Help - Heater don't work!

Well new rad cap didnt work, a bottle of radweld however seems to have done the trick! I now get a nice hiss when I open the expansion tank with a hot engine!

He he - found the radweld, a big brown smear all along the seam of the expansion tank....

Thought I'd add to this been as its approppriate. Having been through the process of putting p gasket on, taking water pump off, replacing gasket, still leaking and now having fitted a new pump, I can't get any heat out of the heater. Doesnt seem to leak, although I had the brainstorm of opening the plastic plug on top of the thermostat housing to try and bleed the air out, I got a whoosh of coolant all over me and the plug flew off. Managed to find it and put it back. Next I left the engine running with the expansion cap off for 10 mins. Still cold. I might have to see if Busterbus wants to sell his dodgy electrical heater!

I had the brainstorm of opening the plastic plug on top of the thermostat housing to try and bleed the air out,

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REV!That is the correct way to fill the system (engine stopped) through the cap on the thermostat, also unscrew breather on top of radiator to get air out, run her until the thermostat opens & keep checking levels.

Yes but I took the plug out with it running, still taste antifreeze and its not nice. The upshot is its not leaking!

revjames said:

Yes but I took the plug out with it running, still taste antifreeze and its not nice. The upshot is its not leaking!

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Your lucky you didn't get scoulded
fancy taking the plug out of a presureised system with it under pressure

i dont think he sed it woz under pressure - just running.

err yes I'm afraid it was under pressure. See I thought I would just undo it a bit and let the air out but I did it a couple of turns too many and out it popped with a cloud of steam and coolant - all over me! Yes I know it was daft.

Hey Hey!! Mine does that too. Only gurgles in the morning and heater takes FOREVER!!! only seems to be doing this since the cold weather (i mean proper cold, not our crap excuse for a summer) started. We're thinking the thermostat so cold, its letting water through the pipes too early. We guess anyway, seem to stop not long after has started to warm up, say 10-15 mins. it's daft. Might try a new thermostat and get the system bled and block checked at the same time.

bloody cars, i would get a pre-heater system but there far to expensive!!

The thing is it worked OK before I took the front casing off and changed the water pump. I reckon it'll sort itself out. I will have to drain/refill with correct mix of antifreeze when I am happy it isn't going to leak! So I'm not going to faff about too much cos I'll have to do it all again.

metallicachick86 said:

bloody cars, i would get a pre-heater system but there far to expensive!!

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You mean something like this ?

Thderes plenty of pressure. Just been for a long drive and no leaks anymore but still n o heat. Even drove up a 45 degree incline so the water might get into the heater but still cold. However it is getting hot occasionally needle goes up about 3/4 but comes down again. I am a bit baffled. Any ideas?

Later: tried all sorts, even took the heater hoses off and held them up in the air and filled it with a watering can til it came out the other pipe. I did think I might have kinked one of the heater hoses where they come off the head at the back. Was tempted to stick a hosepipe in it to blast it through but worried I might damage the seals inside the matrix and end up having to take the dash out! Haynes book is a waste of space might as well use as a door stop. Does anyone have a proper diagram of how water flows through the system in a 300tdi disco? if so I'd like to see it. Is the pipe that runs along the top of the head in a steel pipe a flow or return?

anyone out there? Even paul the hillbilly basher?

from cold, take off the expansion tank cap, start the engine. if you see bubbles, its likely your head gasket has gone

Sounds exactly like the problem I had when with my old 300 TDI. The problem happened after I changed the thermostat - no heat. Turned out to be an airlock which I managed to get rid of eventually by taking the cap off the header tank, starting the car then putting on the blowers at full speed. The level of coolant in the tank dropped a bit after about 15 minutes - added more coolant - this went on for about half an hour or more until all the air was out of the system - then heat started to blow into the car.

JamesColes said:

from cold, take off the expansion tank cap, start the engine. if you see bubbles, its likely your head gasket has gone

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Hmmmm you got me worried now. There are bubbles can't remember if its from cold or not. But there is a pipe which runs from the top of the thermostat housing to the tank so if theres air in the system you will get bubbles? The exp tank does pressurise pretty quickly though so you could be right. What about torquing down the head bolts?

I tried it first thing this morning with the cap off. There was bubbles coming from the little pipe that comes from the thermostat housing. There is still an air lock as heaters are still cold. I figure the bubbles could be air escaping. Its not a lot and the tank remains about 3/4 full even with the lid off. At least it isn't leaking! Just wish me heater would work!

revjames said:

I tried it first thing this morning with the cap off. There was bubbles coming from the little pipe that comes from the thermostat housing. There is still an air lock as heaters are still cold. I figure the bubbles could be air escaping. Its not a lot and the tank remains about 3/4 full even with the lid off. At least it isn't leaking! Just wish me heater would work!

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Rev! I changed mi top & bottom hoses last week which ment draining the radiator, expansion tank and other bits where it ****ed out! Re-filled via the filler on the thermostat with the bleed screw on radiator undone also filled the expansion tank half full.Let her warm up with me bit of broom handle until stat opened checked levels-Sound as a pound heater un all!!

I also blew a water pump up this summer, crawled home stopping every 3k to put 5litres of water back in that was running on the floor quicker than I could get the stuff in and that bled ok too once I changed pump!

What's going on? I think that you've not filled her up correctly and pushed an air lock in the heater matrix, are the pipes to heater getting hot on bulk head? Is your thermostat O.K, maybe it's full of crap?

Pipes up to bulkead not getting hot. I am not loosing water and its not blowing water out so I am hoping things will be OK. I will have to drain it out anyway to put the antifreeze in. I have put it in twice now at £9 a gallon! I just wanted to make sure it was all 100% including the heater before buying more antifreeze!

revjames said:

Haynes book is a waste of space might as well use as a door stop.

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I have a genuine LR manual (1995 model year on, ©1996), that I don't need any more. Make me an offer (I think it cost about sixty squids but postage plus a bit and it's yours)