Reminds me of the time a few years ago when my youngest lad was in the passenger seat and I went for an overtake of three somewhat dawdling cars. Press of sport button, floor throttle and away we go. The look of surprise on his face was priceless as he made comment that the he never realised the ‘old barge’ could move so quick! I explained it had a magic button that he had never really seen (and hadn’t seen me prod) as it ‘hides’ beneath the handbrake lever when in motion!
Rejoice, you’ve done the difficult bit! You should now be able to get a finger into the matrix side of the joint and any crud will be immediately felt. Easily cleaned out with a bit of descaling fluid. Further tips:
Take time to make sure the pipes are pushed into and fully located into the matrix before doing the screw up and drawing the collar up tight.
Do not overtighten the screw especially if you have a replacement hex head screw. The amount of torque you can apply with Mk1 hand and a screwdriver will be sufficient otherwise you may crack the plastic matrix. You can always nip it up a bit if it weeps but once the matrix is cracked it’s a whole heap of further work.
Once the joint is assembled refill the cooling system and test the joint by running the engine and coolant up to temperature and pressure. Do NOT turn on the ignition/start the engine without the instrument cluster connected with both connectors - a whole new world of pain awaits otherwise.
Don’t forget to clip the temperature sensor back onto the pipe.
Clean up the inevitable hairy edges of the cut heater air duct and assemble in situ. To help with the duct tape issue the method I use is to cut a length of duct tape and then ‘stick’ a strip of grease proof paper twice as long as the cut length of tape to the sticky side of the tape and fold it back on itself. The duct tape can now be easily fed through the narrow gap twixt duct and heater box, positioned and then by slowly pulling the grease proof paper off the duct tape can be slowly and accurately stuck across and around the joint in a controlled manner.
Good luck.
PS : Classic Minis - pretty much rebuilt more than one of these. Once I’d mastered the ‘secret’ of the heater by-pass hose replacement I could do one in under ten minutes! There was also an acquired technique for bolting those pesky master cylinders in place. All other jobs seemed pretty straightforward to me.
RH front (OSF) fog lamp replaced today. The old one had lots of condensation it it which wouldn’t clear and the reflector had started corroding. When I took the rear cap off it a lot of water just poured out! I assumed the cap had not been fitted properly or the seal has failed but it all looked OK. Impossible to remove the lamp screws in situ as the heads had corroded and one needed drilling out. Took the bumper off which makes the job a lot easier, wrestled the screws out and replaced them with No14 hex head SS screws and captive u nuts - meatier and better.
On examining the old lamp it became obvious that someone at some time had split the plastic lamp housing on the top surface and ‘sealed’ it with some goo that had gone hard and started to flake off which explains the water ingress. I suspect that when I had the bumper repainted some years ago the body shop damaged it when removing it (damage in line with top left hand mounting) and had bodged a repair!
Firstly I would enlarge the hole you have drilled to access the heater duct upper screw in a horizontal direction towards the rear. By viewing through the enlarged hole and behind the moved ducting you should be able to see the infamous screw head and the long pozidrive No2 screwdriver can be inserted to engage. Unclip the temperature sensor off the pipe (the wiring prevents the pipes being moved towards the engine compartment). There are now two options:
By feel undo the screw and then move the released collar back along the pipes and then push the pipes towards the engine compartment. Then, mainly by feel, the o-rings can be removed, the pipes and matrix cleaned up, o-rings inserted over the pipes, the pipes inserted back into the matrix and the screw re-engaged. To facilitate this do not remove the screw from the matrix, rather as you unscrew it pull the collar away from the matrix. Do not forget to re-clip the temperature sensor onto the pipe. If you have big mits like mine this is all a big ask but I managed it the first time I did the o-rings.
Through the instrument binnacle opening cut through the heater duct as low and as square as possible and be very, very careful not to cut the heater pipes. Then pull the lower section out from below or move it right out of the way. The upper section can also be removed through the binnacle opening as well once it is cut. With the ducting out of the way the access to the screw, matrix and collar is vastly improved and you can actually see what you are doing. The ducting needs to be duct taped back together on re-installation.
There is a third option to remove the dash which is what I did a few weeks ago but I also needed to re-attach the dash to windscreen trim/seal which had come adrift and also fully lubricate the blend and distribution flaps which had started making ominous sounds as they moved. Removing/replacing the dash is straightforward and not that difficult - it just takes a fair amount of time.
