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Post by dave1800 on Nov 6, 2017 6:37:09 GMT
Does the temperature gauge register somewhere around "N" ? I assume you have checked you have the correct thermostat and that it's working? David Good to know the heater should work well in cold weather. |
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Post by Ben N on Nov 7, 2017 6:00:00 GMT
I had the thermostat in a pot on the stove (with a few others from the shelf) a year ago and watched it work then. The car usually runs on the C side of the N, though it has been edging more toward the C recently. I'll swap it for another thermostat when this cold snap is over, and flush the heater core then too.
thanks,
Ben
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Post by tommydp on Nov 8, 2017 8:38:39 GMT
I also suggest flushing the complete system, including the heater matrix, both ways using a garden hose. Then fit a new thermostat, and perhaps a new temperature sender. In my experience they break down more than thermostats.
It used to be common in Norway, and guess Canada too, to have 88 degrees thermostats during winter and the standard 82 degrees in summer. I don't use it that much in winter, so keep the standard one fitted all the time. If I need to use it in extreme cold I put a grille muff on:-)
Of course the heater could have been better, but at least down to minus 10 it should be perfectly ok with a standard thermostat. The trouble is when you need to put it to screen to keep the windscreen ice free as this won't keep the cabin warm enough. Again, make sure the fan spins as fast as it should, in case the car has been polarity switched.
I have driven an 1800 in below minus 30. Had a 88 degrees thermostat then, and a grille muff:-) It was ok, but I kept the jacket on:-)
Tommy
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Post by andrewa on Nov 9, 2017 11:36:29 GMT
Second that esp re the sender - for what it's worth.
I ran a winter stat for the rally last year and forgot to swap back - it runs fine and warms up quick!
The guy that looks after it for me drilled a 1/8th hole in the stat to stop air locks - apparently an old mini trick - don't know if it's true but I haven't had any air locks, have no overheating and a warm car on cold days.
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Post by Ben N on Nov 18, 2017 3:46:53 GMT
Flushed the heater core with the garden hose both ways, looked clean, no grit. Bottom hose goes to open valve on the block, top hose goes to the lower radiator hose. Swapped temperature sender for an identical one, and crimped a new end on the sender wire. Exchanged the old "180°" thermostat with a 82° one. (same temperature rating) Then I went for a 15 minute drive - the temp gauge was just on the C side of the N (back where it was in the summer) and the air from the heater was noticeably hotter. Great!
So tonight I put the old thermostat in a pot on the stove and it was opening/closing around 76°/77°. I had thought the car was running a bit cooler because of the weather but the thermostat's operating temperature was slowly going down. Well that one's going in the bin. Thank you everyone for your suggestions.
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Post by dave1800 on Nov 18, 2017 13:21:31 GMT
Good to hear you were succesful, looking at your weather forecast it looks as though you need the heat already!
regards
David
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Post by Keef on Jan 19, 2018 4:06:36 GMT
It was going into the ealry Maxi but I sold that on too soon. Any pics of the Maxi?  |
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Post by bent8rover on Jan 22, 2018 14:06:27 GMT
It was going into the early Maxi but I sold that on too soon. Any pics of the Maxi? This was 2010-2011. Kept it a year. Sold to fund childcare bill     |
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Post by Keef on Feb 6, 2018 19:17:44 GMT
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Post by Ben N on Sept 8, 2019 3:44:42 GMT
After some effort to solve my blinking charging system, I decided to convert to negative earth and do away with the 11AC alternator with its external regulator and relays. The spare 17ACR alternator I had on the shelf turned out to be of the battery sensing variety so I put it in the MGBGT and put its newer-looking "Lucas TVS Made in India" (machine sensing) alternator in the 1800. This made the rewiring simpler as the 1800's ignition and headlight switch are powered via one of the two big spade connectors at the alternator. (the battery sensing kind uses the second big spade to sense voltage, machine sensing uses the same lead it charges with to sense voltage) I was rewarded with a steady 14.3V on the voltmeter, much better than the bouncing needle that I had before.
The wire to the charge light on the dash previously went through a 3AW Warning Light Control box. I had a faulty one of these on hand and gutted its innards to bypass the relay inside.
Before switching over, I turned on the blower and felt a healthy amount of air coming from the side vents of the heater box. Unfortunately after making the switch, the fan still makes about as much noise but it is debatable whether any air is really coming out the vents at all. I suspect the motor's turning the wrong way.
Having read about melting wires on another thread, I am reluctant to change any wiring to the blower without thorough investigation beforehand. By removing the ashtray, I can see the wires to the fan switch - one black and one green with yellow tracer. The black wire is continuous to ground, the spade it goes on on the switch is also continuous to ground. In fact, the fan works whether the black wire is connected or not. When I have time, I'll remove the parcel shelf to investigate further and see if I can get the fan to blow properly again.
