GTV6 Heater failure (yup I's got wet feet...)

[OwenP]

Hello One and All, not been around for a long time as the GTV has been behaving herself, however...

Yesterday, glorious weather, I have to drive from London to Cambridge, why not take the GTV!

Heading up to the M11, Everything is cool, except the heater which has been set to 'hot' since last September.
So I switch both sides to cold and guess what, it dumps the entire contents of the cooling system
on my left foot! (Ok, she's mad at me for some reason...)
Managed to limp to Cambridge and subsequently back to London by regular top ups and cruising at 40mph in 5th gear (air cooling)

So I need some guidance. Is there a way to temporarily bypass the heater matrix in the engine bay?
When I fix the heater what has to be removed to get access to the damn thing?
I'm guessing most of the dashboard but is there a minimal amount I can remove to aid with inspection?

If it's the dashboard can someone walk me through the removal?

My damp left foot would appreciate it.
Cheers

[anglospider]

You could definitely by-pass the heater. There will be two pipes going into the bulkhead, the feed and the return for the matrix. Track these back the other way and disconnect them where they join the water pump or wherever, and then connect a pipe directly between the two points.

[OwenP]

I had a feeling that was the answer, just wanted to check I wasn't walking inti a bear trap!
Cheers

[jamesclinard06]

Hi Owen P. and anglospider.
I'm new to this board. my name is James Clinard from Cambridge. I own a air cooling and heating company in Cambridge. I'm looking forward many fruitful ideas with you. Just let me know if I can help you.

[anglospider]

James, I just got interested as Cambridge is 40 miles from me. Then I realised that you are in Canada and my Cambridge is in England!

[156 and GTV6]

That made me laugh.. Canada, bit of a day trip!!

Anyway heater wise it is easy to work on....

To bypass disconnect the pipe from the bottom of the block by the oil pressure sender and then from the front of the engine and then splice a bit of new pipe in as a temp fix. I did.

Heater wise, its not the easiest to repair as I repaired mine and the rods broke off as soon as I put it back!!

To get it out you need to remove the centre console, Radio etc, so there is nothing in the way. Then you will see 4 captive nuts above. Now be VERY careful as the bolts only sit in a metal slot above and they have a tendency to break or you struggle to get them to go back! Now the heater is loose. Disconnect the electrics (its either one big plug and two light connectors or loads of individual connectors. Take a picture or draw it so you know where it all goes. Then just pop off the two air hoses and then bingo its out.

Fixing it now that's another story... I gave up and fitted a 6kw after market one.... I am ALWAYS warm now