round the edges of the screen in the heat of summer - just so you know that you've got the roof off!!!

Still you'd only notice it at relatively low speed. When you're out there enjoying it, you'll be fine Enjoy

[Marshy]

It does sound like your heater control valve ist verbuggert. I had two faulty ones, resulting in me roasting alive. When it all works properly, and you're up to speed, the air temperature should vary between ambient and fknellitshot. At slow speeds, you won't get air at quite ambient temperature, but hey, that's why god invented windows. Also, when you want gently warm air, you'll probably find yourself continually flidding with the temperature control because air temperature seems to depend on speed to some degree. I assume it's linked to engine (and therefore heater matrix) temperature and how long it takes the air to get from the front to the interior and whether it has time to get heated up by the engine in the process.

As for the low rev smoothness thing, the answer seems to be that they vary. Mine (97 500) hasn't been chipped, but will quite happily burble along at 30 in 4th. I'm usually in 3rd at 30 though so as not to labour the engine if I do want to give it a quite squirt.

[Bob C]

My '98 450 is just the same when cold in 1st gear, you need to be either accelerating or decelerating at v low speeds. In fact its not much better when hot. I think it's normal.

[yum]

Sounds exactly the same as mine. The heater always seems to be hot and the car kangaroos when idling in first or second. I think that it's normal. Optimax makes not difference, but I always use it anyway.

R

[Ford Prefect]

Well its called a heater isn't it!! I have the same problem with my 2001 Chim 450, there are three settings, boiling, bloody hot and warm. The remaining temerature controls for lower temperatures are wind down the windows and remove the roof. Only problem then is that when you are in traffic with the roof off just wait for the engines fans to turn on and feel the sweat trickling down the side of your face.

If you put the heater to cold (green) and turn the fan on full blast, drive at a reasonable speed for about ten minutes you will finish up with air blowing into the car at slightly above ambient temperature otherwise get the windows down and look for the open road!!

John.

>> Edited by Ford Prefect on Tuesday 16th April 15:51