This heaters turned out to be a little bit of a problem just thought you
might be interested in the result.

The symptoms were "not very hot cab heater"
..
First thing I did was clean out the pollen filter.

Now I have airflow but it wasn't very hot still. So I now attacked the
heating system.
Obvious place to start, as the car was a 02 replace the thermostat.

This had the effect of reducing the effects of the heater, giving the
symptoms of an airlock. The heater would get lukewarm, and then go cold.
I attempted to bleed the airlock. As I tried to pull the hose off the
heater control valve, the pipe came with it, the plastic of the heater
control valve pipe was like eggshell.
So do in due course a replacement was purchased. I took notice of all
the warnings on the Internet about not using the very cheap valve's from
eBay, etc and on Christmas Eve I purchased a Euro car parts heater
control valve. This was about 7 pounds cheaper than the one they sell as
OEM.

Fitted the new valve, checked operation, job done. Nice and simple. No
airlocks great.

10 days later Wife complains "can't turn heater off". I check
connections, and heater control works perfectly. Do a trip of 25 miles
about halfway there the car heater really heats up and we can't turn the
heat off!

When we get to where we are going I check the connections on the heater
control valve. I touch the body of the solenoid with my index finger and
it hurts me.
So I touch it again, it's bloody hot!
I Spit on my finger and touch the solenoid body and it bubbles and spits
as it boils.
The car is now left for an hour, I set the heater control to mid way and
it stays okay on the way home.
It would appear that the heater controll valve solenoid is jamming open
and overheating through the current trying to close it.

If I can find the receipt I will take it back and get the OEM one and
pay the difference.
Meanwhile I have an index finger with shiny skin.

Anybody else had this problem with this control?

Gary

In article ,
Gary writes:
When we get to where we are going I check the connections on the heater
control valve. I touch the body of the solenoid with my index finger and
it hurts me.

Anybody else had this problem with this control?

It would surprise me to learn there was anything as complex as a
solenoid in the heater of my Fiesta...

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 15/01/2013 14:26, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Gary writes:
When we get to where we are going I check the connections on the heater
control valve. I touch the body of the solenoid with my index finger and
it hurts me.
Anybody else had this problem with this control?
It would surprise me to learn there was anything as complex as a
solenoid in the heater of my Fiesta...

Then you will be suitably surprised. The heater control valve on KA
Fiesta and others is a electrical control and the mushroom shaped valve
is operated by a type of solenoid. the valve is 'normally open' and the
solenoid pulls it closed. the amount dependant on the current through
the solenoid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyl5cCOvIis

8 mins is the operation bit.

Hang on a moment, so the solonoide presumably works against a spring and it
gradually pulls it closed? Maybe its meant to get hot?

Seems an odd way to go, I'd have thought a cheap motorised valve would have
been more reliable.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Gary" wrote in message
...
On 15/01/2013 14:26, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Gary writes:
When we get to where we are going I check the connections on the heater
control valve. I touch the body of the solenoid with my index finger and
it hurts me.
Anybody else had this problem with this control?
It would surprise me to learn there was anything as complex as a
solenoid in the heater of my Fiesta...

Then you will be suitably surprised. The heater control valve on KA Fiesta
and others is a electrical control and the mushroom shaped valve is
operated by a type of solenoid. the valve is 'normally open' and the
solenoid pulls it closed. the amount dependant on the current through the
solenoid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyl5cCOvIis

8 mins is the operation bit.

On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:26:27 +0000, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

In article ,
Gary writes:
When we get to where we are going I check the connections on the heater
control valve. I touch the body of the solenoid with my index finger
and it hurts me.

Anybody else had this problem with this control?

It would surprise me to learn there was anything as complex as a
solenoid in the heater of my Fiesta...

Mine's the other way round - won't turn on - a right hooter in this
weather!

Now on the second one - replace under warrantee (only just got the car
used and garage said 3 months we'll fix stuff). They replaced
'automatically' as "always failing". due in tomorrow for another go :-(

Avpx



--
'Somewhere, A Crime Is Happening,' said Dorfl.
(Feet of Clay)
14:50:01 up 2 days, 23:53, 7 users, load average: 0.22, 0.39, 0.49

On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:53:18 -0600, The Nomad wrote:

Mine's the other way round - won't turn on - a right hooter in this
weather!

I think that was the problem with the SWMBO'd Fiesta.

They replaced 'automatically' as "always failing". due in tomorrow for
another go :-(

Yep a "known fault". Uses a slow PWM waveform to regulate how much hot
water gets fed to the heater matrix. Never sorted out the problem on
SWMBO'd car as she decided that taking a flying leap over a wall and
landing on a side in field was a good way to get a new car...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:22:40 +0000, Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:53:18 -0600, The Nomad wrote:

Mine's the other way round - won't turn on - a right hooter in this
weather!

I think that was the problem with the SWMBO'd Fiesta.

They replaced 'automatically' as "always failing". due in tomorrow for
another go :-(

Yep a "known fault". Uses a slow PWM waveform to regulate how much hot
water gets fed to the heater matrix. Never sorted out the problem on
SWMBO'd car as she decided that taking a flying leap over a wall and
landing on a side in field was a good way to get a new car...

That (almost) is how come I've got this one :-(

Avpx

--
Lady Ramkin's bosom rose and fell like an
empire.
(Guards! Guards!)
20:05:01 up 3 days, 5:08, 7 users, load average: 0.36, 0.43, 0.39