Andy_B Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Hi, looking for some help....Wifes alfa is blowing only cold air into the car...engine is at normal running temp ie middle of gauge...heats up fine so dont think this can be a thermostat issue...blowers work in any direction...just blow in f'n freezing air....cant work it out...engine seems to be circulating water no probs bled incase of airlocks ...still no warm air inside....hope somebody has experience of these tempremental ******* cause wife is threatening to take my car as its nice and warm !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno 357 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I had exactly the same problem with a VW polo 15 years ago. Was a right pain in the a... I took it to VW and they repaired it. I can't remember what they did with it though I'm about as helpful as a chocolate fire guard Jonno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 blocked heater matrix or burst hose tot he matrix... i guess??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Quite often the cable snaps off the back of the heater switch, or the actual heater itself - which is a PITA as you need to take half the dash out to get to it! I had two 145 Cloverleafs - one for 8 years, great little cars Only sold it to fund my 147 GTA Try looking here http://forum.alfa145.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirokujames Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 sounds like the is heater matrix blocked or a disconnected hose as myzeneye has said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Normally if its the heater matrix you'll have wet footwells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Cheers for help...dont like the idea of removing most of the dash...but...like it better than wife driving my car until its fixed...footwells are bone dry...this problem only started after Autoglass replaced a smashed front windscreen....took him 6hrs much sweary words and huffing and puffing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 If its just boken off the back of the heater control swich you won't need to start taking the dash out. Does it feel as if the dial is moving anything? Like I said a post on alfa145.com is your best bet, some of the boys on there really know their stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Normally if its the heater matrix you'll have wet footwells. not if a hose has perished/burst on the outside of the bulkhead (ie* in the engine bay )... also, a blockage in the matrix does'nt strictly mean a burst/leak..... it could be blower fan, link cables, blockage in matrix, leak from matrix hose etc etc etc .... start by tracing the flow/return hoses/lines which feed the heater matrix and feel them after the car has been running for a while and see if there getting hot.... if theyre/not, its a circulation problem, which could be a blockage/damaged hose/leak etc....... if they are getting hot but your still getting no heat then its down to the fan/ducting system.... have a look see how you get on.... ive had problems over the years with heater matrix's on various cars/van's ive had.... they're a pain in the **** on most cars, akward as anything to get at..... good luck with it mate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Usually on an Alfa 145 its the mechanism that has failed, just my experiences, and I could be wrong - but I have had plenty of contact with these cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 sorry jimbo, i aint saying your wrong at all mate , and after all , im a heating engineer so all things hot and wet get super scrutiny from me....( ) so usually, the simple things like swithches /cables are overlooked as i would always be inclind to dive in at the wet side of the system..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted October 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 If its just boken off the back of the heater control swich you won't need to start taking the dash out. Does it feel as if the dial is moving anything?Like I said a post on alfa145.com is your best bet, some of the boys on there really know their stuff will that require partial dash removal to check...?..there is resistance when turning the dial to hot...no change in that....i took the car to work this morning 1degree above fn freezing 20 min drive to work and could still see my breath....need to get this sorted soon or i will never get my motor back.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 Sounds like its still conected to the heater control then, could be broken at the heater end. Like I said, post it up on 145.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 check the flow/ret hoses to the matrix see if there hot or cold.......... do it do it do it !!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 heater matrixes are simple bits of kit and won't block except in very extreme circumstances, the heater control is usually a bit like a tap, turn it on and hot water flows round the matrix hey presto warms the air passing over it. Usually the tap is the bit at fault as suggested it'll be the first thing to check as if its closed you'll get no hot air, were it getting warm then it could be a hose issue or thermostat but it doesn't sound like it in this case. Its worth seeing if you can prise off the dash by the heater ***** as you may find you can see far enough to try and manually operate the mechanism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 Have a look here http://forum.alfa145.com/index.php?showtop...+heater+control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 I'm pretty sure the Alfas heater controls are electric to operate servos that do the work. If it has gone pete tong since windscreen repair, put it in writting to the company and state your intent to go through the small claims court to recoup the cost of the repair at a Alfa main dealer. LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Thanks all especially Jim...problem was the cable going from the heater temp **** to the valve on the heater matrix....typical alfa pi$$ poor deign...cable has snapped and requires about 70% of the dash removed to get into it.....managed to grab the valve through a small inspection hole and manually open it....blows hot now but hot only hot....if she gets too hot inside she can turn the fan off......or open the windo...wil get round to fixing it properly when i get time.....thanks again for all the help ...got more answers quicker on here than i did on alfa owners and alfa 145.com !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Glad you've found your problem Andy. ****** its snapped at that end, I was hoping it would be at the **** side. :look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 me too....but past experience with this car tells me nothing is ever simple...thought i might have been able to snap it back in through inspection hatch...but working blind...having large hands and doing a head stand in the footwell ...aint gonna work....seen as you sound as if you have an interest in these cars... the window wipers only work on super fast speed...intermittant and slow speed dont work....was thinking about the removal of the wiper motor and degreasing it ...sounds like a common problem....any ideas on that one :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Yeah, you could say I've an interest - I've had two, my last one I had eight years. They can be tempremental, but worth it. A good specialist is vital and will save you £££'s. The wipers sound more like a switch problem to me, the grease build up causes juddering, not them not working at all! Again a search on 145.com could shed some light. If you do need a new switch try PMing a member called Lancsbreaker - he will likely have a secondhand one :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 cheers ...struck lucky on flea bay a guy no more than 10 miles away is breaking the twin sister of ours....tried to get the full car off him cause no doubt the way thhings are going, keeping this labour of love i will need every nut and bolt....but hes not having it....think i will get the wiper system, ie stalk relays and motors....back one has not worked for years but if removed not required for MOT...would i buy another one .......hell yes !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim145 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Sounds like you've got most of the common problems all going on at once! The rear wiper motors are fairly notorious, expensive to replace and difficult to come by second hand - different from the motors on the 146 too :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 cheers ...struck lucky on flea bay a guy no more than 10 miles away is breaking the twin sister of ours....tried to get the full car off him cause no doubt the way thhings are going, keeping this labour of love i will need every nut and bolt....but hes not having it....think i will get the wiper system, ie stalk relays and motors....back one has not worked for years but if removed not required for MOT...would i buy another one .......hell yes !! Rear wiper is not required for MOT mate and don't let them tell you otherwise :blink: LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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