Heater knob

BX Tech talk
Mutz
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Location: Sussex

Post by Mutz »

I'm in Brighton and not at all looking forward to this job!!

Is the rod that thing that looks like a chain in the pic?
ellevie
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Post by ellevie »

Why not try your luck with the procedure I've described above --- it only takes a few minutes and doesn't require any tools. If it works then you won't have to worry about the other stuff.

If the control dial is actually broken (spinning freely when you put it back on) then you can borrow one of the other two dials until you get a new one.
David

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Mutz
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Post by Mutz »

Hi ellevie

Knob broke off ages ago. Have tried as u suggested but to no avail. It's stuck solid, or rather the spindle twists but won't actually move... ggrr :x
AlanS
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Post by AlanS »

Most successful method I've used has been to gently push the lever at the matrix up and down until it releases; small amount at first but the entire thing will eventually come free.
On really stubborn ones I suppose you can drain the system but the risk of removing the hoses near the firewall without snapping them off is fairly high and they aren't all that easy to source.
Once you get it free, I then set up a system that has worked for me for over 6 years now and gives me the best heater system I've ever struck on a BX.
Here's the way I went about it complete with a couple of pics.

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/snippets/heater.htm


Hope that gives you a few clues.


Alan S
By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

The valve on my TD responds well to silicon lubricant (spray on type).. I noticed it felt sticky when I got the car and have been spraying it occasionally for about the last 8 years - and its still working nicely.

All I do is to locate the thing and give it a good blast. I use silicon as I'm not sure what seals there are round there which WD40 might attack - and it stays around longer and is less messy.
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stuart_hedges
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Post by stuart_hedges »

Sorry Mutz, I only just read this thread, I don't hang out in the technical section much!

I work in Brighton. I've never done this job before but if it's something that would be easier with a second pair of hands, I'll help if I can...
ellevie
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Post by ellevie »

Mutz, judging from your reply, you have not done what I suggested.

You need to get your hand up under the dashboard and free the valve/tap with your hand. It is located just behind the dash above the clutch pedal and a little to the left. Now that you know what it looks like, you should be able to locate it by feel. As you can see from the pictures that I supplied, the valve/tap has a little triangular tab which you should be able to grip and use as a bit of leverage to try and free up the valve. As your heater is stuck "off" , it should be pointing downwards. You need to get it pointing upwards for the heater to be "on".
David

BX19TRS 118K E Reg 1992-2008
BX19TRS auto abs 96k F Reg
BX19TXD 150k K Reg
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Brian King
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heater knob

Post by Brian King »

Everybody may have lost interest in this by now, but anyway here goes:
I've just done the heater tap on mine. Some observations:

I took it out (correct, a complete pig) and it was clogged solid. A bit of persuasion in a bucket of hot water and it came completely free.I think a lot of these are thrown away and they're completely cleanable.

Replace the two rubber collars. Stll available from Citroen.

Yes the bloody cable is too short when you put it back on!!! Also fiddling with all the little cable fastenings would make the pope say fuck.

This is only a theory, but what might save all that arsing about could be to fit a screwdriver shaft into your electric drill, and with the hammer action going, press the handle onto the tap and press the trigger while someone else works the hot/cold control or tap gently. The vibration might just work.

After all that work I've got a heater that does very hot, and at the other end, does lukewarm (not cold). Still that's better than only cold, which is what I had before.
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