That's 4 in 8 years! This is getting expensive! The second one lasted less than 12 months... that's when we found a residual current in the cooling system. Since then, the cores have been earthed, extra earths straps have been placed from the block to the body, but still the cores corrode. I've used both genuine and non-genuine, but still they fail. Anyone got any ideas?
Duuude..... Thats just crazy..... whats going on?? In regards to earthing the core, isnt that a bad idea??? wont that just promote current to flow through the heatercore which is not what you want?? as I said before, I've done it twice now. 1st time with your help to replace the core, 2nd time earlier this year to repair a leaky tap. I'm willing to help, just let me know when. I'm just waiting for the core in the TT to start leaking as its still the original core from 17 years ago QUOTE=red32;1078176]That's 4 in 8 years! This is getting expensive! The second one lasted less than 12 months... that's when we found a residual current in the cooling system. Since then, the cores have been earthed, extra earths straps have been placed from the block to the body, but still the cores corrode. I've used both genuine and non-genuine, but still they fail. Anyone got any ideas?[/QUOTE]
Wet floor again? Sorry to hear that Doug. I replaced mine with a Mitsubishi item in 2003, never had a problem since. Have you considered Incontinence?:br::rofl:
I've got mine bypassed on the TT and based on stories like this, I don't intend to have a working heater ever!
that sux man sorry to hear. ill be following this thread closely as ive heard mixed thoughts about grounding or not.
Haha, Canberra gets rather chilly too. I do enjoy having the heater on in the NA, but with the TT all I need to do is wear shoes and put a jumper on and it isn't that bad
I had a similar issue many years ago, ended up getting an after market item from UAS. Needed a little bit of dremmel work on the heater box, but it's been working well for the last 6 or 7 years. Give John P at UAS a call and see if he can still get them.
air con and heaters are for the weak Get rid of everything from behind the dash and you can get plenty of warmth thru the firewall
... jeez, Doug ,, that is stiff bikkies .... but you will insist in living in Melbourne ... poor damn heaters are clearly working their butts off, bigtime .... !!!
Hi Doug, If that's bad luck it's just crazy odds ...... but for the life of me I can't think what would cause so many failures in so few years. Have you replaced each time with the same heater core? (Supplier / brand / model)? Are they failing in the same place each time i.e. in the core itself or elsewhere? (Don't know where else because it's just a core and nothing else other than you add the tap and the the pipes that go through the firewall ) Is there something different in your car than others? (Ausspec, left something off the first time you changed the heater core, can't think of much else)? Are you running much higher coolant pressure than others? (radiator cap) Maybe it's the extra earth strapping, or was that added between heater cores 2 and 3? On a similar but maybe unrelated note, I was talking to Caz a couple of years ago, and she was experiencing advanced corrosion in a (good brand) alloy radiator that she had dagnosed as electrolysis (can't remember much more) causing it to fail. Replacing the heater core is just soooo much effort ... to do it once is an ordeal, 4 times is a life sentence!! I'd be trying to find the cause. Sounds like each time you're replacing the effect. P.S. Didn't you drive all the way back to Melbourne in the rain from a Zedfest first time when this happened, or was that Baroo with his borrowed wheel? Cheers, Peter
QUOTE=OZ-300;1078518 Hi Doug, If that's bad luck it's just crazy odds ...... but for the life of me I can't think what would cause so many failures in so few years. Red32: First one after 2 years (?original - came with the car), second (OEM) <12 months later (residual voltage found), #3 (non-OEM, current, no pun intended) 5 years later. It's definitely the core - if the tap had failed, the coolant would be coming down the drivers-side of the transmission tunnel rather than the pax side. Have you replaced each time with the same heater core? (Supplier / brand / model)? Used both genuine and non-genuine parts. Tap was reused from #2 (OEM) to #3 (non-OEM - from Phillips Radiators, Canberra), the one which has just failed. Are they failing in the same place each time i.e. in the core itself or elsewhere? (Don't know where else because it's just a core and nothing else other than you add the tap and the the pipes that go through the firewall ) Corrosion pits in both top and bottom tanks of the core... I just wish it was the radiator failing, it would be much cheaper in the long run. After helping Mark (Jedi-77) replace the core in his NA, I decided that the task was too complex for me to tackle (we're talking about a guy who managed to wrap a brake hose around the anti-sway bar on a Toyota Crown while replacing the brake pads!) so I pay to have it done by the professionals. They