Lancia Beta Forum

Technical stuff => Electrical => Topic started by: gatewright on September 12, 2012, 08:33:54 PM



Title: heater blower
Post by: gatewright on September 12, 2012, 08:33:54 PM
Hello
when i opperate the heater blower the ammeter dives into the red and the charging light glows slightly, also the the coil type thing under the bonnet on passenger side gets VERY hot,
all other functions work perfectly and have little or no effect on the ameter, also with the engine running the charge to the battery (approx 14 volts) stays the same with blower on or off.
any ideas ?


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: MattNoVAT on September 12, 2012, 09:04:23 PM
The light glowing is normal for a Beta, I've had several and they all did it.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: Neil-yaj396 on September 13, 2012, 07:04:24 AM
Sound like the blower motor might be pulling too much current, but not enough to blow the fuse. You could try Taking it out and cleaning it. Is the fan catching on anything?

Not sure which coil you mean. If ignition they often get hot. Again all you can do with that is change it.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: archigraphe on September 13, 2012, 07:56:45 AM
So,

Is there a mean to keep out blower and passenger heater, without take out the main consol????

the radiator petcock deliberately flooded my passenger's feet ( I'm on a left hand drive car...).


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: MattNoVAT on September 13, 2012, 10:22:58 AM
You can bypass the heater matrix which will flood the footwell when the seal fails.

I have seen the two flow/return pipes between bulkhead and exhaust cam cut and then connected together, removing the heater matrix from the circuit.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: HFStuart on September 13, 2012, 12:23:25 PM
Or you can just clamp one of the hoses flat to stop the flow.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: thecolonel on September 13, 2012, 12:25:18 PM
I imagine the coil you refer to are the resistance/fan speed
governor, they will get warm as they are burning off the
the excess,current.

High resistance in the motor can be caused by worn
brushes,/ dirt or debris/ moisture and lack of use.

Often the first time the fan is used is after the end of
the summer and having not moved in months any of
the above can be the cause.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: gatewright on September 13, 2012, 02:07:56 PM
Heater works fine and would like to keep it working, if it is lack of use causing the high resistance in the motor do you think
that constant use (under observation) might bring the resistance down.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: droptop on September 13, 2012, 07:38:43 PM
You can bypass the heater matrix which will flood the footwell when the seal fails.

I have seen the two flow/return pipes between bulkhead and exhaust cam cut and then connected together, removing the heater matrix from the circuit.

Been there, done that and still trying to find the time to replace the heater core!
It definately sounds like the blower motor is drawing excessive current.
I would strongly reccomend that you don't run it again until you diagnose the fault as if the fuse has been bypassed or replaced with a piece of metal, and with the description you provide, it sounds likely it has been since it hasn't blown, then you run a strong risk of starting a fire.
Running the fan and hoping it improves is not a good idea as you have no way of telling how hot the wiring is getting and you're also at risk of damaging the alternator as it is being asked to supply current way above it's designed capability.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: MattNoVAT on September 14, 2012, 07:16:30 AM
We are talking about bypassing the heater matrix by clamping or joining the flow and return water hoses, not bypassing any of the electrics.


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: archigraphe on September 14, 2012, 12:44:07 PM
Clamping the hose seems to me bad, as the extra flooding on the cylinder 4, may help cold it on summer.

So I prefere bypass the matrix and keep the hose. I haven't the top steel hose from a vx, the mine is not connected  on the hose near the fourth cylinder.

But for rallies in Winter, radiator and windscreen ventilation are essential ... (as I do not drive a convertible ...... TR3).

 My question relates more to replace the heating inside without removing the dashboard?

 Is there a method?


Title: Re: heater blower
Post by: droptop on September 14, 2012, 01:47:45 PM
We are talking about bypassing the heater matrix by clamping or joining the flow and return water hoses, not bypassing any of the electrics.

If you're referring to my post, I understand that, but the OP said he was thinking of running the fan and seeing if it improved and I was advising against that course of action due to the associated hazzards it would present.
I suggested that the fuse may already be bypassed if the fan is drawing sufficient power to exceed the alternator output which is what appears to be happening if the meter is showing such a low voltage, hence my concern for the prospect of an electrical fire.