The OEM seat cushion seat heating elements do not get particularly toasty before the incorporated thermal switch cuts off so one modification you might consider when replacing/repairing a damaged element is incorporating a 12V DC normally closed thermostat that switches around the 40 - 50C mark depending how toasty you want the seat . Digi-key do a few Cantherm circular flattish thermostats in this range and, from memory, I believe the current draw of the seat heating elements is some 8A so a rating above this is required - minimum 10A, preferably 15A or above (but measure the resistance of the element to check). These just need to be soldered in parallel with the existing thermal switch - no need to remove/replace it. I have modified both of my seats this way when replacing the elements and they are much better.
Starting was becoming a bit laboured with a charged battery and even when showing a good voltage it wouldn’t turn the engine over if left for a few days. Putting the battery on charge showed it to be charged enough but it had to be really fully charged to do the business. I suspected dodgy connections twixt battery and starter but they all checked out and cleaning them up didn’t make any difference. I suspected maybe a cell was on the way out and thought I had procured this battery only a couple of years or so ago but on checking it’s seven years old! OK, time to get one of those legendary and mighty Hankook MF31-1000 beasties which arrived this morning.
Fitting it in the battery box and connecting the terminals was straightforward and the starter didn’t know what had hit it when I turned the key - it has been a long time since I’ve heard the engine turnover that fast!!
As the battery is a bit taller than the OEM sized battery the metal battery strap over the top doesn’t fit and it doesn’t have any other means of being clamped in. I didn’t fancy leaving such a large weight not securely clamped down. What I did find though was taking the raised bit out of the strap so it was now straight gave enough extra length to be used to adjust and increase the drop over the front of the battery and the strap fits perfectly and the plastic battery cover also fits pretty well. Result.
Some comments on the video posted above:
It’s a LHD vehicle so for a RHD vehicle the steering column is rather a large impediment to getting a good view and access.
When the centre console side panel was removed it is clear that someone had been in there previously and removed a huge portion of the plastic dash underneath. Without that removal cutting of the ducting as he did is not possible although it did offer good access to the screw head. Most of us just drilled some holes in the appropriate places.
The use and amount of sealant he utilised may well prove to be counterproductive! Not something I would do or recommend. It’ll be a bugger of a job if he has do do it again at some time!
A thin smear of silicon grease is probably OK although I just dipped my o-rings in coolant as per RAVE when I did mine a few weeks ago. Do not be tempted to use any other gloop unless it’s the type that never dries and remains flexible for years as it a sure fire way to get leaks in the short term - those pipes need a little bit of flex during their life time.
Soak the back end of the screw with plenty of penetrating oil and leave it to do its work. Use the correct screwdriver - this is an absolute must. Crack the screw by tightening it very, very slightly before undoing (too much tightening risks cracking the plastic matrix). Once the screw is moving unscrew a turn then screw up half a turn and continue doing this until it becomes easy to unscrew or is completely unscrewed - this out in action allows the threads to clear themselves of any built up crud on the back of the screw rather than drawing it right into the threads and risks seizing everything up. Be patient about removing the screw - half an hour of patient work here can save hours of heartache later! I have not seen anyone say they have successfully drilled out the screw without removing the dash!
ABS & Traction lights with usual beep and failure messages. Yet another ABS sensor failure - N/S/F this time and NanoCom did correctly report the failure as Left Front sensor but only because it was repeating the stored failure! At least this one lasted nearly 3 years this time!!! I have replaced so many now on all wheels that it is now quite a quick and easy half hour job - the sensors are never in the hubs long enough to seize in!!!
However, the wheel sensor inputs and live outputs as shown on NanoCom seemed OK for all wheels despite the failure which would not cancel although the voltage for this particular sensor was a bit lower than the others. I have had this before with the O/S/F and a replacement sensor cured the problem. Again, I replaced the N/S/F sensor this morning and the fault cleared. The fault was first flagged at start up and not whilst driving so the sensors are failing the power on test so I can only assume that the measured resistance or voltage is quite sensitive. I measured the resistance of the spare front (now fitted) and rear sensors I keep in stock and both measured 1.15kOhms. The failed sensor measured 1.34kOhms. Not sure what is happening within the sensor for the resistance to increase but I am assuming that this is what is flagging the failure.
I have been trying to track down OEM WabCo sensors (I have two fitted on the rear now) rather than the eye watering priced LR branded items - does anyone have a source for these or recommendations for decent aftermarket sensors that last for a sensible time?
Thanks Richard.
I am going to fit a couple of new height sensors soon so will be calibrating the various heights using some blocks. The $64k question, not covered in this idiot’s guide, is what length should each block be for each of the four heights? I am also given to understand that the rear heights are a little different than the front heights!
