no heat from the heater

I am almost cetain that someone has had this problem before. The Panda (a proper Panda - none of your new fangled nonsense here mate!) does not have any heat coming through the internal heater vent.
I have drained and flushed the radiator. I have bled the top hose which leads from the matrix. The cables are operating OK.
And I thought it would be worth checking with the rest of the gang before I start removing instrument panels etc.
My question (finally gets to the point!) is this.
Is the problem likely to be the heater matrix. If so - does it require to be replaced or can they be cleaned and put back in?

The forum search works quite well..

http://www.fiatforum.com/uno/3575-heater-problem.html

is a start - with luck you won't need to get the heater matrix out:
it's just difficult to prime, as it's the highest point on the system.

Return bleed open, lots of revs, etc.

If that doesn't prime it you can remove the battery, then the top hose off the heater matrix, and fill the pipe you took off until it pours out of the heater.
Then pipe back on PDQ.

If you suspect the matrix or valve you could take both the matrix hoses off and flush it with a hosepipe - if you get lots of water through, it's OK.

Hi John,
Is the inlet from the water pump, at the top of the matrix or is it the bottom? I tried flushing from the bottom up and it did nothing. I then flushed from the top down, and ran it through until the water was clear. It got me thinking that perhaps there is a one way valve and the heater hoses were swapped around the wrong way. So I swapped them over and it certainly produces heat in the car.
I dont know if it is gravity that is forcing the water down, and the problem still exists. It would depend on whether the hoses were in fact the right way round to start with.
Andy

I can't remember which way around the pipes go -
I guess you'd want to put the hot in the top of the matrix, and take cool from the bottom:
that way gravity will assist the circulation.

I'm not aware of any valves in the system, but I may be wrong.
I sounds like the flushing has helped too.

The other thing is that it can be quite awkward to prime the matrix, as it's the highest point on the system.

Finally, if you have a leak anywhere the bubbles tend to end up in the heater:
check for odd leaks, especially the metal pipe into the back of the water pump (fed from the radiator bottom hose - it's metal as it goes very close to the exhaust downpipe).
You get coolant dribbles which come off the oil filter...

John,
heater is sorted and is blowing hot (not just warm or tepid) air.
In fact it works so well, Ihad to turn it off this afernoon, as it was making the car too hot.
Thanks again
Andy