25 replies to this topic

[GraemeC]

Undo the two screws holding the front of the heater up, they go through the heater control panel and up into the dash rail.

it should the swing down on the rear mount

[mini-mad-mark]

Maybe someone has snagged the wires behind the heater and cut through them (possibly with the heater bracket) causing the short so might be as well to whip the heater out

 

Its not the worst thing to have to do on a mini 

[dunkyb]

Hi Graeme,

I was unsure how far the coolant hoses connected to the heater would flex, but if this is doable I’ll give it a go over the next few days, thanks!

[dunkyb]

Heater unit doesn’t drop down with those 3 screws removed!
Only thing I can see is the coolant hoses keeping it in?

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[dunkyb]

Dunno why it’s upside down!

[GraemeC]

3 screws? There should only be 2!

[dunkyb]

Sorry I meant the 2 on the heater controls and the nut at the back

[mini-mad-mark]

Two nuts at the back - One each side. But you don't need to remove them just loosen them (to the end of the thread if necessary)  and then it should lift our of the hook brackets at the back (but not while the hoses are connected still?)

 

I'd say its easier to drain the coolant and take the hoses off to pull it out completely as you'll need to look under the carpet and it all gets bit tight when the heater is in the way

 

Once you get it off the first time you'll understand how it goes in and out 

[dunkyb]

Hi all,

Just thought I’d update the thread to say that today I found the problem and fixed the reversing lights! Thanks so much for everyone’s help and guidance.

The reverse switch wires ran up behind the heater unit as suggested but actually appeared to have melted and fused to the bulkhead, causing a short! See pics. Pretty crazy, but I guess that heater must get very hot back there.

I peeled the melted flattened wiring off and immediately it fixed the lights staying on. Then cut out the affected bit of the wiring and replaced with new wire. I’ve re-routed the wiring around the heater so this hopefully won’t happen again.

Just interested if anyone knows if the reverse switch wires ran directly behind the heater from factory and hence could have been a design fault? My guess is that it had a repair and that’s how it was out back...

Duncan

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[KTS]

good to see you found the fault !

 

the wires appear to have been melted to the bulkhead so i suspect it's more likely the heat from the exhaust (..which runs just behind the bulkhead..) that's caused the problem rather than the heater.

 

i've no idea if this is a common problem (i've not seen it before), and imagine would only really happen if/when the car is left idling for long periods of time and/or the exhaust is for some reason much closer to the bulkhead than is normal (some LCB type manifolds can sit quite close to the bulkhead)

 

probably worth re-routing the replacement wiring to avoid that hot zone if possible

[GraemeC]

That's not as a result of heat from the heater or exhaust - there's previously been a short or an excessive current draw and the wire itself has got hot.

Edited by GraemeC, 20 April 2020 - 09:03 AM.