+1 for removing the left hand instrument cluster bracket - very easy and makes life a lot easier.
The o-rings can be replaced without removing the infamous air duct but is very tricky unless you have small hands and has mostly to be done by feel. If you decide to cut and remove the duct to do the o-rings then access to the blend motor is also much facilitated.
Some advice:
DO NOT switch on the ignition without the instrument cluster connected - a whole new world of pain awaits down that path,
DO NOT ‘muller* the o-ring clamp screw head - drilling out a butchered screw will be ‘challenging’ to say the least. Use plenty of penetrating oil, let it soak properly and, very, very carefully, try to tighten the screw very slightly to just crack it before unscrewing it. Very long (min 12”) shank No2 cross head screwdriver required for this job.
DO NOT overtighten the clamp screw when refitting as you risk cracking the plastic heater matrix.
DO NOT as Richard has already said, externally power the blend motor with the HEVAC unit connected unless you like the sight and smell of the smoke of burning chips!
You do not have to drain the coolant via the main radiator when doing the o-rings. Just crack the clamp screw loose and collect, in a sutiable receptacle, the litre or so of coolant that will drain out before fully undoing the screw.
Not 100% diagnosis but if the coolant is evident at the joint of the heater matrix flange and the collar around the coolant pipes - the joint where the o-rings are - then it’s most probably the o-rings. Get a mirror and a torch and inspect the joint, if the coolant is coming from the slight gap at the joint then it’s almost certainly the o-rings. If there is coolant on the matrix side of its flange then I would suspect the matrix and also the matrix if the joint is nice and dry.
Blowing cold on one side only is a blend motor/flap issue.
Good news and, despite initially going bloody crazy, looks to be a fairly straightforward fix to get the ICE up and running properly. In your original post you referred to an”aftermarket amplifier interface” which seems to match the aftermarket HU to the HK amplifiers. May I enquire what the make/model of this interface unit is?
Yes, they look like the only two options but I wouldn’t mix left to right otherwise the balance from left to right will almost certainly be lost or any significant adjustment of it at the very least.
If the aftermarket interface loom does the necessary balancing to work with the door amps on the LHS without any buzzing etc then I would go for getting a couple of door amps and rewiring to the RHS doors accordingly. I assume the grey/black wire is still present in the driver footwell and this will need a couple of wires put in to switch the door amps on and wiring replicated at the HU end as has been done to switch the LHS amps on unless the aftermarket interface loom already does this. As I understand it the grey/black wire is not a power supply just the on/off signal from the head unit - power to the amps comes via the door outstation.
I believe it was only the Hi Line system that has the 10 pin connector at the back of the radio. If so, this system should have door amps and the sub-woofer amp. The additional two orange wires are the feed for the sub-woofer. The amps are only switched on when commanded via a grey/black wire from a separate 8 pin connector at the back of the radio. I would suspect that this grey/black wire to the right hand side of the vehicle may well be the problem. This grey/black wire feeds to a 6 pin connector behind the kick panel in the driver’s footwell and has two wires from it individually feeding the two door amps. As both doors speakers are not working I would presume that the problem is at this connector of between it and the radio - easy to check which it is with a multimeter.
Perhaps remove the blend motor on the passenger side and check everything it drives moves freely.
All back together now. No coolant leaks, dash to screen trim back in place and all heater flaps moving freely and well greased/lubricated. Blend and distribution motors all fine. Dash went back in OK with the only issues being:
The upper duct on the drivers side - the sliding ‘collar’ just would not fit onto the centre duct. I even tried trial fitting just the collar on its own to see what the problem was. It just doesn’t fit over the central duct. I tried heating it and making it very pliable but it just wouldn’t go on. I can only think that the plastic has shrunk over time - it is exceedingly loose inside the duct it slides in - well it was until the additional foam seal made it snug. It is now about 80% fitted to the central duct and supplemented with lots of tape! Indeed all the ducting joints are now supplemented by plenty of tape!
I had to fabricate a replacement central gasket twixt the dash top and the ducting below. Foam sheet cut to shape and then covered in duct tape top and bottom to give it strength. Gasket fixed to the central ducting with double sided tape. Jobs a good ‘un.
When refitting the glove box release cable I did not locate the release ‘claw’ properly into the lid. I shut the glove box and the ‘claw’ dislocated and I was left with a glove box that wouldn’t open. It’s worse than that because at that point I realised what I had done because, well, I made the same mistake a few years ago when I replaced the damper - doh! At least I knew how to rectify the situation!
Yes, what is that tailgate all about?
They’ve come down in price. At one stage, and this was many years ago, they were well over £300 a throw.