Heaters that don't

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H

HECKFLOSSE

Active Member
Posts
181
Ok, so I was spoilt with our old Disco 2. The heater was up to Volvo standards.
My 110 SW, however, is up to Austin A35 levels of warmth .i.e. pretty dire.
Any tips to get a few more degrees of damp busting heat out of it?
Coolant temp gets to normal quickly and cables seem ok.
A bit early in the winter for the thermals to come out...

Thanks,
Jim.
 
You are trying to heat a huge mobile, draughty greenhouse, so don't expect too much. However, if the air coming out of the heater isn't very warm, the matrix may be blocked, or the valve letting hot water in may not be opening fully. A battery powered infra red thermometer will show you how hot the inlet and outlet pipes of the heater are getting. With the heater running, check under the bonnet for air leaks letting the precious warm air out before it gets to the cabin - the seals around the pipes and between the heater box and bulkhead are not great. If these are good, try flushing out the matrix - take the hoses off and flush through with a gentle garden hose. If all else fails and you don't like driving in winter clothing, consider a new heater matrix.
 
i have no conception of this problem i turn on my heated seat turn the hevac to 28 and its roasting turn.it to high and you melt all by the time my heated screens have cleared the frost lol.
but as above sound advice
 
HECKFLOSSE said:
Ok, so I was spoilt with our old Disco 2. The heater was up to Volvo standards.
My 110 SW, however, is up to Austin A35 levels of warmth .i.e. pretty dire.
Any tips to get a few more degrees of damp busting heat out of it?
Coolant temp gets to normal quickly and cables seem ok.
A bit early in the winter for the thermals to come out...

Thanks,
Jim.
Click to expand...
Don't know which Defender you have but in my 200 tdi I have tried everything and basically nothing works. I have tried three Thermostats, one was an 88 degree one, changed the sender three times. Tried a Rad muff, no difference, tried fitting a Kenlowe electric fan and removed the visco's fan , no difference. Fitted a new Rad and a new heater Matrix at the same time. Tried sealing all the drafts around the doors. Bought a 300W electric ceramic heater.
My Defender takes 15 to 20 kilometers to reach normal operating engine temperature even with the electric fan and on a couple of occasions no fan. When it does reach temperature the heat is what I would call luke warm. Oh I have also taken the heater box apart to make sure all the vents and flaps operate and close correctly, resealed it Insulated it , still no difference. I have also insulated the roof with carpet tiles. If the outside temperature is above 5 C the heat is acceptable, but soon as it drops to 0 C then you just freeze. One good thing is my windows don't steam up as the inside never warms up enough.
My A35 had great heaters. Whoever designed the Defender heaters on a 200 tdi must have been a very sadistic type of person. The latest precautions I have taken is to buy myself a warm coat and a Mercedes car which manages to start pushing out heat before I have even driven off the driveway.
If you do find a cure do let me know.
 
biketeacherdave said:
i have no conception of this problem i turn on my heated seat turn the hevac to 28 and its roasting turn.it to high and you melt all by the time my heated screens have cleared the frost lol.
but as above sound advice
Click to expand...

On mine I press the remote control fob 30 minutes before I want to go out and its instant heat from the heaters:p
 
mikescuba said:
Don't know which Defender you have but in my 200 tdi I have tried everything and basically nothing works. I have tried three Thermostats, one was an 88 degree one, changed the sender three times. Tried a Rad muff, no difference, tried fitting a Kenlowe electric fan and removed the visco's fan , no difference. Fitted a new Rad and a new heater Matrix at the same time. Tried sealing all the drafts around the doors. Bought a 300W electric ceramic heater.
My Defender takes 15 to 20 kilometers to reach normal operating engine temperature even with the electric fan and on a couple of occasions no fan. When it does reach temperature the heat is what I would call luke warm. Oh I have also taken the heater box apart to make sure all the vents and flaps operate and close correctly, resealed it Insulated it , still no difference. I have also insulated the roof with carpet tiles. If the outside temperature is above 5 C the heat is acceptable, but soon as it drops to 0 C then you just freeze. One good thing is my windows don't steam up as the inside never warms up enough.
My A35 had great heaters. Whoever designed the Defender heaters on a 200 tdi must have been a very sadistic type of person. The latest precautions I have taken is to buy myself a warm coat and a Mercedes car which manages to start pushing out heat before I have even driven off the driveway.
If you do find a cure do let me know.
Click to expand...

