15 replies to this topic

[callumwebber]

if i took my heater valve off would it just always be hot air? my engine bay is messy and i never use the cold air so i was wondering if i could take the heater valve off and tidy things up but still be able to use the heater to de mist my screen cheers

 

here's a pic of my engine bay 

 

 my engine bay.jpg   49.41K   138 downloads

[Tamworthbay]

I could be wrong, but don't DSN classics do a fitment to do just that?

[old original]

Hot air would always be passed through the heater matrix in the car so the windscreen would demist would work.  I've run without a valve for 15 years, doesn't really bother me, during the summer I open a window

[callumwebber]

I think you maybe be thinking about something else tamworthbay but old original That's the answer I was hoping for cheers for the replies

[maccers]

DSN make like a blanking plate for the heater valve I think he means.

 

I run with no heater valve either, hot air into the matrix all the time and its not bothered me either.

[Spud_133]

They do both a blanking plate and a adapter which does away with the tap, as well as the take off. I run mine with no tap so it's constant hot air and it doesn't bother me.

[GraemeC]

If you look at his photo, he has the later set up with a direct outlet on the head and the remote tap. The DSN kit will give him nothing extra other than a bit of shiny.

If you remove the tap and replace it with a straight hose joiner then yes, your heater will always be hot. However, unless you turn its blower on I doubt it would make the cabin uncomfortably warm, especially with the flaps in the closed setting ('0' on the slider)

[stealth05]

car will run fine with this removed  i do it to all my minis , just means heater is warm all the time but better in summer  , if your warm open the window ,if in traffic the car engine starts to get hot flick on the fan switch and it acts as a another source to disperse the heat from the cooling system .

 

regards dav

[AVV IT]

As above, you can run without one with no issues. I've had to resort to doing just that, thanks to quality problems with replacement heater taps of late.

Obviously if you cant close off the heater circuit, then there will be a constant year round flow of hot coolant through the matrix, meaning that the heater will permanently throw out some heat. On very hot summer days, this can make the classic mini tin box oven even more unbearable, but on the upside the matrix also acts as a second rad so it will help with cooling on particularly hot days too. The other advantage of having a year round flow of coolant around the heater circuit, is that you don't get the inevitable build up of sludge and debris collecting in the matrix over the summer months, that causes blockages, corrosion and all the associated leaks and classic mini heater faults at the beginning of each winter.

[callumwebber]

I've just brought a new manifold and heater hose can I plumb it in without the heater valve no problem or will I have to by pass the manifold? Cheers

[old original]

It's not a problem, as I wrote above, I've run for many years without a valve and mine also goes via the manifold

[AVV IT]

Depending on how you were planning on plumbing your heated inlet in, it's often better not to have a heater valve/tap if you connect up a heated inlet. Many people plumb them in in such a way that they only actually work when the heater is in use (I.e when the heater valve is open).

[callumwebber]

i was just going to plug the heater hose in each end of the inlet and not use a heater valve at all

[Stiggytoo]

i was just going to plug the heater hose in each end of the inlet and not use a heater valve at all

If you did that, surely you would only have a circuit from the matrix to to manifold. In that case there would be no heat to either. I've probably misunderstood what you wrote though.

Edited by Stiggytoo, 09 January 2014 - 08:58 PM.

[callumwebber]

like this just without the heater valve;