Series III Heater

[rejeep]

I have searched a few sites and found some great info on upgrades for a S3 heater, but having limited experience with land rovers I dont really have a benchmark to gauge it against..
My fan moves a lot of air.. i was actually impressed in lieu of all the negative comments i have read online.. but the phrase "luke warm" air didnt even come close to my expectations..
I had the cooling system flushed and filled yesterday in hopes it would free up the heater core matrix and i would get enough heat for rainy day defrosts.. It really accomplished nothing..
Is this what it is or are there any other trouble shooting idea I should look into before starting form square one..
this isnt a 4 season vehicle.. I really only need defrost heat and possibly enough to take the chill out of the air in the early spring or fall.. I guess im just surprised how inefficient the stock unit is..

[TedW]

Is your heater valve all the way open?

I have the same system on my IIA and get mucho heat - more than enough to keep me toasty during a Maine winter - and I have a soft top.

Also: What temp thermostat do you have? That might have an impact as well.

[rejeep]

the cable is pulled from inside the cab ...
I will manually check it and try to adjust it..
As far as the thermostat, unsure.. PO installed it..
on the S3 gauge cluster it runs with the needle at the bottom tip of the N

[TedW]

If the setup is the same as a IIA the cable should be all the way in, not out.

Sounds like you may have a lower temp thermostat. I have a high-temp and it makes a big difference. My guage runs just above the N when warmed up.

My engine guy put it in when he built my new engine, so if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me.

[artpeck]

For what it is worth I had the same situation on my s3. Lots of barely warm air. I ultimately found that flushing the radiator did nothing to flush the heater core so I flushed it directly by running water through it from the in and out flow opening. Initially very little water went through and it was a rusty sludge trickle out the other side. Repeated cycles opened it up and there was full clean flow. And great heat output.

If you haven't tried doing this give it a shot. I am in northern California so don't have deep cold but the heat output over heats the cabin on a 45 degree morning.

[knac1234]

Rejeep-To add to what Ted says, I am guessing I have a high temp tstat as well. My guage reads at the top tip of the N (just), and the heat, once the car is warmed up, is pretty good. Colorado, at 9000 ft, has some cold days too :)

Also, if I haven't said it, your truck looks OUTSTANDING!

I posted a related thread without any response, so maybe this is a good time to revisit it....

In order to add more heat to the SIII heater output, would it be a good idea to plumb in the older style SII shin burner that I have lying in a box (mount it in the original SII location), or would it be a waste of time? Dueling Rover heaters is the thought!

Julian

[TedW]

Rejeep:

Per artpeck, I suggest that you recheck your heater core to confirm that it isn't plugged. Also make sure that your valve is open. Lastly, put in a high temp t-stat (IIRC 88C is the hottest - corrections welcome, of course).

My stock setup can keep my wife comfy on a cold Maine day. That's quite an accomplishment. And it's a damp cold where we are. I suspect Rochester is about as bad during the winter, so you'll appreciate the added warmth.

[LaneRover]

For what it is worth I had the same situation on my s3. Lots of barely warm air. I ultimately found that flushing the radiator did nothing to flush the heater core so I flushed it directly by running water through it from the in and out flow opening. Initially very little water went through and it was a rusty sludge trickle out the other side. Repeated cycles opened it up and there was full clean flow. And great heat output.

If you haven't tried doing this give it a shot. I am in northern California so don't have deep cold but the heat output over heats the cabin on a 45 degree morning.

I agree that you should specifically flush the heater core.

[rejeep]

thanks..

yeah I will prob look into this tomorrow AM..
so I can leave the matrix in place and just flush with a garden hose, alternating ports..
I think I will leave the thermostat alone for now until I have time to order all the parts (gasket primarily… can’t seem to find one locally)
Do the heater valves go bad? Since I will be taking it apart I figure I might as well replace if they are failure prone..

[artpeck]

You can leave it in place. I would try first to get a clean full flow in one direction only so you don't run the risk of packing sludge in the middle. I did it by turning the hose on and wearing a glove so I could concentrate the flow into the pipe but not get the pressure too high at the risk of rupturing it if there was a soft spot. You will pretty much know if it is clean or blocked from the get go. When clean you should get a strong clear flow with no back pressure.

On the valve I don't think it really could go bad. Very simple construction that is basically a quarter turn from shut to fully open. I suppose it could get blocked but would seem unlikely.

[rejeep]

I hate to take the lazy mans way out...
but I read about the GDI, Everco, NAPA heater core that will work as a replacement for the Series IIa and III heater..
anybody have experience with these..
I just walked downstairs to the warehouse and have 4 sitting on the shelf..
I assume swapping the heater core isn’t such a challenge and would offer an opportunity to clean the ductwork behind as well...

[TedW]

I hate to take the lazy mans way out...
but I read about the GDI, Everco, NAPA heater core that will work as a replacement for the Series IIa and III heater..
anybody have experience with these..
I just walked downstairs to the warehouse and have 4 sitting on the shelf..
I assume swapping the heater core isn’t such a challenge and would offer an opportunity to clean the ductwork behind as well...

Lots of folks do this. IIRC you might need to shim it just a bit to make it fit tight, but no biggie.

[stomper]

I took my heater matrix out last winter and had it recored at a local radiator shop. It made a huge improvement. Make sure you clean up the blower motor while you have it all apart, and use some sort of sealant to close up the matrix casing when you put it back together. Another recomendation is to try and fill the matrix with antifreeze through the pipes before you hook it all up, to avoid an air bubble.

[Firemanshort]

Flush the heater core like everyone is saying. It is a fast and easy job.


One other thing to think about....

I chased poor heater output on my old Series III for a few winter seasons. I frustrated the crap out of me. I eventually found a heater hose with a collapsed inner liner. This was the very old short rubber hose that connects the heater valve to the metal heater pipe that runs along the top of the engine. This could probably happen along any of the heater hoses.

When I replaced this hose (this specific land rover part has two different sized ends making it hard to use just a $1 piece of bulk heater hose) - my heater output jumped from tepid to tropic.

[rejeep]

flushed the matrix with a garden hose yesterday.. got some crap to come with no real improvement of heat output..
waiting on some gaskets to swap thermostats this week.. I think there lies the bulk of my problem..
but this has been a very good exercise in replacing heater hose..

[Walker]

Contrary to what has been said, the valve can get clogged and reduce the water flow to near nothing. The po of my truch didn't do much in the way of prevent maintenace. I pulled the valve and it was gunked up. It only takes a few minutes. I'd check it along with all the other recommendations.

Art

[PavementEnds]

I wrote a Smiths heater rebuild (pdf format) that lists inexpensive replacment parts. If you'd like it, pls PM me and I'll email it to you. Mine now kicks out lots of hot air!

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?p=53279#post53279

[rejeep]

After my very uneventful flush of the eater matrix this past weekend I can this morning to a little coolant puddle under the rear of the front wing..
Seems as if I may have ruptured the heater matrix during the endeavor..
Looks like I will be swapping it out for the GDI unit after all.. still no appreciable difference in heat, so it will be in conjunction with a new thermostat and another flush..
The upper bolts for the heater matrix, are they only accessible by removing the dash? Green bible says something about a trim board.. I removed something on the dash, but did not see anything behind it..