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series 1 xke heater

wangdango

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I have a really nice "semi lightweight" XKE that has the heater removed. As I live in the northeast, I am thinking about reinstaling it. Is it an "easy" job?" Is it really worth doing so?
 
Reinstalling the heater is an easy job provided that the tubes inside the bulkhead weren't removed with the heater. The blower, heater core, box and valve all are external in the engine compartment and can be in place in 15 minutes if you have all the parts ready. Threading the cable to the control can take a little time and effort since it goes through the bulkhead, but nothing terribly difficult. So it all comes down to the water transfer pipes whose replacement can take time, and a helper if possible.
 
Installing the box is a breeze. You can get foam seals at Ace hardware and save some money too.

There is also a modification that you MUST do to the heater valve. (Highly recommend it, costs nothing) Seems as though it is hard for water to actually pass through the valve. So to get more "throw" on the valve, small washers are inserted along the shaft. Buying a new valve will not help unless yours is leaking. I modified my brand new valve in about 10minutes on the workbench.
This web page is mandatory reading for all british car owners.
Enjoy!
Muenchausen's Garage
 
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