The heated seat kits from ebay are quite good Waeco make iirc.
 
zeaphod said:
You are trying to heat a huge mobile, draughty greenhouse, so don't expect too much. However, if the air coming out of the heater isn't very warm, the matrix may be blocked, or the valve letting hot water in may not be opening fully. A battery powered infra red thermometer will show you how hot the inlet and outlet pipes of the heater are getting. With the heater running, check under the bonnet for air leaks letting the precious warm air out before it gets to the cabin - the seals around the pipes and between the heater box and bulkhead are not great. If these are good, try flushing out the matrix - take the hoses off and flush through with a gentle garden hose. If all else fails and you don't like driving in winter clothing, consider a new heater matrix.
Click to expand...
Tin shed on wheels trouble, I suppose!
Thanks for the replies, a flush and valve check seem to be first priority, then a trip to Damart.
Jim.
 
HECKFLOSSE said:
Tin shed on wheels trouble, I suppose!
Thanks for the replies, a flush and valve check seem to be first priority, then a trip to Damart.
Jim.
Click to expand...
You don't say what kind of engine, and what age of 110?
Part of the problem is that the later diesels are quite efficient, and there is not so much waste heat for the heater as with the older models. The old indirect injection engines were not so efficient, they are usually toasty warm.
If flushing doesn't give a good result, I would try a new heater matrix. They aren't terribly expensive, and worth a change on older vehicles anyway, they are a common cause of leakage when they get old and tired.
 
My old 2.5 N/A is so unstressed, it can't get the hoses above 60 degrees. All the utility Land Rovers have cooling systems designed to cope with towing in the desert, and are usually over cooled. The fact that radiator muffs have been available for so long speaks volumes about the heating/cooling system!
 
zeaphod said:
My old 2.5 N/A is so unstressed, it can't get the hoses above 60 degrees. All the utility Land Rovers have cooling systems designed to cope with towing in the desert, and are usually over cooled. The fact that radiator muffs have been available for so long speaks volumes about the heating/cooling system!
Click to expand...
Try bolting a turbo on it! They pump plenty of heat into the engine! :D
Yes, the rad muffs used to be very effective on series. I don't see them much on Defs, but don't see any reason they wouldn't give the desired result.
 
Tratters up to td5 don't have water valves, don't know after that.
My 200 TDI 110sw will and does burn the inner calf of my right leg.
 
My 300 TDi heater works. Yesterday it got so warm I had to open the window.

  • Clean out the heater matrix of debris
  • Bleed coolant
  • Check thermostat
  • Make sure heater cables adjusted correctly
  • Check/replace heater matrix
  • Cover entire heater box in adhesive foam and use aluminium tape to seal all internal joints
 
I changed my matrix and radiator, flushed the motor and adjusted all the flaps.
But the biggest difference I found was changing the expansion tank cap as the cooling system seems to work far more efficiently now
 
Another thing worth replacing is the foam inserts that hold the matrix inside the heater box. Easy to do if you are changing matrix anyway. If the foam is very old and degraded the matrix may be slapping around in the box, or degraded foam may have partially blocked air passages.
 
Turboman said:
Another thing worth replacing is the foam inserts that hold the matrix inside the heater box. Easy to do if you are changing matrix anyway. If the foam is very old and degraded the matrix may be slapping around in the box, or degraded foam may have partially blocked air passages.
Click to expand...

Camping mat foam is excellent for that job, my heater was still crap afterwards though!
 
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