are just as confused as me. The last core replacement they did was 5 years ago... ON MY CAR!!! Is there something different in your car than others? (Ausspec, left something off the first time you changed the heater core, can't think of much else)? Can't think of anything. Are you running much higher coolant pressure than others? (radiator cap) Standard radiator cap (90PSI?) Maybe it's the extra earth strapping, or was that added between heater cores 2 and 3? Core #3 was earthed after we found the residual voltage when #2 failed, but that may well be the problem. Reading stuff from the 'net, even Ford Motor Co says NOT to earth the core. We'll remove the core earth this time and make sure the extra engine-bay earth leads are properly functional. On a similar but maybe unrelated note, I was talking to Caz a couple of years ago, and she was experiencing advanced corrosion in a (good brand) alloy radiator that she had dagnosed as electrolysis (can't remember much more) causing it to fail. Probably electrolysis... nothing else would do this. After the second failure (less than 12 months), we (Wallards) found a residual voltage of 1.2V (should be less than 0.4V) in the cooling system (STILL don't know why), which was why everything was earthed. Replacing the heater core is just soooo much effort ... to do it once is an ordeal, 4 times is a life sentence!! Auto, so the core CAN be replaced without removing the dash. Still expensive, though! I'd be trying to find the cause. Sounds like each time you're replacing the effect. P.S. Didn't you drive all the way back to Melbourne in the rain from a Zedfest first time when this happened, or was that Baroo with his borrowed wheel? Was on the trip back to Melbourne after Temora... John G bypassed the core in the main street of Yass (Thanks again, John) while we were having lunch (remember- big arguement between several members, rather uncomfortable for most of us?). Drove home with the A/C full on in order to demist the interior - raining and humid - a bottle of Coke that I had with me in the car was colder than those in the 'fridge when I arrived home. Baroo borrowed a wheel from a non-member in Coonabarrabran after the OEM wheel on his car fractured on the way there (well spotted, Max) - (ZedFest 200?). Cheers, Peter[/QUOTE] Thanks for the interest Pete, but I think the problem may lie in the earthing of the core. Time will tell (I just hope I have the car for long enough to find out!).
Dont earth the core ur pulling all the stray voltage thru it. If your tap is not leaking u still have a stray voltage prob. Trev
With this in mind (and I don't know how these are actually mounted) but should the cores be insulated? Ie. rubber washers or something the like to ensure that the core doesn't earth??
The core slides inside a plastic box, the tap and inlet/outlet pipes are isolated from the metal coolant piping in the engine bay by the two rubber heater hoses, however, OEM fitment has the tap assembly bolted to the firewall area by a single bolt(this could be an effective earth point). When I replaced mine 7yrs ago, I did not replace this bolt because of limited access(so no possible earth at that point since then)and my heater core is still going fine. Might be worth considering.
Just throwing this out there and maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. But years ago when I bought my VN (go easy) I did a radiator in no time. By that I mean it corroded and started leaking. I went to a radiator specialist for a newie and he said to me to use only one type of coolant or I would be visiting him again in a year or so. The brand is Tectaloy. Can't remember off the top of my head which type of tectaloy might have to run out to the shed and check it out. Anyway to get to my point this was 2003 and the new (7yr old)radiator is still like brand new. So maybe if you have exhausted all other options, it may be an inferior coolant you are using. Don't mean to offend by this. And just throwing around ideas. Hope you get it sorted though. Cheers Jimmy
Being an ex VN owner myself I can say that it is not the brand that was the solution for the problem radiator and the more troublesome welsch plugs. Holden actually specified the incorrect coolant grade when they were released on realised this 2 years later in the 1990 model which I had and also never a problem. They actually placed a sticker over the specified grade in the owners manual to correct that reference. The correct grade for the VN (and all other buick V6 variants) is HN2046 and Tectaloy just happened to be the first after market producer to sell it apart from Holden. Anyway back on topic, I use Nulon Long Life Coolant. Never had a corrosion issue of the coolant system in 5 years. When it says suitable for all engines on the front of the bottle, I thought they had pretty large balls making statments like that.
Semi-epic post dig! Three-and-a-half years on... still have the last heater-core functional. No idea why, or why the earlier ones failed with regulous monotonarity This post typed one-handed, with the other firmly gripping the wooden desk.
