Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: stuvaux on 22 November 2007, 22:33:08
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Hi guys,
The heater has started taking a very long time to get hot, even when set to `hi`
I'm thinking it could possibly be the thermostat stuck open???
Also, there is a leak from the back of the engine (it's about a litre every 2 days now...) , which I think may be the HBV (again!) - or are there any other possibilities from that area?
All ideas appreciated...
Thanks, Stu
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Prob find that the hbv is leaking and is the reason that you are not getting heat in the cabin. fix one and cure two probs. :y
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sounds ok - only one problem not two....thanks mate :y
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How long ago did you do the HBV Stu?
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How long ago did you do the HBV Stu?
I think it was around 2 yrs ago now mate
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How long ago did you do the HBV Stu?
I think it was around 2 yrs ago now mate
There are a couple of hoses back there which sometimes split. People see the leak and automatically assume HBV. Also, there was talk of a few HBV's that were only lasting a short time, but I think that was more recent than two years. If you are going to do the valve again, have a good look at the hoses while you're in there. rather fiddly, I know but saves you taking it all to bits again. Good luck.
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How long ago did you do the HBV Stu?
I think it was around 2 yrs ago now mate
There are a couple of hoses back there which sometimes split. People see the leak and automatically assume HBV. Also, there was talk of a few HBV's that were only lasting a short time, but I think that was more recent than two years. If you are going to do the valve again, have a good look at the hoses while you're in there. rather fiddly, I know but saves you taking it all to bits again. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice mate. I didn't change the HBV last time it was done. It was done by a local garage that had just changed the oil cooler under warranty. Cost around £90 from what I can remember....
Is it a long job to get to/change the HBV?
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To check the thrmostat, start the engine from cold and feel the top radiator hose. It should stay cold or almost cold until the engine is up to full operating temperature. If ti warms up gradually as the engine does, the thermostat is the likely culprit.
Also, feel the heater matrix hoses and see if they are piping hot (with heater turned on).
Kevin
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To check the thrmostat, start the engine from cold and feel the top radiator hose. It should stay cold or almost cold until the engine is up to full operating temperature. If ti warms up gradually as the engine does, the thermostat is the likely culprit.
Also, feel the heater matrix hoses and see if they are piping hot (with heater turned on).
Kevin
Cheers for the advice mate - will check this also.
Also, due to the way the water feed was plumbed in for the lpg conversion, the HBV vacuum had to be blocked so that it remains open even when heater is set to cold (the pipes feeding the gas vaporizer come from the heater matrix pipes AFTER the HBV).
Could this cause the HBV to fail sooner? Also, does this affect the coldness of the air con?
Thanks, Stu
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Ahh, OK. If the HBV is on all the time it will affect the effectiveness of the air con as it cannot cut off the heater when full cooling is required.
Check the "LPG Installation WIP" thread in General Chat for some ideas on how you can avoid this.
Basically, you can plumb the vapouriser in between the coolant bridge and the HBV and the heater can then be plumbed in as before.
Alternatively, if the HBV is not currently doing anything, why not remove it? It often fails so you can improve reliability without it. I'd be inclined to re-plumb the LPG system and get the heater working as it should, however.
What happened to the vacuum feed to the HBV? If it has just been disconnected it will cause an air leak and, since other heater flaps, and the multiram system, operate using vacuum, it could prevent them from working correctly, and may explain why the heater is misbehaving. I would ensure the vacuum pipe is blocked.
Kevin
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Ahh, OK. If the HBV is on all the time it will affect the effectiveness of the air con as it cannot cut off the heater when full cooling is required.
Check the "LPG Installation WIP" thread in General Chat for some ideas on how you can avoid this.
Basically, you can plumb the vapouriser in between the coolant bridge and the HBV and the heater can then be plumbed in as before.
Alternatively, if the HBV is not currently doing anything, why not remove it? It often fails so you can improve reliability without it. I'd be inclined to re-plumb the LPG system and get the heater working as it should, however.
What happened to the vacuum feed to the HBV? If it has just been disconnected it will cause an air leak and, since other heater flaps, and the multiram system, operate using vacuum, it could prevent them from working correctly, and may explain why the heater is misbehaving. I would ensure the vacuum pipe is blocked.
Kevin
I do intend to re-plumb the vaporizer feeds asap. The main thing for now will be stopping the leak, but thanks for all the advice mate.
The vacuum feed to the HBV has been blocked too, although the rear multi-ram now doesn't work, so I had wondered if it had something to do with the HBV vacuum....
Stu
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HBV is now done, but leak is still there....
Also the heater is still not working properly. When set to `hi`, the air is only warm, even with the car fully warmed up. Also, the rear vents are cold at all times.
The leak definitely seems to be from the back of the engine (in general area of HBV).
Does anyone have any more ideas about what could be leaking? And why the heater is not working?
Thanks, Stu
P.S. The fuel cons. has also gone down to 14.8 since the HBV change (it was around 17 before) Is this related? ::)
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Any ideas anyone....? Its freezing in the car at the moment!!!! [smiley=undecided.gif]
Stu
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If there's still a leak at the rear of the engine I think the possibilities are that a hose has split down there, or it could be one of the following:
Coolant transfer pipe to rear of block Gasket
Coolant transfer bridge between the heads leaking
Oil cooler cover plate leaking
Thermostat leaking and water travelling back down the Vee.
There's also an outside chance it could be a core plug or head gasket but these are pretty unlikely.
I think it's unfortunately just a matter of removing the scuttle cover, plenum, inlet manifold and gasket.. basically dismantle until you find something.
Not sure which of these would affect the heater operation. Heater could be another issue or it could just be that the system isn't bleeding due to the leak so the heater is not getting the full flow of coolant.
Kevin
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Thanks for the advice mate.
I was thinking I would need to dismantle and have a look at what is leaking.
Hopefully not head gasket....
The oil cooler was changed about 2 yrs ago. Is this a common failure?
Thermostat is a possibility as its never been changed by me and the car has now done 102K (40K by me!)
I'll strip the engine down and see what I find (probably at the weekend). I'll let you know the outcome....
Stu