Leaky heater core, floor pan drain, both, neither?

[Birdie]

@'76mintgrün'02 very good tidbits of info you provided.

 

My heater lever and valve seem to be working pretty well and I also closed the valve by hand for the tests.

 

Therefore your mention that my '76 was designed to let some coolant through even when the valve is closed is likely the reason I get coolant leaking out when the car is started and the valve is "closed". To me, that suggests plugging my coolant loop completely might not be the best idea; at least not what the engineers planned for.  Do you have opinion as to whether I should temporarily plug the system at the valve or reconnect it?

['76mintgrün'02]

I'd reconnect it, if you can get a hose on there without damaging the plastic tab that holds the valve.  Fresh coolant will protect the heater core from corrosion.

 

The flaps that control air flow through the box have open cell foam to seal them.  When the foam fails, air is forced through while driving.  It doesn't get all that warm where I live, so I just live with warm air coming in at my feet.  Last summer, I was on a road trip and it was in the nineties in Eastern Washington, so I pulled over and plugged the heater outlet vents with pieces of a foam sleeping mat.  That 'fixed' it.   

 

 

 

 

 

As for sealing the heater box to the cowl, you could try pressing 3M strip caulk along the bottom of the seam.  It might be hard to reach back in there, but maybe a stick of some sort would work.   

 

My kluge fixes probably offend some people, but I entertain myself by finding work arounds when I don't feel up for doing it right. 

Tom

[Birdie]

I just couldn't help myself.

Of course, the tab holding the valve broke before I even got started. 

I will post questions about that on another thread.

 

The interior project continues.

[John76]

On 3/9/2024 at 9:06 AM, Birdie said:

'76 was designed to let some coolant through even when the valve is closed i

Yep ... this "improvement" was to keep a small amount of coolant circulating through the system to prevent "stagnant" coolant from rusting the innards for those who seldom use their heater.

Don't fret over the broken plastic tab holding the heater valve. A dab of JB Weld and a thin piece of aluminum will hold it just fine.

I used a stainless shim from a front brake pad set for my daughter's Honda. 

Cheers and "keep on rollin'",

John

['76mintgrün'02]

12 hours ago, Birdie said:

Of course, the tab holding the valve broke before I even got started. 

I will post questions about that on another thread.

 

I'm a fan of keeping threads going, as opposed to starting new ones.  You could add 'broken tab' to your title, by editing the first post.  Or, start a new thread if that's your preference.

 

Here's an old thread that shows an aluminum tab reinforcement.  It just resurfaced today, so I figured I'd link it. 

 

Here is the reinforcement piece Blunttech sells.

 

BluntTech Industries • HEATER VALVE MOUNT REINFORCEMENT

WWW.BLUNTTECH.COM

---

This plate was designed to reinforce the original plastic bracket that the heater valve mounts to. After becoming brittle from age, heat cycling, and the heater valve being open and closed, it is not uncommon for the mount to break. Made in the USA .

 

I'll just make my own when I get around to doing mine, but sometimes it is more convenient to order something pre-made.

Tom

[Son of Marty]

15 hours ago, John76 said:

A dab of JB Weld and a thin piece of aluminum will hold it just fine.

That's what I do sandwich the bracket and the broken bits slathered with JB Weld and 2 sheets of thin aluminum never seen one done that way fail, but those boxes still have 20-25 years before they need another rebuild.

[Birdie]

The heater leak saga continues. I pulled heater, performed a once over and reinstalled. I was super pleased with myself. However, a new leak has sprung up. This new leak is at the pivot point of the valve lever arm; where is passes into the interior of the valve (all brass valve). 

 

Turns out, I watched a video of a guy on YT who after rebuilding his heater had the same leak appear. That lever does get a bit torqued here and there during the process of reseating the cable, etc. so not that surprsing.

 

My question, is this something I can fix myself quickly with hardware store parts: rubber o-ring on the inside that can be replaced or can this pivot arm be tightened, etc? I really don't want to do a valve rebuild / $100+ conversion to plastic. My dream answer is "open it up and you can tighten the nut or replace a little o-ring.

 

"Survey says?!"

[popovm]

Looks like there is an o-ring on the inside of the valve behind where that shaft enters the brass body. I assume you can replace that and hopefully stop the leak. Someone who's done this before can verify. 

 

Edited March 22 by popovm

[Birdie]

Post deleted

Edited March 23 by Birdie
Delete

[Hans]

I got some at local bearing/oring shop. Take the old one on. Or I can mail you one. I had to buy a package.

[Birdie]

I just wanted to properly wrap up this thread for future forum generations - it is the least can I do for all that this forum and it's members have given me.

 

It's a very happy ending but here are some take aways from a very determined novice.

- I was able to rebuild the valve with parts from the local hardware store. That said, if you live in a cold climate get a rebuild kick. I am sure my valve will not last forever if I were to crank on the instruments more than I do.

- When pulling the heater (multiple times) you can alleviate any concern of leaking coolant in your car by getting some 18mm hose caps and stick them on the heater in/out openings while still in the cowl. This will allow you to work freely because a heater-pendecomy can be a bit messy if unprepared.

- replace the heater instrument lights while you are at it

- this next one is a big one for me and maybe I am missing something bc I feel like someone would have mentioned it. This will be a lot of writing but the attached picture at the end says it all:

The heater is held against the firewall with nuts on two stems. The stems pass through two metal channels on the heater, these channels give the plastic flange some rigidity (like linear washers). However, the metal flange is deeper than the plastic heater flange. Therefore, you can crank the nuts all you want and there will still be a small gap. All of this is to say, that if you try to make the gasket with just enough 3m strip calk (you are a precise kinda person) then you may still have a gap. As I mentioned, I pull/tested/installed the heater several times and, at least in my world, I had to use a very fat bead of strip calk. Like a fat. That said, I am very confident in the result.

 

All told finding and fixing floor rust can be a fairly complicated project with many twists and turns, however, for those that want an intimate relationship their your e10, I highly recommend diving right in and don't stop until you figure it out. 

 

All's well that ends well. Resealed heater system, resealed drain plugs, por15 treated pans, new butyl deadener throughout, new carpet, new seats, new everything I could touch during the project.

 

This car and forum are a never ending source of satisfaction. 

['76mintgrün'02]

 

I ran across the little o-rings I bought for when I get to have all that fun.  I bought two of each from the is-no-more O-Ring-store and sent one-of-each to someone who was rebuilding their valve.

          

Then I got a message saying the little one didn't quite fit, followed by a letter in the mail, containing the replacement they'd found.  I've carefully compared it to the one I had and cannot tell them apart.

Edited March 31 by '76mintgrün'02