Heat...

[rejeep]

I have the stock heater in my S3...
Was driving last night and for the first time I was cold in my truck... (I have only owned it since April 2010..:))
Its a 2 speed switch, but the fan was only going at one speed...
I also noticed the output from the ducts was marginal at best (luke warm air)
I dont plan on driving it this winter (im in the rust belt) It will be stored.. but I would like to drive it through November..

Any suggestions to either fixing my current setup or improving the heater output? Should I have the coolant system flushed? What about the status of the blower motor?

I know these are just giant tin cans.. I know it will never be roasty toasty warm inside.. but a good source of heat for the driver/passenger is all I really need..

[LaneRover]

Maybe try flushing the heater matrix. I would also make sure that the valve that opens and closes to allow the fluid to get to the heater is operating fully.

Check for blockages in the air passages too. Intake and at the heater.

Brent

[rejeep]

so really a good system flush.. who knows when the last time it was done..
Rover came from England by way of California... so there was a good few years where It needed no heat..

[NickDawson]

I also noticed the output from the ducts was marginal at best (luke warm air)


Not to be the wet blanket, but that may just be par for the course. Mine puts out fairly warm air, but far from hot. It doesn't to much to heat the cabin at all. It takes the chill out but it is nothing like a modern vehicle.

[crankin]

You could also change our your thermostat to a higher degree. It would push through higher temps to the matrix.

[NickDawson]

You could also change our your thermostat to a higher degree. It would push through higher temps to the matrix.
+1
Did that and it did help

[bpj911]

Mine is a diesel but i would think it's roughly the same. I have a kodiak on the passenger side and a Maradyne 5000 in place of the stupid smith's round one. I had a webasto plumbed up for the rear but have since figured out i had too much even for the -10 or so winter here. A maradyne fits nice in the space from the old smiths and probably puts out the same or slightly more than the kodiak which is pretty potent. I also run a 82 deg thermostat and a winter front and the diesel will maintain that temp with the winter front in beloz zero temps with plenty of warm up time.

[stomper]

I was having issues with little to no heat last year with my Kodiak MkIII. the coolant level was continuously droping to a slightly low level in the radiator whenever I topped it up too. Are you noticing this with yours?

My heater matrix was full of pin holes. A new matrix, plus a good general cleaning of the housing and motor, and now it is quite toasty in the cab of my 88.

Check all the things listed above, but make sure your radiator antifreeze is not leaking when it is topped up fully.

[mongoswede]

My suggestion: buy a heated motorcycle jacket and pants...they wire right into your 12v electrical system, can be hooked up with a thermostat, and they are fantastic. I've ridden the motorcycle when it was 20 degrees in december with the heated clothing...very very nice.

[siii8873]

as far as your blower motor there are two leads from the switch to the blower motor. Check that you are getting voltage to both circuits. If so may be blower motor problem. If not may be a connection on switch or switch problem. The control on the left side of the dash (assuming LHD) is connected to a flap that directs the heat from the floor or the defrost.

[bpj911]

For the record, I think with some pretty marginal money spent on a new heater or two you can be toasty. Mine is down right hot with two heaters. My wife even doesn't mind and that's saying something. We drove to my inlaws on Christmas Day last year in a blizzard in my M37 which had the same Maradyne heater and she didn't say a word. Of course, no power or heat at the house helped her with that decision to plow through drifts for 40 miles in a military truck with two kids and a canvas top...

[redmondrover]

If you are willing to do some disassembly, then remove the lower dash (which serves as the air plenum inside the cab), clean it out and seal all the gaps and holes (rust or otherwise) plus replace the foam seals on the air mix doors.

Then remove the heater core and the box in which it is mounted. Clean/flush out the heater core and see if there are any leaks to fix. Then take a look at the box and seal up all holes you don't need. The box was made with 8 exit holes for the core pipes. You only need two. Covering/sealing the other 6 will make a big difference.

I did this last winter on our Series III heater and it made a big difference. Pictures and more info available on request--just PM me.

[rejeep]

pictures would be great

[amcordo]

For the record, I think with some pretty marginal money spent on a new heater or two you can be toasty. Mine is down right hot with two heaters. My wife even doesn't mind and that's saying something. We drove to my inlaws on Christmas Day last year in a blizzard in my M37 which had the same Maradyne heater and she didn't say a word. Of course, no power or heat at the house helped her with that decision to plow through drifts for 40 miles in a military truck with two kids and a canvas top...



Where do you live? Antarctica? :D

[amcordo]

Two more suggestions that I'm saying seriously, even if they are probably not realistic/appealing to you:

1. Replace the engine with something bigger. The rediculously over-sized ancient v8 in mine runs warmer than the OE. Using the OE heater system in mine coupled with the warmer engine gives me satisfaction.

2. Remove the lower dash. I still haven't decided how to make this look better, but removing the lower dash does get you a LOT more warm air in the cabin. The dash acts like a heat-sink on the warm air coming out of your heater, directing a lot of that heat into the metal bulkhead. Without any insulation between the cold outside air and the metal of the bulkhead that heat is bleeding off outside. By removing the lower dash, or just finding a way to redirect the air from the incoming hole in the bulkhead directly into the cabin without it rushing past cold metal will do WONDERS for the temp. If you're duct-capable, consider running small ducting from where the heater connects to the bulkhead directly to the outputs on the dash pieces, rather than allowing it to treat the whole interior of the dash as a plenum space.