Winter is coming...time to finally fix that heater!

[Betazag]

Well looky here...another fine project to work on. When I bought my Zagato a few years back, the heater didn't work. Now I have decided to take on this challenge and could use some advice from some of you Beta owners who might have crossed this path before. I have a NOS heater radiator on the way just in case mine is rusted out. I have a new heater valve just in case. The heater valve that is on the car now stays closed unless I disconnect the vacuum hose...the Hot/Cold lever has no affect on it. How do I check this to make sure it is working? A friend suggested that I hook a water hose to the out-going line from the heater and back flush it in case it was clogged...I am afraid that might flood the car if the heater core is bad. I really could use some advice here...also some tips on removing the dash to change out the heater radiator if I have to. Thanks, Mark R

[Gregory Smith]

It sounds like the heater box controls are bypassed, they are vacuum actuated. The vacuum line from the resevoir is likely attatched to the line coming out of the controls that normally operates the valve.

After correcting the above, you may find the controls are broken, since there is no other reason to leave it that way. You see the valve has small holes in it so even closed it would not prevent all flow through the core. When the valves go bad they rust away, so the heat can't be shut off fully.

On my '81 Zagato, I was able to fish the core out the passenger side of the box with only partial disassembly. If you can extricate yours, I'd flush it with some vinegar and HOT water and then pressure-test it to 15 psi.

[Betazag]

Thanks for the advice Gregory. I just received a NOS heater radiator that I purchased from a vendor in the Netherlands. They have some listed on ebay right now for a premium price...was able to get a deal on mine since my wife is of Dutch decent. :wink: I have a sneaky feeling that the heater radiator in my car now is going to be shot. I will test it when I remove it to find out though. I am also going to install a new heater valve since I have one on hand. Any other thing I should watch out for while I am trying to restore the heating system? Thanks, MR

[Gregory Smith]

As I remeber, I had to remove the front vents as well to get things apart, and it was a delicate job to get things back together correctly. The usual care with 24 year old plastic is needed.

The only other topic I'd mention is vacuum hose. The one that comes from the vacuum resevoir to the heater controls is suspect if it is original. Now would be the time to replace it. I used a similar-sized rubber exterior hose and spliced it in behind the heater controls with a tiny barbed fitting. It's the section in the engine bay that goes bad from the heat and fumes.

If the firewall grommets are in poor shape, they should be repalced as well.

[TREVOLUMI]

Hello!

In my trevi, although the heater engine can be heard working, it makes a noise like a coffee grinding machine and brings no air inside. It all sounds like a loose fan, if you agree.

Before i start removing the Mario Bellini stuff can anyone tell me how I can remove the heater? Should i take all the dashboard out or just the middle part?

Also, the hazard switch needs replacing. The seemingly odd round button after removing the dashboard apparently hides a perfectly normal fiat switch. As its very difficult to get hold of trevi parts in greece (very few left), does anyone know if a fiat uno or alfa 33 or....something common's switch will do?

Brgds
Aris