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Where's the heat coming from??

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JoeC

JoeC

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I'm in my second month of TR ownership now, and have the biggest problem behind me (broken clutch fork pin). I now have a "mystery problem" of heat coming from the dash area while driving. I can't seem to pinpoint it...temp guage is o.k. I can't seem to "turn off" the heat, but I bet its a missing or broken vent hose. Any ideas? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Thanks,
Joe

Soon to have photos of a clean car. The above is how she looked when I bought her!
 
Joe,

Triumphs (and other LBCs) are notoriuos for engine and transmission heat entering the passenger compartment, and it has nothing to do with the heating system. First look for any gaps or holes in the firewall, any missing gromets or seals around the parts that come through (Cables, linkages, wiring, etc.) and seal everything up. Next check the fit & seal of the transmission tunnel cover, the entire tunnel may need replacement - these were made of cardboard - and seal all that up. This should drastically cut down on the heat.
 
Joe,

I just got through painting my engine bay... along with that I replaced all the grommets on the firewall. Nearly everyone one of them were either missing or rotted beyond repair. Also I purchased some sound deadening/heat barrier and installed it over the transcover. All this made a heck-uva difference. My wife and I went for a ride the other day and even she remarked how much more comfortable the car was, even though with the addition of headers it was louder on the outside. Very little of that noise and heat makes it through from the firewall.
 
The lower vent door of your heater might be "level" with the outer casing of the heater, meaning that heat is entering the vents; or the door might lower, allowing heat to the floor as well. To seal off all heat two things must be checked: a) the heater inlet valve at the engine is properly shut; and b) the vent door is all the way up into the casing, and has at least some of the original felt, heat resistent material on it a seal against the heat emitting element.

Aside from those things, check holes and grommets. I'd also check your floor board and transmission hump for holes, and be sure your floor has that heat shield "hemp" material others mention. No way your carpet should just meet the floor.
 
I had problems with tons of heat coming into my GT6 for years. I did all the sealing, but it was still terrible. The GT6s are famous for being warm, so I kind of just accepted it, but it still bugged me. Eventually I decided that maybe the heater valve wasn't functioning correctly. In checking it out I realized that it was the wrong part, and worked backwards from the way it was supposed to. In other words, when the heater controls were on full cold, the valve was on full hot, and vice versa. So, blast furnace in the summer, no heat in the winter (or at least the chilly fall mornings).

For what its worth, the valves looked identical, except for the direction of operation.

Good luck tracking it down.
 
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