Improving Heater

My heater used to provide adequate flow but the air was always "luke warm". So I browsed the forum and try a few things. One of them was pushing the mechanism attached to the bowden cable (situated on top of the heat box) with a screwdriver. This made barely any difference. Anyway I've been out and tried it again but this time loosening the bracket that holds the bowden cable still so the cable and outer can move freely. This bracket is right next to the right angled bracket on top of the heater box. After pushing the bracket and cable further toward the drivers side wheel arch it's gone from pointing toward the front of the car to pointing toward the drivers side wheel. The heat control in the cabin has gone from the hot position, clockwise round the bottom and it now points at the cold setting! Just been out on a drive and it blows really hot air into the cabin now. Happy days! Anyway this has been covered before but just make sure you loosen the bracket and push the cable with the mechanism as far as it goes. Made a HUGE difference to my heater While I was there I put an 85mm-100mm jubilee clip round the heater pipe closest to the cabin just to stop any air getting out. Paid £1.50 delivered from ebay so why not. I also siliconed up the inlet to the cabin as the heater pipe was off and allowed better access to the cabin inlet.

Edited by Ben NA, 27 November 2011 - 02:57 PM.

My heater used to provide adequate flow but the air was always "luke warm". So I browsed the forum and try a few things. One of them was pushing the mechanism attached to the bowden cable (situated on top of the heat box) with a screwdriver. This made barely any difference. Anyway I've been out and tried it again but this time loosening the bracket that holds the bowden cable still so the cable and outer can move freely. This bracket is right next to the right angled bracket on top of the heater box. After pushing the bracket and cable further toward the drivers side wheel arch it's gone from pointing toward the front of the car to pointing toward the drivers side wheel. The heat control in the cabin has gone from the hot position, clockwise round the bottom and it now points at the cold setting!

Just been out on a drive and it blows really hot air into the cabin now. Happy days!

Anyway this has been covered before but just make sure you loosen the bracket and push the cable with the mechanism as far as it goes. Made a HUGE difference to my heater

I just turned it with my fingers but doesnt seem to make any difference Mine takes about 15 - 20 mins to get warn and even then its only fairly warmish

Edited by astravxr, 27 November 2011 - 02:58 PM.

Is it pointing toward the drivers wheel arch or the front of the car? Mine wasn't very warm when the mechanism pointed toward the front of the car. Another 40 degrees of movement has made it like a proper car heater

Towards the wheel mate, i pushed it as far it would go without snapping it off lol. I've even had the heater box out and sealed it up

Im thinking about buying one of these lol http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5191108aa6

For a tenner you may as well give it a go. Mine's an 03 NA so maybe they sealed the heater box better as time went on. Or perhaps it's the luck of the draw.

Im thinking about buying one of these lol http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5191108aa6

Don't bother, I have one and you would get more hot air out of an asmatic hamster. Better bet would be to plug a hair dryer into an invertor.

Im thinking about buying one of these lol http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5191108aa6

Don't bother, I have one and you would get more hot air out of an asmatic hamster. Better bet would be to plug a hair dryer into an invertor.

Lol bugger, was going to stick it behind the seats inbewteen if you know what i mean

Edited by astravxr, 27 November 2011 - 04:58 PM.

If you can hold off for about two weeks I'll have my solution all finished and available. I know you've heard this before but to (quickly) cover the issues and solutions: 1. Poor fit of heater box and ducting - all replaced with new design 2. Paddle designs does not completely protect against cold air leakage - paddle removed, instead air is constantly drawn through rad, diverter valve controls water flow through rad or via bypass. 3. Crap paddle cable breaks - now electrical 4. Heater matrix has low density fins - upgraded 5. Fan has poor flow rate - upgraded, retains three settings. I'll try and give some details in the new few days. I'm perfecting the mould for the enclosure at the moment - I expect to have my first enclosure laid up by Wednesday, the complete design will be shown shortly afterwards.

If you can hold off for about two weeks I'll have my solution all finished and available.

Really wish you luck.

We had this nearly a year ago where someone promised and promised then faded away. We'd all been waiting but nothing happened, and if we'd known we'd have probably done our own thing.

That's what I'm about to do now, and I'm sure you'll understand why I'm not going to wait.

Will be interested to see your solution though.

Why is the heater so crap? Whats different about it to other cars? Sorry i know nothing about heater matrix's

Why is the heater so crap? Whats different about it to other cars? Sorry i know nothing about heater matrix's

The warm water from the engine goes through non insulated piping to the front, and the poor heater box design (leaking) finishes off the last bit of hotness.

Why is the heater so crap? Whats different about it to other cars? Sorry i know nothing about heater matrix's

The warm water from the engine goes through non insulated piping to the front, and the poor heater box design (leaking) finishes off the last bit of hotness.

