Heater Valve Question

[lotusS2guy]

For everyone who has complained that the heater control does not stay where it was put, rotate the knob about half a turn and it will lock there -- just like the choke cable.

Herb
26/4618

[types26/36]

Does the original heater cable have the lock facility? I agree that he choke does but there is no mention of this heater lock in the manual.
My S2 does not have the heater lock but it is not the original cable.

[elansprint71]

Does the original heater cable have the lock facility?

No. It does not turn, or lock.

If it did, someone might have mentioned it before now.

I have recently, for my sins, bought an Audi TT as my daily-driver/sensible family car(!). I had some questions so joined their equivalent of Elan.Net and I am appalled by the amount of clearly wrong information which is posted on that forum. Elan.Net is seen as a the global forum for expert Elan-related knowledge, lets try to keep it that way.

If the original poster had said "I know that many of you, over the last 50 years, have had issues with the heater control cable moving; well mine seems to have a twist/lock facility, am I not a lucky person?" we might have been telling him "Yes but it is not original", rather than what I have written above.

Peto verum supremus totus. Rhymes with Lotus.

[Elanintheforest]

Herb, you're absolutely correct of course, the proper Elan does have a lock-off facility on the heater cable.

The Wilmslow kid is, as usual, refering to the economy run-out model of the Elan, the S4 / Sprint, which had so few of the original Elan's mutitude of features.

Accipere quam facere praestat injuriam

Mark

[lotusS2guy]

After reading the replies above stating that there was no lock on the heater cable, I started to mistrust my memory, so I went to the garage and tried it. Yup...it locks where you put it just like the choke cable. My Elan S2 is one-owner (me!) and the cable is original. If they used a different cable on later models, all bets are off.

BTW, the knob on my heater cable has broken. Can the knob be replaced without removing the cable assembly or must the entire cable be replaced?

Herb
26/4618

[Frank Howard]

Herb,

The cable must be removed as it is connected to the knob. You can leave the outer sheath in though. Just disconnect the cable at the heater valve and pull it out through the dash board. The tricky part will be finding a replacement.

[robertverhey]

Yes I too joined an oz Audi forum, temporarily (an audi s3 is my modern drive). The misogyny, bigotry and racism plus the boy- racer mindset quickly drove me away. This forum is focused on the cars and polite in the old school way. A veritable haven for old codgers like me. Audi S3 is top fun, though, not many modern cars give that sort of a thrill.

[types26/36]

So while we are dissecting heater cables and heater knobs when was the heater knob with the red symbol first fitted? I thought it only came with the S3 but was it also on the S1 and S2 ?

[Elanintheforest]

I believe that it was from the start, Brian. Most of the S1 and S2 cars I've seen have them, and a few have the MG version which was probably fitted when the cable or knob broke.

I still haven't found out what they were from originally, and have looked at all the Ford, BMC, Vauxhall and other cars of the 60s I can think of!

Mark

[elansprint71]

Bugger rigida me cum tuba ragman scriptor.

Apologies all round... back in the 70s I worked on an S2 for months, (never thought I'd get the thing out of my garage) it had the big 'orrible choke control the same as my S4 (admittedly it looked somewhat out of place). One lives and learns (hopefully ).
The locking mechanism of the BMC chokes is prone to repeated failure in my experience. We changed the Mini one twice last year and the clothes peg option is probably going to be needed again soon. I don't think my MGB was ever without the peg.

Back to the darkroom...

[Robbie693]

Sit vis vobiscum

[elansprint71]

Prehensia sua petard

[ricarbo]

A question for Ashley.
My understanding of the internals of the heater valve is that they are quite complicated, having various little springs and cups which i believe are there to allow you to finely regulate the water supply so you can get a warm setting, rather than just off or loads of heat. Do yours incorporate these original features?
I remember on my 1964 Triumph TR4 I used to have to change the valve almost every year, because it would no longer give warm, only off or max heat, same on my 1965 Triumph Herald and thats what I get on my 1973 Sprint, now. I guess that it is because the small bits inside the valve have failed. Your insights would be much appreciated.
Richard