Corsa 03 heating problem

[Josephcowley]

Ok today, I decided it was finaly warm enough to attack the heating issue that i've had over winter.

Baiscaly I can have the blowers and heat on max. No hot air at all.

Make: Vaxhual corsa sxi
Year 03
Millage 70k

So after i'd read somethings in the hanes manual, Took half my dash under my steeting wheel i realised i could get to what i needed to from the engine bay.

I've cleared the heater matrix by flushing it out with presured water from a hose it seemed to be slightly warm air comming out after that, But it then resorted to not working at all again.

Anyone got any ideas?

I'm going to flush the whole system out tomorrow. But if anyones got an idea i'll check this before i do

Cheers. Joe.

 

[Peter.N.]

Is the engine running at normal temperature?

 

[Josephcowley]

I did infact forget to mention that, Yes it is, Running around 80, Genraly standard for the car.

 

[Peter.N.]

Hi Joe

I'm not familiar with your particular car but as a general rule if the matrix is not blocked the problem is likely to be either an air lock in the system or failure of the water pump, if it was the pump I would expect the engine to overheat. I assume that if you put the hose into one heater pipe that there is a good flow of water through the matrix and out of the other pipe, if so you can rule that out. Are both heater pipes at a similar temperature, if they are that would indicate a good flow of coolant, if they are and you still have no heat I would suspect the air mixer flap in the heater is not working, does the temperature vary when you adjust it? If its slightly warm can you make it cold?

Peter

 

[Belle427]

i cant see a blockage personally, i think your either looking at a circulation problem or incorrect operation of the heating mechanism inside the car

 

[Josephcowley]

I'm not a compleate idiot i know how to use a dial on a car.

The water pump sounds like it could be a good idea why its not working, It will get slightly hot, if left not blowing hence why we asumed a blockage. I'm going to go and run a few tests see if its the water pump cheers!

*Edit* The in pipe to the heater matrix is hot, The out pipe a lot cooler..

Right time to get out of bed and get wet trying to fix this! :I

 

[Peter.N.]

That would suggest poor circulation then. Apparantly the impeller can come loose on the shaft so although rotating a little its not doing its job properly, I have never had this happen personally but then I only run old cars

Peter

 

[Josephcowley]

I've just come in from having the car in bits. (its still in bits.)

water presure is alright. Not the pump...

The heater matrix is hot to touch. The cable from the heater control is fine. The water presure is fine. I've flushed the system twice or three times i'm losing count.

I'm going to try and run the car with the return pipe from the heater matrix off. To see if it's flinging water out from there or just trickling out like previous... thus showing poor presure or maybe an air lock? But then i'm thinking its not an air lock due to being able to unscrew the cap and it hisses like it's got pressure, if there was an air lock it should self bleed and then even so if it did, it wouldn't be able to gain any pressure. ( correct me if i'm wrong.)

I'm only confused due to the fact that if it was the pump how's it able to handle the rest of its job as a pump and give up on the heater? surely it'll just pack up all together and overheat the car all together.

I'm kinda lost what to do after that.. Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Josephcowley]

Ok after a day of fiddling As seen above^^

The car heater now gets warm when revs are around 2.5k,
Goes colder when idleling. What the hell is going on?

 

[Belle427]

I'm not a compleate idiot i know how to use a dial on a car.

i wasnt implying that you were an idiot, i meant the mechanism as in the control from the dial to the heating flaps but best of luck to you.

 

[Josephcowley]

Ah, Sorry dude, Took it the wrong way, So used to people being knobs on fourms,

I've had the knobs off and everything, = Nothing. :I

Good point though.

 

[Peter.N.]

Is it possible to fit the heater hoses the wrong way round?

 

[Josephcowley]

It is, But i've not done that It's pretty ovbous which way around they should be, Due to otherwise you would be crossing them over eachother,

I'm going back to the pump theory : When my revs are up, The pump work harder to compensate for the amount of heat the revs are produceing? just an hypothesis.

 

[Peter.N.]

OK, only if the hoses are reversed the matrix will fill with air. If you disconnect the hoses with the engine running you should get a good flow of water from the bottom one, it may need a few revs but no more than 1000 I wouldn't think, if you don't - pump, if you do - matrix.

Peter

 

[Josephcowley]

In reply to that, If i take the hoses off, It seems to be a sucking rather than a flowing forward thingt, The rerturn being sucked back into the pump and back into the place it started.. So i guess i'm going to have to do a suction test?