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Post by Ben N on Oct 8, 2019 17:32:44 GMT
Took the parcel shelf and centre console (where the radio is) thing out to better access the heater/fan unit. I've always wanted to try to recover the top of the dashboard anyway so might as well pull it all apart. Experimented with reversing the wires to the fan unit. (at the top RHS of the box, not at the switch) The fan worked but had been somewhat ineffective since changing to -ve earth. Reversing the wires to the heater/blower unit, I connected one wire first then tapped the other against the connector, big blue arc, no fan movement... I suspect there would be a blown fuse (or melted wires) if I'd held it there. Next I brought the battery inside the cabin to power the blower directly without powering/grounding anything else in the car. Connected to the blower -ve earth, it moves air but not much, connected +ve earth, it moves a lot of air quite well. This confirmed the fan motor runs in different directions depending on DC polarity. Removed the fan unit from the car and took the cover off the bulkhead side. The motor has a green wire (from the connector at the top left of the unit) and a green/yellow wire (from the switch) going into it on opposite sides. Swapped these and the motor runs the other way. I had to extend the wire to the switch to reach the far side of the motor so it was right for negative earth. The black wire goes directly from the connector on the top left side of the unit through to the switch where it is also continuous with the metal casing of the fan unit. The unit sits on four studs in the bulkhead, with rubber grommets around them. These grommets were in poor shape allowing it to rest directly on the studs, and so the fan casing was grounded to the body of the car. That's why simply swapping the black and green wires at the connector was causing a short. If the grommets were good I think swapping those wires would have worked when changing polarity. A couple pictures... as found before cleaning out the bits of old foam, etc. The heater matrix slides out. There are a couple more flaps for directing air underneath it. I've since replaced most of the foam and the four grommets.   |
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Post by Penguin45 on Oct 8, 2019 23:40:20 GMT
Cheers Ben, nice write up.
Last picture - if you look at the labelling on the motor, it illustrates the direction of rotation for + and - earth. Pretty sure my own motor doesn't have that on there.
Chris.
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Post by dave1800 on Oct 10, 2019 2:20:57 GMT
Interesting. That suggests if someone has a car previously converted to negative earth by swapping the green and black wires that if the grommets subsequently deteriorate there could be a sudden failure with a blown fuse and it maybe hard to trace the issue. David Removed the fan unit from the car and took the cover off the bulkhead side. The motor has a green wire (from the connector at the top left of the unit) and a green/yellow wire (from the switch) going into it on opposite sides. Swapped these and the motor runs the other way. I had to extend the wire to the switch to reach the far side of the motor so it was right for negative earth. The black wire goes directly from the connector on the top left side of the unit through to the switch where it is also continuous with the metal casing of the fan unit. The unit sits on four studs in the bulkhead, with rubber grommets around them. These grommets were in poor shape allowing it to rest directly on the studs, and so the fan casing was grounded to the body of the car. That's why simply swapping the black and green wires at the connector was causing a short. If the grommets were good I think swapping those wires would have worked when changing polarity. |
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Post by Ben N on Oct 24, 2019 17:19:19 GMT
That was my thought too when I looked at the grounding of the fan box, David. There seem to be several different blower setups in these cars so it might not be an issue for all models. The fan unit pictured in an Australian 1800 newsletter looks nothing like mine inside. Yesterday was the first day without rain here in weeks (and a day off from work) inspiring me to finish getting the dash back together just in time to go out for lunch... except that the car wouldn't start.  Off to lunch and afternoon errands in the boring car distracted by thoughts of what I might have done wrong over the last 6 weeks the Austin has been apart. Back at home I eventually proved the condenser was the culprit. (having tried replacing everything else!) Replaced with a used spare and it fired right up. Not sure how old the bad condenser was but it sure looked shiny and new compared any of the others I have lying around. When the parcel shelf and fan unit were out, it was a good opportunity to have a go at recovering the dashboard top. The original one was a bit brittle with a chunk broken off at the front and kind of wavy on the top in a couple places. I used the black vinyl fabric one uses for the seats on motorboats. The trickiest part was the vents as there is very little material to stretch around and staple to the board after cutting slits down the centre. It's a little lumpy at the ends of the vents but overall a great improvement over how it looked before.  |
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Post by Penguin45 on Oct 24, 2019 23:20:32 GMT
Nice work on the dashtop, Ben. Looks good. If I might make a suggestion, get some decent ignition components into stock. Condensers are a known hazard. Decent ones will have the lead soldered to a lug on the end. If yours has a rubber cover on the end with a wire sticking out, it's highly likely to be some piece of Far East tat which should never have been sold in the first place. I would seriously suggest that you email Martin THE DISTRIBUTOR DOCTOR and buy two sets of points, two condensers and two rotor arms. At least... And anything else you fancy. His stuff is made to the original standards, so you'll have a good chance of a decent service life. Postage might hurt, but you WILL get quality components. In other general advice to all readers, if it says Lucas and it's in a green box - don't buy it. Sorry, getting all opinionated there. But, as those who have followed my own ignition adventures on here will know, I have suffered from the huge amount of rubbish sold these days as Lucas components. Chris. |
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Good to know the heater should work well in cold weather. 
Off to lunch and afternoon errands in the boring car distracted by thoughts of what I might have done wrong over the last 6 weeks the Austin has been apart. Back at home I eventually proved the condenser was the culprit. (having tried replacing everything else!) Replaced with a used spare and it fired right up. Not sure how old the bad condenser was but it sure looked shiny and new compared any of the others I have lying around.