33 heater

[Lossiealfa33]

Merry Xmas all. Anybody got any hints or tips regarding my 1988 33 heater. It’s blowing barely warm air. Controls move freely and engine temperature is good, plenty coolant, hoses into the heater box are warm and nothing seems air locked, well that I can see. I was hoping for a hint before I have to dismantle the thing. It’s cold in the north of Scotland

[junior]

Have you tried running water backwards through it.

Cannot recall what it was I was once advised to do this on but it worked.

[alfadave]

Back flush it as Junior says.
Otherwise buy gloves, hat, and warm jacket!
I use my Sud most days. Heater is useless! Takes ages just to clear the screen.
There are snowy mountains in Northern Italy. How they designed such a useless heater is beyond me.

[KevJTD]

Do both heater pipes get properly hot, almost so yu can't hold them? If only one does then you've a blockage, if both are fully hot then most likely decent water flow.
Make sure the flaps are fully closing and not letting cold air mix in.
I found the sud heater to be pretty decent as long as the above was followed, new matrix are still available and once you ensure the air travels over it and into the car rather than pulling in a mix of cold air, just even a 10mm gap at the flap will allow a preferential route for air instead of through the matrix, then it works just about as good as others..

[junior]

I have a spare in my garage as well should you need one.

[Lossiealfa33]

Thanks all, I’ll try the back flush and take it from there.

[KevJTD]

Check all flaps are going full travel, in particular the hot/cold one. Get someone to move the control in the car so you can see which one moves and which way is hot, then undo the cable and see if the control arm can be moved further..

[Sud 145]

As Kev says....the clip that holds the cables at the matrix end can pop off or not grip tight enough so you think the cable's moving but it's actually the whole cable.

[Lossiealfa33]

Tried a back flush and only a barely noticeable improvement. Out for a wee drive today and lo, hot air, that’s when I noticed the slide control for the vents etc.had fallen off. “every cloud has a silver lining apparently “ so that’s down for investigation, something simple I’m thinking.