zafira heater problems

[knownothingaboutcars]

My 2001 Zafira 1.8 has had heater problems for over a year now. I spent most of last winter scraping ice off the inside of the windows as I was driving, in coat, hat, scarf and gloves!

My mechanic has had it in pieces more times than Id like to remember and I dont want to spend another winter in the cold!

So... its had a new motor, a new valve (I think) and a new thermostat and my mechanic is now stuck. It blows on all settings on cold. The mechanic thinks it might now be something to do with the air conditioning??

Any thoughts, ideas or help would be much appreciated...

Thanks

 

[^neo^]

sounds like a new mechanic wouldnt go a miss.

feel the pipes that go through the bulkhead into the heater matrix. When the engine is up to temp and the heater is on, they should be hot. If they are, then the problem is in the heater box inside the car, probably a jammed flap or something.

 

[knownothingaboutcars]

Yeah that was the last thing he tried, he thought the flap might be stuck in the cold position. He also changed the thermostat just to be sure it wasnt that either, then dash back on again and then nothing... just cold air.

 

[^neo^]

so, are both pipes (inlet and outlet) getting hot?
If not, next thing would suggest a blocked matrix

 

[nik14]

how would This be fixed and can it be done by anyone or just a mechanic? Is there a step by step guide anywhere available for me?

 

[Peter.N.]

We need some more information, as ^neo^ says, are both pipes going through the bulkhead hot, that information will go a long way to helping us isolate the fault.

Peter