Hi all,
I have recently been gifted a '82 XJ6 Ser III. It is a southern CA car, never saw a lick of snow or salt... that's the good news. The bad news, it has never really been winterized, and now it's living in the lower Hudson River valley, and it's frozen. I've dismantled most of the cooling system to allow as much water to drain from the engine. The heater does not work, the PO opted to have AC over heat. My first question, and a rather small one, is in regards to removal of the heater valve. I don't know if it works and would simply like to take it out to clean and bench test it. I just can't seem to get my tools onto the Phillips head screws due to it's location directly behind the cam covers. I've tried removing the bracket mounting bolts and they just seem to spin. I've tried a search on this particular issue to no avail. I hope that someone can lend some advice.

Thanks.

Tom

 

To reach the backside of the bolts so they can be removed you'll have to remove the intake grille on the cowl panel....the chrome grille between the wiper arms.

The intake grille is held in with tiny little pegs that are a friction fit into little retainers. Pull the grill straight upward. With a bit of luck you won't break any of the pins.

A second set of hands or some sort of hooks or string or 'something' to ensure the grille is absolutley straight as it is pulled upward should work.

If you do break 'em, well, trust me, you won't be the first.

As to your heater valve repair it might help you to know that it's designed to be open with no vacuum applied and closed when vacuum IS applied

Cheers
DD

 

One of the successful things I've done to my car is the removal of that grill. As i recall, the w/s spray nozle must be removed as well. But, perhaps not to do what the lister needs here, access to the back nuts.

I used a screw driver with the end bent to 90 degrees, allowing a straight pull up.

Odd, mine had only one pin. An apparent casting error of the plastic. The pins on my car were secured to the body by a mastic. No retainers, other than the goop.

I removed mne as the chrome was peeling away to reveal a ghastly yellow plastic. So, i scraped most of it away. I thugh I had a can of spray "chrome". N ope, aluminum!! Oh, weel, it's better than it is. I sprayed it on and got a rough cast alloy look. Not bad, so i went with it. Were i to do it again, I'd chose flat black. Matches the nozzle and wipers and no glare. Not tha tmy rugh alloy shines, it doesn't.

I made a new pin. Drilled a tiny hole with my Dremel "knock off' tool, found alittle screw ith ashank of the same size as the reamining plastic pin. Ran it in. Nipped off the head and good to go. Looks decent, stays in place and no peeling chrome!!!

One of these days, I'll rember that "no vacumn-No heat" logic of that valve.

Mine has a generic one that merely relies on the hose to stay n place. Some PO did away with the original and it's bracket. Hmm, did he bust off the pin? No, i don't think so, no impression in the goop. Not that it matters, it's fixed.

Carl

 

Thanks guys! A successful start of excellent dialog on my first of, I would imagine, many posts.
The vacuum line had been disconnected when I first acquired the car, a deteriorated vac line that was plugged with a screw. Thank you very much for the info on no vacuum, open valve, which equates to a free-flow of coolant passing the heater matrix (?), and a vacuum applied would then direct coolant through the matrix (?).
Regarding the locations of the nuts, THANK YOU!! This is apparently the ONLY way to remove the valve... It would have been good for the service manual to indicate this... silly brits
I will start a new post regarding my next questions, as it will be more searchable for readers.

 

Not sure if i get what you're saying.

To clarify....

Vacuum applied = valve closed = no flow of coolant thru the matrix

No vacuum applied = open valve = coolant does flow thru the matrix

If the climate control is working properly (which might well be the subject of future topics/postings) the valve is closed only when max cooling is called for. If anything less than max cooling is called for the valve will be open.

Cheers
DD

 

the easiest way I've found to pull the darned grille is to slide a thin cord or a plain guitar string under each end of the grille and then start to pull the grille by pulling the string or cord straight up, those grilles don't like to come out easily, inserting a screwdriver under the grille to pry it, is a sure way to scratch the paint.

when reinstalling it, apply anti-seize paste to the pins to "lubricate" them and the pin hole. The principle is that the pin hole is smaller than the pin, so it stays tight in place.

if you break a pin, glue it back with epoxy.

 

Jose! Where ya been?

Cheers
DD

 

Doug,
around and around like the song says...

funny my XJ has sat for the last 2 years, and two weeks ago I went to start it and warm it, it started from the FIRST try after priming the fuel system in 1st gear 4 times, vroom! what a thrill! Everything checks ok, everything works, amazing! Other than it is running on "turpentine"

Good to see you're always around and around too!