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Replacement of Heater hoses

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bob hughes

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Whilst the front end of my BJ7 is in pieces, the original intention was to refurb the engine, but it has turned out to be a bit more than that - you know how it is!! Is there a good way of replacing the water hoses to the heater, unfortunately the shroud is still on, but all the instruments are out of the facia panel and it can come off to assist in getting at the hose connections - looks a daunting task though.

:cheers:

Bob
 
Hi BOB;
I have replaced the heater hose connections by accessing the clamps through the empty instruement holes in the dash. It was not rocket science.--Keoke-:cool:
 
BIG RESPECT GUYS

I can only just see the bent hose connection on the right hand side as the blower supply tube maskes it, the water pipe to the control tap looks to be easier to get at though. I am still studying the problem.

:cheers:

Bob
 
DerekJ said:
... so just turn the tap off.
Click to expand...

That would not be enough for a bad hose
Maybe better to loosten the hoseend on the heatervalve, and pull it back
Then put (a new) one on the tube above the carbs with the end on the tap
 
Bob- if you heater hoses are not damaged then I'd be inclined to leave them alone. As for disconnecting the heater- I have yet to drive without the heater on, half the time I have the fan on as well. Perhaps this is a luxury of having a RHD car.

It won't be just a matter of replacing the hoses as the modern replacement has a bigger OD so you'll need new firewall grommets and a Dremel sanding-roll tool to open the ID of the grommets out by a few mm for the bigger hose.

Second issue is that the control valve on top of the heater is made of aluminum and performs a similar task to a sacrificial anode in the cooling system, being slowly eaten away from the inside by electrolysis over time. If the valve is original it is quite likely you'll snap the hose fitting/barb off in the process of removing the hose. No big deal as new valves are available, they are the same as used in Triumph Spitfire/herald etc. If you do replace the valve then make sure the new one comes with an oring as they are held onto the heater pipe by compressing an oring and the old one will be toast.

I read a great story about a guy that thought he'd quickly fix a leaking clutch master cylinder on a Triumph the weekend before a car show. Three years later he had a fully restored car.

Shipwrights' disease goes something like this:

Sailor owns boat.
Boat has burned out light in galley.
Sailor decides to change bulb.
Sailor notices socket is corroded, decides to change socket.
Sailor notices wiring frayed while trying to change socket.
Sailor decides to change wiring.
Sailor notices galley ceiling slats are rotted while changing the wire.
Sailor decides galley ceiling slats need changing.
Sailor notices ...

this goes on and on and on and on and pretty soon, Sailor is undertaking a
major renovation of his boat because of a burned out lightbulb.

Andy.
 
I replaced my heater hoses lately (BJ8) and it wasnt that bad. Even though it is a PIA use a razor knife to slit the hose part which is on the fittings. It is much harder to replace the fitting when you break it off by trying to pull / twist the hose off the fitting.

Leo
 
Thanks guys

All good advice,

Andy- I only wanted to do up the engine.:excitement:

So far I have removed all the suspension, front bumper, steering gear, all the electrics, including the instruments in the facia panel, cleaned down and resprayed the engine bay, and I am now in the process of putting it all back in whilst waiting for the engine to come back from XRN Engineering, it has to go on to Bill Rawles for a little more work then back to me for assembly:glee:

And that is why I am looking at the heater water pipes. The worst one is the one to the control mechanism, and is easiest to get at, I had to reduce its length a tad some years ago, it still fits at a stretch, the other one - more difficult for us RHDs is in good order if a little bit stiff with age. I am wise to cutting the tubes away and spraying the new with silicone/ WD40. I will see how I feel about it on Tuesday when I start work on it again.

Thanks again

:cheers:

Bob
 
Hi Guys

Well, after much deliberation and flagellation, I have been and gone and done it, - the heater box is out. Just as well, as the hose connecting up to the copper tube over the carbs parted company with itself just behind the bulkhead. All connections to the heater matrix were easy to remove, the control mechanism was as good as new, I just need to deal with a drop of rust on the rear of the box and provide a new control cable to the air flap/valve, install the new water hoses and we are good to go, provided I can get that air duct back on.:wall:

Could never have done it without dropping the whole box as a PO had installed a clip on the rear pipe with the screw pointing towards the front of the car.:wall:

:cheers:

Bob
 
Coming that far it might be a good idea to flush the heater.
Mine had a lot of brown $%#@ in it

Hans
 
This is why you have some brown water coming out

heater.JPG


That heater is off my Zephyr but it is the same core as the Healey with a slightly different end tank. My Healey one was identical inside. The difference between before and after to the amount of heat output is massive- if you ever use the heater then I can thoroughly recommend removing both end tanks and rodding each tube. I used a hacksaw blade with all the teeth snipped off and it took the better part of a day to get them all clear. Andy.
 
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