Meriva heater problem

[4everblue]

My 2005 Meriva 1.6 heater is cr*p!
I've drained the system, flushed it, refilled and bled it as best I can but it's still barely blowing out ambient temperature air. The engine is getting up to temperature normally and the stat's working fine and the two pipes going into the bulk head get hot but no heat comes out of the vents.
Don't want another freezing time this winter like last so can anybody help me get this p*xy thing fixed??
Cheers

[vxah]

Run the engine to normal temperature,put the heater on hot and the blower fan on full.... Now feel the two coolant pipes at the bulkhead,Is one of them a lot cooler than the other? If yes then you probably have a coolant flow problem..Blocked matrix and so on. If both the same then either the air is not going through the matrix...Heater flap problem? Or the coolant is bypassing the matrix.. Tank baffle broken etc? Hope this helps?

[4everblue]

I've checked those pipes and they both get hot although one tends to be cooler than the other, I put this down to it being the outlet pipe having gone through the matrix.
I've also had the trim off in the drivers footwell and the two metal pipes that go into and out of the matrix get extremely hot, the cable attached to the heater control is working fine and opens and closes the flap as it should.
It's completely baffling me, there's plenty of hot water going in but very little heat coming out. If you turn the fan off for a couple of minutes, when you start it the air is very warm but it quickly cools down. It also stays warmer if the fan is on the first speed, it gets cooler as the fan goes faster.
Weird!

[vxah]

Checking the metal pipes is a good test as they transmit the temperature change quickly. So if the setting is on hot and the fan on full but you only get luke warm air from the vents....Then, if the return pipe is only slightly cooler than the feed it shows that the heat is not being radiated by the matrix...If it were lack of flow due to blockage i would expect the return pipe to get very cool as all the heat from the small amount of coolant would be radiated? Some types of heater matrix have a double pass so the coolant pipes are both at one end and there is a plate half way across the header tank,if this plate failes then the coolant takes the easy route from feed to return pipe without going through the matrix...This could be your problem?
Also you must make sure the heater flap itself is moving and not just the lever arm! Although as you say it is hot at first but soon gets cold does sound like just not enough flow through the matrix..But,make sure you check them pipes for temperature change!

[Kathnick]

4everblue said:

My 2005 Meriva 1.6 heater is cr*p!
I've drained the system, flushed it, refilled and bled it as best I can but it's still barely blowing out ambient temperature air. The engine is getting up to temperature normally and the stat's working fine and the two pipes going into the bulk head get hot but no heat comes out of the vents.
Don't want another freezing time this winter like last so can anybody help me get this p*xy thing fixed??
Cheers

Hi just wondering what was your solution in the end as i'm having the exact same problem on my Network Q 1.6 Design Meriva 55 plate.
Network Q will only fix certain items under warranty and thermostat aint one of them. So if i knew what your fix was i could present that to them and find out if its covered before i proceed.

Many thanks.

Nick