GTV6 Heater Control valve

[shane wescott]

Hi Guys

Any view on the heater control valve in the GTV6. Can they be repaired or are they readily available, so just replace it ?

Mine wees all over the floor when I try to warm up brass monkeys in the morning :-(

Catch ya

Shane

[Sir Lancelot]

Are you talking about the heater tap that's outside the box on the passenger side?

[Al Campbell]

Shane,

from the American ALFA BB:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alfetta-gtv6-1975-1986/27275-help-heater-valve.html

I also remember somebody mentioning Hugh Harrison at Monza motors makes brackets to mount a new valve, have search on this site.

I believe the plastic on the original valves gets very brittle, so be gentle with it and you may not be very far away from pumping all your coolant on your carpet. Maybe that means a non original would be a better option than getting another dodgy one from a wreckers.

Let us know how you go, as I still have the original valve on my car.

AL.

[shane wescott]

yep it is the one on the pass side. I will do some research and see how I go. I am sure it is old plastic cracking. Maybe able to rebuild/reinforce with araldite.

I will give that a go first wheil I make some stencils for brackets etc.


Thanks for this help guys.

CAtch ya

Shane

[enzo1891]

go to repco and buy a aftermarket universal fit heater tap. use to do that a lot when i had the workshop and they cost less and last longer.

[Sir Lancelot]

If your heater tap is leaking, don't try take it apart, it will crumble very easily, it's crap plastic. If you ever need to take it off, I suggest cutting the hose rather than trying to remove it. As for repairing it, I'm told there's not much you can do.. but let me know if you have any success!

I broke mine when taking it apart - it literlly crumbled in my hands. I bought a universal heater tap (get the plastic core ones, not the metal core - that swivel bit in the centre) for ~$30, and got Mark (EMF) across from Hugh Harrison in Bayswater to re-weld the clamp for the wire as on the car 'hot' would be 'cold' and vice-versa. The other thing that was salvaged was the swivel nut that holds the wire in place - you'll need this as the universal heater taps have a fixed/non-rotating attachment point. Hugh sorted the rest with a nice curve piece of pipe that managed to fit. If you want to do the same thing, contact him or DIY!

Here's some pics of what I now have, check out the cool welding in the last one!

[MD]

In my experience these in-line type of stop valves invariably do not completely shut off the movement of hot water. That's not so much of a problem in the winter time especially in the cooler southern states but it is a pain in summer. The air con. systems in the earlier cars are not very effective and so additional heat loads tip them over the scales to be even worse. Particularly if you own a 116 GTV with 3 acres of glass area turning your cabin into a glass house.

So what's the answer? Well the answer is a couple of stainless steel inline ball valves installed under the bonnet in the heater supply and return lines. When you turn these suckers off, there is no bleed through to the heater core in the cabin so the air con can do its job. These valves would be fitted in addition to the original valve if it was still working and left open during winter and closed off in the summer. The original valve would control water flow in winter.

In terms of the actual replacement of the original valve, I usually extend the heater hoses and control cable so that the valve assembly is fitted under the bonnet instead of under the dash. It is much easier to service and you can take your pick of what type of valve you want. Then again if you are a purist...well, there is a price for everything.

[shane wescott]

more excellent suggestions and great pickies. I'll let you know how I go.

CAtch ya

Shane

[Al Campbell]

I'll back MD, the 116 valve is definitely one of those that doesn't fully close. And two taps has merit as even with the inlet tap off, the heater core eventually heats up via the return line. Two taps in the engine compartment is on my wish list of jobs to do, preferably before summer (new A/C compressor would be real good).

I'd be careful using araldite if you decide to go down that path temporarily, a lot of epoxies soften with increased temperature, I think the standard araldite lets go at around 50 C. In the boating world if you have a stripped thread, glue the screw in with epoxy and if you ever need to remove it, hold a soldering iron tip on the head of the screw for a bit until the glue softens.

AL.

[MD]

Thanks Al. You have given me an idea. I will look through the topics and if there isn't one already, I think I will post small article on how I modified a 116 series air conditioner system so it will actually rattle brass balls...

[Al Campbell]

MD,

I went to the 164 section of the American BB and read a post on fixing Air Con in a 164, I got damned depressed how complex things can get, maybe a job for the professionals. Have a look at:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/164-168-1991-1995/152363-how-get-cold-ac.html

Wisdom seemed to be that you just need a new, modern compressor, new dryer, flush & re-gas:

http://www.alfagtv6.com/    -then click "Technical" then click "AC modifications" - The article is a little old.

The plastic shroud on the bottom of my evaporator (the cold bit in the cabin) is broken and missing - often are according to Beninica, so the heat exchange wouldn't be real good. I have an original system that is full of gas - clutch works, pressure switch lets system run, yet evaporator doesn't even get cool. I wonder if my old compressor pumps at all? I've thought that if I've got to fix the shroud, then maybe a new, more efficient evaporator may as well go in, that leads to new condenser as well, compressor &c... $$$ This job is on the bottom of the list.

My heater control wasn't moving all the way to off and I found that the arm of the tap was hitting the moulding of the blower shroud. I was real gentle with my original tap fixing that. Still gets warm in this car, though that could be the excitement of driving an ALFA!

AL.

[shane wescott]

What a pain in the rear end this job is !!!!!!

Another nut and bolt arrangement designed by an very small Italian with even smaller hands :-(

Finally got the heater control out, but there is no way I will be reattaching it. The two bolt/nut assemblies that connect to the actual heater are a real pain.

So the plan is to either make a bracket to attach to the heater with a small pipe, and then get one of those inline control valves, or cut the current plate and pipe part off the existing valve and use that.

I had a look at the valve, it didnt fall to pieces but it is all pressed together, and I think the leak is due to old plastic under the pressed metal so no reliable way to fix it.

All good fun, that and my one hex bolt stuck in one of the rear discs of the 75 makes for a frustrating weekend of car repairs :-( At least I did get one disc replaced on the 75.

CAtch ya

Shane