Having fitted the new battery I took the MX3 out for its weekly run on Tuesday and noticed that the heater was only mildly warm. As it was an exceedingly cold day that was not good so I made a mental note to investigate. This morning I had the time and slightly milder weather to dig into the problem. The first thing I realised was that the coolant is not a very nice colour - rusty browny yukky - but as I have no workshop I didn't fancy a drain, flush and refill at this point. Instead I topped up the radiator and bled the system with a fair amount of bubbles coming out. Once I was satisfied I capped off and started the engine to warm it through. After 20 mins the fan cut in and Having been regularly checking both top and bottom hoses I was happy that it was all up to temperature. At that point I checked the heater in and out hoses and both were comfortably hot so I tried the heater itself and it is now blowing moderately warm.
Both heater hoses felt a little too firm for my liking so they may be getting clogged and the drain flush and refill is definitely the next job, but I will live with it until I can get better conditions to do it in as it's still too cold for me to work outside!! Watch this space
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
Thanks Jim, I may take you up on that but the issue is not wanting to drive the car on wet roads if I can help it so it may be tricky to know when I can get a clear run up and back!!
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
mickthemaverick wrote: 08 Dec 2023, 15:28
Thanks Jim, I may take you up on that but the issue is not wanting to drive the car on wet roads if I can help it so it may be tricky to know when I can get a clear run up and back!!
Yes, that's a very good point Mick. And if they're dry they're likely to be covered in dusty salt which is even worse...
Same reason Bluebell is now more or less in hibernation now...
Jim
Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
Of course if you don't mind working outside you could always come down here and we could do the job half in and half out the garage!! At least that way if the cold got to me you may be able to button it up while I make coffee!!
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
Yes that is probably what I will end up doing but as they have to come off and are 30 years old it makes sense to renew them if I can find some replacements. The whole system needs to be drained, flushed and refilled too for much the same reason!
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
So after 30 years it needs replacement and renewing, 8 more years then and i can get rid off the wife! Winner winner chicken dinner! Can you get those parts at a reasonable price as yours is a MX3?
To be fair I'm not sure they need replacing but it just seems sensible as they are coming off anyway and the access is tricky!! However so far I've not found replacements at all so I may have to either fit generic hoses or re-use the originals and hope the disturbance hasn't done any structural damage. I have found the hoses for an MX5 as a cost guide and they are £70-100 a pair, I won't be paying that for sure! All will be revealed once I get them off and flush and back flush the heater and the rest of the cooling system. Methinks it will be a pretty dirty job but well worth the effort.
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
