Technical Heater stuck on

[turbo_jim]

Hi guys, I've just bought my first X1/9 - a 1989 model so I assume a Grande Finale? It has had a lot of work done on it recently but there are two problems i need to sort out asap before I can start using the car:

1) The heater is jammed on. I'm not sure if the valve has seized or if the cable has become detached. There seems to be quite a bit of resistance in the lever so i assume it is the valve at fault. Can anyone confirm this as a likely diagnosis? And where can I get hold of a replacement- is my Fiat dealer likely to be able to get hold of one?

2) The carb doesnt seem to be set up right. It smells quite rich and when i put my foot down there is a bit of a flat spot and occasionally some popping and banging. I'm wondering if the fact that the car has been fitted with a K&N induction kit and an electric fuel pump could be contributing to the problem. the previous owner told me that it could be the float level casing it to overfuel. Any ideas?

Any help would be most appreciated as this is currently my only car!
Cheers, Jim

 

[jimbro1000]

I would suggest the valve is stuck - you can operate it manually by just reaching under the dashboard (just to the right of the centre console). The valve is normally quite easy to move so if it is really stiff you will have found the fault.

The fuelling is unlikely to be fuel pump unless it is a high pressure/flow pump meant for competition in which case you would need a pressure regulator to control it. It is possible the float level is wrong, or that the needle valve is leaking allowing in more fuel than is necessary.

It is also possible that the fault is ignition timing, the engine tries to run rich whenever you press on the accelerator but the ignition also needs to advance - if this fails to happen the excess fuel goes largely unburnt and you get a flatspot. Equally if the points are incorrectly set much the same can happen.

It sounds like the engine needs little more than a tune-up to identify the real cause of the flat spot, to set the float level and the ignition timing. Without a rolling road all you can do is try to set/monitor these at idle. I've used rolling roads all round London for this sort of thing, there used to be good ones in Ivor, Luton, Chalfont and Brooklands but I haven't been to any of them in years.

If you want to try the carb yourself I recommend an overhaul kit from a weber supplier (southern carburettors?) or an X1/9 specialist like Eurosport/Cascu. You will at the least need a replacement gasket, it is possible to reuse the existing one but it is also easy to damage if it is as old as it is likely to be.

 

[ppalma]

1) The heater is jammed on. I'm not sure if the valve has seized or if the cable has become detached. There seems to be quite a bit of resistance in the lever so i assume it is the valve at fault. Can anyone confirm this as a likely diagnosis? And where can I get hold of a replacement- is my Fiat dealer likely to be able to get hold of one?

Heater valves are from the 124 Spider and LADA. Following part numbers:
LADA 2101-8101150
MI.R.A. 21/0331
VEMA(RU) 13433
4208998 (FIAT)
FAST SP 3673
Should be relatively easy to source. I replaced mine a few months ago

 

[turbo_jim]

Cheers for that, I will have a look under the dashboard and see what I can find.

With regards the ignition system, is a 1989 car going to have a points and condenser, or is it electronic?

Thanks

 

[jimbro1000]

As standard, all of the euro-spec cars had points and condenser, only the later fuel injected federal-spec cars had anything else - seperate managed systems for fuelling and timing.

Many cars have been retrofitted with a basic electronic ignition system from the Uno or modified to take the lumenition optronic system both of which are relatively simple upgrades.

 

[turbo_jim]

I've had another look at the car today and found that whichever position the heater valve is in (I got under the dash and moved it by hand) the air still comes through hot. Does this mean the valve is faulty, or is there just a lot of residual hot water in my heater matrix? The previous owner told me that he had replaced the valve, but he may have used a second-hand one (or maybe he's not telling the whole truth..)

I have also adjusted the mixture slightly on the carburettor, and the car is running a bit better now. It's still running rich though, and what's worse is that fumes are coming into the passenger compartment. It's possible that they are coming in through the open window (open due to the jammed-on heater) but I was wondering if they may be coming in via the spare wheel well or some other route. Is this possible? This is the last thing i was expecting with a mid engined car - i assumed the wind would blow everything to the rear of the car!

 

[ppalma]

Some (sometimes considerable) recirculation of hot air from the engine bay (ok, fumes) is normal in the X1/9. Play with the sun shades and the air vents to minimize the issue. If you're having problems with the heater you may also be smelling the cooling fluid which may be escaping through minute holes in the steel pipe that runs inside the transmission tunnel or the heater core. Not a pleasant smell. Anyway, my advice is replace the heater valve. www-eurosport-uk.net has them.

 

[jimbro1000]

It sounds like the heater valve is faulty - you should be able to close the valve and get just cold air. The outer two vents don't go through the normal ventilation system anyway and you just get whatever air blows in from outside. Only the central vents are blown by the cabin fan.

The fumes is more worrying. Under normal circumstances you shouldn't get fumes coming into the cabin. The access panel through the spare wheel well should be sealed to this purpose.

 

[turbo_jim]

I think the problem with fumes is more noticeable simply because the car is running so rich. I am going to try and clean out the carb on the weekend and check the ignition timing. Have now also ordered a replacement heater valve so fingers crossed it will be a lot more comfortable to drive once that is replaced!

One more thing - the brake light bulb holder has rusted away to the point where it wont even hold the bulb , let alone provide current to it. Is it possible to replace the bulb holder, or am I going to need a new lamp cluster. I'm a bit surprised at this , as it only passed its MOT last week! Can't find any lamp clusters online from ebay or x1/9 parts places - any ideas on this?

Once again, many thanks for all your help!

Jim

 

[turbo_jim]

Just a quick update on this: I've replaced the heater valve now and it is now working fine. The old valve had clearly seen better days as not only was it leaking, but turning the valve externally was doing nothing at all inside the valve. The previous owner said he had changed it, but it had definitely been in there for quite some time~!