Rubbish heater

[spikefreeway]

Hello my heater is completely completely rubbish, I can breath out warmer.
Is the heater matrix mullered and how do you change this if so (just remember I am good with wiring and electronics but anything more than 2 spanners in a Haynes manual and I'm well out of my depth) or is it rubbish as standard from new.
Your thoughts please

Mk4 2.5di banana engine

[ZeldaTheWelder]

It could just be the heater thermostat needs replacing

[spikefreeway]

It could just be the heater thermostat needs replacing

Cheers, sounds promising could you point me in the right direction please

[GBBiker]

It could just be the heater thermostat needs replacing

Could be. A tell tale sign is the temperature gauge on the dash. Does it get up past the 'N' of Normal? If not, change the stat.

If this doesn't work, or isn't obviously the problem, it could be an airlock in the system. I would drain and refill the cooling system.

They are the cheaper options. No point spending hundreds on a new matrix if that isn't the problem

[madbri]

might sound daft how old is ure enginge oil i changed my oil cause it had done 15,000 miles and my heater was crap crap crap. now the kids tell me to turn it off to fucin hot just a thought

[spikefreeway]

It could just be the heater thermostat needs replacing

Could be. A tell tale sign is the temperature gauge on the dash. Does it get up past the 'N' of Normal? If not, change the stat.

If this doesn't work, or isn't obviously the problem, it could be an airlock in the system. I would drain and refill the cooling system.

They are the cheaper options. No point spending hundreds on a new matrix if that isn't the problem

no it doesnt get past "N" but I figured this was normal as I had a Vauxhall Trooper rip off that didn't and a Mondeo on a "P" plate that didn't get much warmer.

Where should I be looking or is the answer to that in the Haynes manual! ta for that

[spikefreeway]

might sound daft how old is ure enginge oil i changed my oil cause it had done 15,000 miles and my heater was crap crap crap. now the kids tell me to turn it off to fucin hot just a thought

Well cant hurt will give that a go!

[GBBiker]

It could just be the heater thermostat needs replacing

Could be. A tell tale sign is the temperature gauge on the dash. Does it get up past the 'N' of Normal? If not, change the stat.

If this doesn't work, or isn't obviously the problem, it could be an airlock in the system. I would drain and refill the cooling system.

They are the cheaper options. No point spending hundreds on a new matrix if that isn't the problem

no it doesnt get past "N" but I figured this was normal as I had a Vauxhall Trooper rip off that didn't and a Mondeo on a "P" plate that didn't get much warmer.

Where should I be looking or is the answer to that in the Haynes manual! ta for that

On the Banana, the stat is front top of the engine. As you look at it, there is a large bore hose that runs to the R/H/S and onto the radiator. Undo this hose from the stat housing on the engine block. An amount of coolant will escape, I would just top up with anti-freeze. Rest the hose upwards to prevent too much coolant loss. You should be able to pull out the stat with a pair of pliers, make sure the rubber O ring comes out too. The new stat will just push into place, a nice snug fit. Pop the hose back on and remove the coolant tank cap. Start the engine. Allow it to warm up and the coolant should start to bubble (this is the air escaping the system). You can aid air removal by gently squeezing the large hose you removed earlier a few times. Once the engine has warmed up and there is no more air escaping, turn the engine off. Allow the coolant to 'settle' for five minutes or so and top up the expansion tank to the 'max' mark. Refit the cap and have a cuppa

[anddyy]

wow this place is great all the info, glad i came accross this post as my heater takes ages to get warm and the needle on the temp guage only goes just to the N ,never realised this could be a fault due to never owning a transit before.

can i ask where the stat is on a non banana engine?

thanks andy

[jay]

changing the oil will have no effect on water temp.
Changing the thermostat will take not much time or skill..or even many tools..check your haynes manual to see what engine you got as theres 2 types of housing..1 type which is black and has what looks like a big nut on the housing.the thermostat is inside that bit..early type is 2 x13mm bolts to undo and is silver colored

[Nick21]

In reply to the original question, the heater in the mk5's isn't bad at all. At least not in my 94 mk5. My temperature gauge needle sits on the "N" in "Normal" and produces some decent heat after about 5 minutes or a couple of miles.

The only time it was blowing out cold air was when I had a water leak and no coolant in the pipes although the temperature being very high gives this away.

[anddyy]

i drove home from work other night which takes about 25 mins and the heater was only just luke warm so must be somat

[spikefreeway]

thanks all, between work and thats my weekend sorted!

[transitandy]

could be one of many things when my one packed up i tried everything then found the problem was a loose wire of all things goodluck m8 and hope it gets sorted soon

[dirtydog]

My heater is just about useless as well, the temp on the gauge is normal. If I leave the fans off for a little while then turn them on it's warm for a minute or two then goes cold again. I had a similar problem on my daughters fiesta and it turned out to be the heater valve, according to all the ebay auctions I looked at the transit has the same valve and it seems to be a common problem. That and the bloody resistor, have changed the one in my daughters fiesta twice in the past year and it now needs changing again although that maybe because I get them from my local scrappies