Heaters not working

connico · Postby **connico** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:11 pm

Hmm just got in for a morning drive today and the heater doesnt work...

Anyone have any ideas before i take it in for a service?

Fatty · Postby **Fatty** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:47 pm

check the fuse? also isn't there a heater switch on the unit itself somewhere, that can trip out (sort of like a safety switch) ?

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:13 pm

Depends on what you mean- problem is no air flow with fan switched on or no heat with fan on etc?

connico · Postby **connico** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:15 pm

I get air, i dont get heated air..

I checked the fuses and all is ok, where is the heater switch?

Garry · Postby **Garry** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:43 pm

There is no heater switch. The MX5 heater core has hot water going through it all the time whether the heater is on or not. Turning the heater on moves a flap to direct air through the heater core. Assuming the heater worked fine until recently and no one has bypassed the heater core maybe one of the airflow cables has come off or broken. The cables work a series of levers so it's possible that one of them may have come off. Have a look under the dash behind the heater controls and make sure things move when u move the heater temperature controller.

connico · Postby **connico** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 8:52 pm

Coolies, heater flaps you say, will do when i get sometime. When i first got the car everything was working fine.

mekros · Postby **mekros** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:07 pm

do a quick check of your coolant condition (when cold!) too.

connico · Postby **connico** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:06 pm

Garry wrote:The cables work a series of levers so it's possible that one of them may have come off. Have a look under the dash behind the heater controls and make sure things move when u move the heater temperature controller.

I took a look after work today and it seems that the far left knob.. the one that controls how much blue and red (temp) is not moving anything at all. Looks like i have to take the whole console out to have a better look as i only took the glove box out stuck my head in and looked around while turning the knob..

Don't know if its worth doing, might just take it in for an early 130k service (only 125k) and ask them to fix the heater problem as well..

Postby **Okibi** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:41 pm

Nahh its piss easy

(sorry can't remember if the heater is on passanger or drivers side, try the passanger side first, it's easier.

Just pull the glove box out, 30 seconds if your being careful and look/feel in from the side, if you're lucky the wire loop on the end of the cable has just popped off and you can pop it back on, should only take a minute or so to fix.

If it's on the drivers side you need to undo the pannel under the steering wheel, 2 philips head screws down the bottom of the pannel, undo them pop it out and feel across for the cable, you might have to move the heater/cooler knob back and forth to work out which is which, if you're lucky the wire loop on the end of the cable has just popped off and you can pop it back on, should only take a couple of minutes or so to fix.

connico · Postby **connico** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:13 pm

On the passenger side the cable that does move is to control which vents are active on the car (i.e. if i want a face full of cold air or if I want to share this cool feeling with my feel as well... Or if want my windscreen to coop a blast of AC to clear up the condensed air...). I have not opened the drivers side yet but really if its a bit of work, I will prob just throw it on the to hard pile and pay for someone to take a gander.

Anyone got instructions on how to take the console off?

Postby **Okibi** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:20 pm

Okibi wrote:If it's on the drivers side you need to undo the panel under the steering wheel, 2 philips head screws down the bottom of the panel, undo them pop it out and feel across for the cable, you might have to move the heater/cooler knob back and forth to work out which is which, if you're lucky the wire loop on the end of the cable has just popped off and you can pop it back on, should only take a couple of minutes or so to fix.

connico · Postby **connico** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:30 pm

Okibi wrote:
Okibi wrote:If it's on the drivers side you need to undo the panel under the steering wheel, 2 philips head screws down the bottom of the panel, undo them pop it out and feel across for the cable, you might have to move the heater/cooler knob back and forth to work out which is which, if you're lucky the wire loop on the end of the cable has just popped off and you can pop it back on, should only take a couple of minutes or so to fix.

Ill give it a try, but I would rather just remove the whole center console.. Regardless thanks for the help!

Postby **Okibi** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:01 pm

No you wouldn't that's a much bigger job, with no point if one of the loops have just slipped off.

Postby **Boyracer** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:24 pm

The cable has jumped off the heater control...happened to me once...it is up under the dash on the drivers side on the side of the heater box...just have to clip it back on....no need to pull anything apart.