Poor heaters.....jaguar x type 3.0

[swansea v6]

I have recently replaced the water pump, thermostat and coolant in my 2001 x type 3.0 and ever since the heaters have been luke warm at best, both with climate control on and climate turned off (just heaters on). I have run the car with expansion cap off to help remove all the air, plus the experts say that the x type self bleeds over time??

Now before I did the work the heaters worked fine, so I do not think it is a heater matrix? Although it may well be...though unlucky if it went at the exact time I carried out the work?? So I think I have some air pockets in there? Will the system self bleed over time, or is there a special technique to the 3.0? I have also taken it to my mechanic and he has said all the air is out but can offer no other explanation for the heaters.......over to pistonheads!

[ch427]

how many road driven miles have you done since the work?
sometimes they take an age to self bleed

[swansea v6]

To be fair I have only done around 50 miles, with heating on full

[ch427]

I would have thought 50 miles would have been enough, i dont think your matrix is at fault.
I would probably give it another few days and miles and see what happens.

[swansea v6]

Cheers, I have been reading up on the x type bleeding procedure and it looks like I have to clamp the inlet and outlet heater pipes to bleed, so will give this a try later today

[heners54]

New thermostat is faulty?

[swansea v6]

I think I have finally cracked it. I warmed the car up and went on a major pipe squeezing exercise, while squeezing the heater inlet pipe the coolant dropped by about a litre, so i filled it back up and so far works fine.....

[ch427]

Well done.

[swansea v6]

Have been out for a 30 mile drive tonight and although warmer than before they still aren't as warm as they should be....more investigating on my next day off

[shoehorn]

We used to use a vacuum filler on these and Rover 75s,just to avoid this problem,saved a lot of time and wet floors.

[swansea v6]

Shoehorn are these renowned for airlocks?

[shoehorn]

My memory is hazy on the actual physicality of it but I seem to remember there being a drop and rise in the matrix pipes(cabin side) which traps air and makes it bloody difficult to bleed out.

A method I also have used on stubborn heaters is to raise the header tank as high as possible with the cap off and all the hoses fitted,
remove the upper heater hose from the matrix pipe at the bulkhead,plug the hose from the engine and then fill the header tank keeping it as high as possible.
This should push the air back upwards and out of the matrix.
while still pouring into the header get someone to unplug and reconnect the heater hose while it is still running out,then refit the header tank.

Or if your matrix pipe,where the hose pushes on is long enough. Make a pin hole about 1/2 inch from the end of the hose at the top,
Release the clip and pull the hose so that it is still on the pipe but the pinhole is exposed to the coolant flow.
Then run the car using the pin hole as you would a normal heater bleed screw.
when the air has ceased push the hose home fully ensuring the pin hole is matrix side of the clip.