So the main reason its not very good is because of the non insulated piping? Does the water not get hot enough?

If you can hold off for about two weeks I'll have my solution all finished and available.

Really wish you luck.

We had this nearly a year ago where someone promised and promised then faded away. We'd all been waiting but nothing happened, and if we'd known we'd have probably done our own thing.

That's what I'm about to do now, and I'm sure you'll understand why I'm not going to wait.

Will be interested to see your solution though.

Completely understand, the reason this has taken me so long (would much rather have had it ready for the winter) is because I was waiting for T7designs. That hasn't happened and now i've got to drive to work in the cold. I'm happy to go into more detail of what i'm planning if you'd like - might help you with what you're doing.

Why is the heater so crap? Whats different about it to other cars? Sorry i know nothing about heater matrix's

It's a combination of factors:

Fundamentally, the engine is producing enough heat on the heater circuit - this engine is used across the Vauxhall range and there's no issue with heat output.

The issues come from how it's been applied to the VX220. The heater box isn't part of the dash, it's external to it so there's less air flow due to the resistance from trying to blow air through a vent, the box around the matrix is riveted together rather than bonded, so as the plastic distorts air can escape, the ducting between the box and the cabin isn't fitted properly, the paddle that controls the amount of air that goes straight into the cabin vs. through the heater is crap and doesn't provide a proper seal. Plus the fan simply isn't powerful enough to clear the windscreen.

Edited by fezzasus, 27 November 2011 - 07:48 PM.

If you can hold off for about two weeks I'll have my solution all finished and available.

Really wish you luck.

We had this nearly a year ago where someone promised and promised then faded away. We'd all been waiting but nothing happened, and if we'd known we'd have probably done our own thing.

That's what I'm about to do now, and I'm sure you'll understand why I'm not going to wait.

Will be interested to see your solution though.

Completely understand, the reason this has taken me so long (would much rather have had it ready for the winter) is because I was waiting for T7designs. That hasn't happened and now i've got to drive to work in the cold. I'm happy to go into more detail of what i'm planning if you'd like - might help you with what you're doing.

Why is the heater so crap? Whats different about it to other cars? Sorry i know nothing about heater matrix's

It's a combination of factors:

Fundamentally, the engine is producing enough heat on the heater circuit - this engine is used across the Vauxhall range and there's no issue with heat output.

The issues come from how it's been applied to the VX220. The heater box isn't part of the dash, it's external to it so there's less air flow due to the resistance from trying to blow air through a vent, the box around the matrix is riveted together rather than bonded, so as the plastic distorts air can escape, the ducting between the box and the cabin isn't fitted properly, the paddle that controls the amount of air that goes straight into the cabin vs. through the heater is crap and doesn't provide a proper seal. Plus the fan simply isn't powerful enough to clear the windscreen.

So say if the box was sealed up properly and perfect and the tubing from the box to the dash was sealed perfectly... what would be the problem then?

I've sealed mine but thinking about doing it again but better, then making proper hoses. Even then though it takes about 20 mins to even get warm

So say if the box was sealed up properly and perfect and the tubing from the box to the dash was sealed perfectly... what would be the problem then?

I've sealed mine but thinking about doing it again but better, then making proper hoses. Even then though it takes about 20 mins to even get warm

There's still air leakage from the flap, which means cold air will be combined with the hot air coming from the matrix, effectively diluting the amount of warm air.

To be honest I don't care too much about the science part. I would buy a replacement heater kit if it worked. I would n't really care why it worked just as long as there was a good flow of hot air. My heater mods: 1. I have sealed up my heater with silver gaffa tape - not just to get rid of the leaks but also the standard unit is painted to be a heatsink. Silver colour does not radiate heat away to the same extent as black. 2. Pack (lots of) insulating foam right round the heater unit. 3. Fit insulating tube round the water pipe that runs along the sill. These mods help a lot but are not a complete fix. Kind regards, Paul

Edited by Paulus H, 27 November 2011 - 10:01 PM.

Hi Paulus have you got any pics of the heaterbox with insulation around it? Sounds like a good idea and could be easy to do without removing the heater?

I'll take some pics tomorrow. It is just doable with heater in place. Best regards, Paul

There are a number of issues with the heater, and all combine to make it crap. Firstly, yes the heater pipe goes round the car and cools the water in the sill before it gets to the heater. The heater matrix is too small for the car so the air isn't warm enough. Much of the luke warm air is mixed with cold due to the crap flap and leaks in the heater box. The path to the car is conveluted, and is ducted by an aluminium pipe that's corrugated for even more surface area. Even with a good blower all the air is forced through a 80mm hole in the bulkhead. A lot of air is lost in the dash ducting. The car is made of aluminium and has lots of gaps, so needs lots of heat when it's cold.

I never had an issue with my heater, if anything i got too hot eventually haha. Luck of the draw i guess