{Moved from Discussion. DD.}
Hello !!
The heater on my Fiesta has broken ! It only blows cold air, all the time. The dial for the temprature can be on the hottest setting and it still blows cold air. The direction and speed still works o.k
Any suggestions to what could be wrong ??
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I would guess an airlock caused by low coolant at some time in the past. Check the thermostat too.
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The coolant flow is controlled by a coolant valve which is operated by the control unit in the fascia. It may be faulty or the control unit may have failed.
madf
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My 98 S Fiesta had exactly the same problem, and as madf says it was the valve on the bulkhead which is a common failure point apparently. It seems to either jam open or shut and isn't repairable.
About 40 quid from a dealer and a 10 minutes swap if I remember correctly.
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Disconnect the electrical connection from the valve on the bulkhead. Heater should be on full heat then. If not then either the valve is jammed or there is an airlock or blockage.
If heater works when valve is disconnected, this points to the heater control panel. This part is expensive, around £150. There is a 7 volt supply to the heater control which should be checked before replacing panel.
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for someone without a haynes manual can anyone give me a rough guide as to where this valve is that i need to disconnect in order to test it. im convinced its the problem but want to be sire before buying the part... thanks in advance.
James
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To the rear of the engine bay is a flexible plastic panel,behind this you will find the wiper motor & mechanism.To the centre of this area there are the flexible coolant hoses that supply the heater unit.The control valve has 4 plastic pipes & a 2 pin electrical connector.The valve may have a rubberised weatherproof cover on top.
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I now have a similar fault with my 1996 Fiesta - always cold air. I have felt the 4 tubes leading to and from the heater valve and they are very warm. Would they be warm if the heater valve was faulty and the air was always cold in the car?
Dennis
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thanks for that reply.
i'm not sure about the layout of the fiesta engine bay, i was repairing the water heater valve on a ka, and its not even my car so had to navigate with the aid of a haynes.
its weird that all 4 pipes r warm. usually if its the valve thats at fault then it stops warm coolant travelling to the matrix, ie. it keeps it out of the cabin. is the coolant leaving the matrix warm as well? and is it being heated by a flow of coolant and not just by conduction? are u sure ur feeling the right 4 pipes? on the ka the valve and the 4 connecting pipes are hidden behind a bulkhead extension.
try disconnecting the electrical connector on the valve, it should default to hot. ie. open all the time. just in case it changes anything.
if not the valve id say blocked matrix but then it couldnt be if the coolant is flowing thru all pipes and heating them, but anyway...
its annoying that the ka doesnt even have a temp gauge, does the fiesta? change the thermostat and see if this makes any difference.
something else to try, flush the whole system with a garden hose to see if it frees any possible blockage. what colour is the coolant? if its dirty and orange with rust then the rust and sludge could cause a blockage. always top up with the correct antifreeze/water mixture as it helps prevent corrosion as well as freezing!
thermostat is £5.99 from halfords.
reconditioned water heater valve can be had from a parts 'broker' like 247spares.co.uk for £28 inc vat and delivery (or brand new from ford for approx £50)
ford will charge circa £150 for fitting of new heater valve, and a lot more for a new heater matrix with fitting.
you can do these yourself if ur reasonably confident/competant.
order of repair: thermostat, the valve, flushing in here somewhere, heater matrix, throw the car away.
hope that helps u or anyone else!
Jim
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sorry, just thought that it could be something to do with the heater control panel in the cabin. maybe the dial is not physically turning the mechanism behind the dash and therefore switching to hot air. worth checking anyway.
not sure how to go about checking this bit other than to say removing that part of the dash seems relatively easy and a haynes manual will enlighten u further. cant say im very good with electrics/dash workings etc.
regards
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If standard wire opperated valve..valve should be located on bracket fixed to bulkhead..to check it works ie control from dash. wire connects to valve. try moving it from side to side.under bonnet this is.usually if it wont move its valve siezed up..not uncommon on fiesta.Rovers suffer same prob
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Steve
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The hot/cold temperature control on Ka/Fiesta is totally electronically controlled;There is no mechanical cable/linkage whatsoever.Chances are the heater control valve is faulty;we change loads of them.(about £40 from Ford)
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Cheers elekie.realised my mistake after posting.would be nice to have edit button
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Steve
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The heater on my wifes fiesta 99 1.25 ghia only blows hot even with the air con on. I have had the a/con regassed and am assured its ok. Could this control valve be faulty also? Do you know what fuse supplies this valve and the air valves? as the problem came on all of a sudden. Would be grateful for any info.
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Also does anyone know if this valve should cut off all the hot water into the heater rad when put onto cold.If it does does it return the water back via the other pipe or just cut it off. Also does the electrics to operate this valve come directly from the heater rotary control or via ECU and is it possible to measure at the plug to see if any voltage is being received and see a change if the control is turned by a different amount?
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With the heater control in the cold position the valve shuts off the water in the supply pipe.Measure voltage across the 2-pin plug with engine running;battery voltage at cold position to a gradual reduction & frequency as the control is moved to hot.The heater control panel IS the electronic controller.Also check if the interior light fuse is not blown.
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Our fiesta heater was stuck on hot. Replacing this valve cured the problem. Seems it was stuck open and so allowing constant hot water into the heater matrix. Took me about 1/2 hour to fit.
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Just been and put a multi meter on the connector with the ignition on and i get 12v, but as i pull the plug on and off i cant hear or feel anything happening to the valve so i guess i will have to change it. Will have to wait until Thursday when i am not working,hope that fixes it.
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Just changed the valve and it seems to have cured the problem ok. I must admit i would have been happier putting jubilee clips on the hoses instead of the pull together clips that Ford fit but as the pipes are plastic i didn't, and the original clips seem to be holding the hose tight enough to stay water tight. Thanks boys for all the help.
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