knob out or knob in (Midget heater)?

[BMWChris]

to put the heater on in my Midget do I pull the knob out or push it in? Thanks

[Samcat]

I depends on which year your car is, on the pre-1500cc models there is a tap under the bonnet to turn the heat on or off, the knob just opens or closes' a vent in the intake of the heater box. I think the 1500cc model has a heater control inside the car.

[perdu]

Mine has the pre1500 type early heater

knob in "airflow on"
knob in turn right "airflow on fan on"
knob out "airflow off"

you cannot pull the knob out with the fan ON, needs turning left to enable the "pull switch, flap closure"

[SB - Nigel]

perdu said:

knob in "airflow on"
knob in turn right "airflow on fan on"
knob out "airflow off"

you cannot pull the knob out with the fan ON, needs turning left to enable the "pull switch, flap closure"

plus you'll need to lift the bonnet and turn the lever valve on the end of the water pipe (assumimg your heater is connected up)

see 78 here

ETA: Chris I know your car isn't standard and i get accused of being "smug" for saying this but - for £8 you can get the owners Handbook and it will tell you so much see - here

Edited by SB - Nigel on Friday 18th June 03:05

[BMWChris]

Ahh, my 1500 does have a red lever under the bonnet, connected to the heater. I wondered what that did. This is question is for 2 reasons. Firstly I'd noticed the knob only seemed to move the flap and, secondly, I'm having cooling issues and I was worried that the system wasn't properly filled becuase the heater wasn't working. It must be "off" at the moment so I'll try refilling it with it "on".

Appart from the Haynes manual version (remove pipe from expansion tank and hold up in the air, fill plug with coolant, do up plug, put pipe on) are there any other ticks to re filling the system?

[alfa pint]

BMWChris said:

Ahh, my 1500 does have a red lever under the bonnet, connected to the heater. I wondered what that did. This is question is for 2 reasons. Firstly I'd noticed the knob only seemed to move the flap and, secondly, I'm having cooling issues and I was worried that the system wasn't properly filled becuase the heater wasn't working. It must be "off" at the moment so I'll try refilling it with it "on".

Appart from the Haynes manual version (remove pipe from expansion tank and hold up in the air, fill plug with coolant, do up plug, put pipe on) are there any other ticks to re filling the system?

Squeeze the hoses at the bottom, especially the lower one, to help get any air out.

ETA - and you can run the car for five minutes or so with the expansion cap off to let the pump do its business and the rising temperature allow any airlocks to dissipate.

Edited by alfa pint on Friday 18th June 08:57

[SB - Nigel]

Once you've done everything above you could also try running the car to temperature with the "rad" cap off looking for air bubbles (heater valve open)

If the "rad" cap is old or looks iffy you could try changing it and make sure it's the correct pressure

4-LIFE also lets you know if gases are getting in by changing colour, usually, but not always a sign of HGF

Chris the owners Handbook will compliment the Haynes very well by filling in a lot of missing details for the owner