Morris Minor Owners Club

Fitted a mini heater today, bought off e-bay.

Flushed it through first & tested motor with 12v battery.

Took old heater out (1958 tourer) & put new heater in...what a pig of a job....upside down, body twisted in all directions, steering wheel in mouth etc.

only trouble now is, the new heater gives out very little heat...some, but not a lot.
The inlet pipe from the valve on the cyl head does not get VERY hot, just quite hot

maybe airlocked? Any thoughts and if so wondering the best way to overcome this?

thanks,

Chris

Never ever seen an airlock in the heater circuit. Does the engine have a thermostat fitted - and is it working - and of the correct heat setting ?

There's a point...

Bought the car two weeks ago & now you remind me...
In the boot, along with various bits of detritus, was a thermostat.
Hmm, maybe it was removed & not replaced.

Engine is Marina 1300. You wouldn't happen to know what/where the correct thermostat can be supplied from. Is it the same as 1098 for example?

Had crossed my mind, have I got the pipes the wrong way round

Chris

Would worry about 'why' the stat had been removed - if it has! Check and see - try the stat in a pan of water and heat it up to see if/where it opens. In summer i suggest a 74 C stat - in winter 88 or even 92 for best heater action.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Maybe I should get this anyway

Been out to the garage & found the t/stat that was rolling about in the boot when we got the car.
Miracle to find anything in my garage.

It is marked 82 deg..
I've put in water just out of the boiling kettle & does not open at all so presume it is kaput.

I am guessing that, as often happens, people remove them & do not replace with a new one. (could be wrong though)

Don't want to take the housing off without having a new gasket to hand. There is another seller on Ebay with t/stat & gasket. Will buy that & then see if there is a stat in the engine.

I have assumed that the pipe from the heater valve at the back of the cyl/head is the "IN" to the heater...is that correct?

Chris

It matters not which way the water flows. Thats an 82 stat - should be ok now that 'summer' has gone........ But if you are going to use the car in winter - get a 92! They may have removed the stat because the engine was overheating - or maybe it's just a spare and a new one is in the head. I would boil that stat up in the pan and see if it opens - they usually fail OPEN in my experience. And - make sure the pipes to the heater aren't kinked !

All noted, many thanks.

BTW, as far as summer is concerned, we bought the convertible 14th July, the same day as United Utilities imposed a hosepipe ban and we have had only one day since with no rain.
Rumour has it that the h/pipe ban will soon be lifted. Summer may then re-start. I hope.

regards
Chris,
off to boil the pan

In a similar vein - I rolled up and stored away my hose pipe this evening, and commented to my dearest that we would now have roasting hot weather and no rain for the next 8 weeks......... Some hope!

Well, let's hope that rolling up the pipe has done the trick.

Put the stat in the pan, on the gas & just when the bubbles began to form...
Lo & Behold!
It opened & stayed open 'till the water cooled.

So it does work.

Prior to us getting the car it had lived in S. of France for 6 years, so maybe the stat had been removed due to over heating.
Next stage will be to see if there is one in there or not. Not tonight though!

Thanks for all your help,
Will post the final outcome, when I know what it is.

Pipes are straight enough, I reckon.

regards,
Chris

Inspect the heater valve too. I have seen these very badly corroded and/or nearly totally blocked with scale.

Thanks, Peetee.
I would imagine that the valve is not as good as it used to be.

However, today I removed the Stat cover, very carefully, since I had no replacement gasket...

Lo & Behold! no thermostat!
Fitted the one that was in the boot
Result, heater now heats in a respectable fashion.

So many thanks for all the help.

The fan is either off or furious. I may sometime fit a variable control for the ultimate in sophistication.

cheers,

Chris

Well done! beware how you control the fan speed. If you simply fit a variable resistance in the supply - it will have to carry quite a bit of current. I assume it's possible these days to make a DC:DC converter - and that may be the more efficient way to go.

Chris,
I have a variable speed mini heater and this is the module I used:

http://www.conrad-uk.com/goto.php?artikel=191507
You can see the installation on this photo:[frame][/frame]
The speed control knob is from an XK jag (Jaguarsmike ebay) .
It works quite well although the speed control module is expensive.
Pay attention to the direction of rotation of the fan.
Regards
Declan

BMC & Declan

Thanks for the advice on variable speed control & the need to be aware of the current draw.
The speed control module is indeed not cheap.

Interesting that your car is German registered, Declan
When I was in the RAMC in Munster in the early 80's, a colleague had a Minor that was British Forces registered.
He was posted to Belize for 6 months and in order for his (civilian) girlfriend to use the car while he was away, it would have to be registered with German system but he was told that could not be done in that, by design, it would not get a TUV.
So it ended up with the Morris being unused for 6 months as far as I was aware.

Just a snippet of useless information for you!

many thanks
Chris

I thought these later Mini heaters came with a 3 speed control. Maybe not the early versions - but certainly the last-of-line.

Chris,
The TÜV (MOT equivalent) is not really strict on old cars as long as the basics are in good working order. They know very little about minors. I have had them call me seeking assistance-no joke!
Regards
Declan

BMC,

don't know the provenance of this mini heater, it has only on/off.
As has the one on my Traveller.

The original heater that came with the car had rusted through underneath & someone had made up a copper u-pipe to connect the hoses together under the dash, bypassing the heater.
When I took it out it was a rusty mess. A little while later a scrap man came along the street & I gave it to him. Only later did I realise how stupid of me...It had a variable speed switch on it...

Declan,
all understood, I had thought that the TUV was VERY strict but as you say with older, rarer cars, you know more than them

cheers both
Chris