Caterham Heater Performance

[David.Ashley.Poole]

Hello L7s,

i have a 2005 CSR and the heater is definitely not as competent as it might be... it does not blow much air and what it does is not very hot.  So I was wondering about the performance of modern Caterham heaters.  The replacement CSR heater is just over £200 from Caterham Parts, while the standard heater is over £300 - and the question is whether the difference in price is due to a real difference in performance, or just reflects some pricing inertia.  They look very similar, with the only obvious difference being the in-car molding.  Oh - and I have replaced the heater valve and it is opening fully. 

Any comments or enlightenment would be very welcome.

[Jonathan Kay]

There are several discussions of replacing the matrix.

Jonathan

[SM25T]

CSR engine ought to generate enough heat to warm the water in the system ! Are all the hoses in the system getting hot?

[Collidog]

My car is new and whacks out a decent level of heat from the two vents. Feels warmest when speed is low, e.g. in 30/40 zones. If too hot at low speed I simply lower the fan setting. Would imagine it would be very hot with the hood on. I don’t intend on using the hood in dry weather, however cold it gets and so have bought a Gerbing heated jacket liner which is one of the best £200 I have ever spent. 

[The_ASH]

Another thing that can improve things if you are on your own in the car is to fit half of the tonneau cover which traps more warm air in the car and helps to keep it from getting sucked out of the car before you have been able to feel at least some of it’s effect.

[David Brown]

The heater in my CSR puts out plenty of heat but, as you would expect, isn’t very effective above the footwell. 

[Alan Reeves]

thats a first, a CSR that is not warm enough. mine used to pump out good levels but strange on that pricing

scenario

 

[David.Ashley.Poole]

Hello David,

does your CSR have the integrated cockpit?  I assume that the flat dash versions have the standard heater.  I think that the I should really pull the whole thing out and see what is going on.  I will also call Caterham Parts and see if they know about any differences in the two heaters, and why there is a price difference.  Of course they may just change the price of the CSR unit to match that of the standard heater...

and thanks to everyone for your comments.  I find that with the ducted radiator and since I have insulated the primaries the cockpit stays cool even in the summer, so a little more heat for the winter would be nice.

 

[Mark Durrant]

I would start with a basic check before pulling it apart. Firstly are both the hoses to the heater getting hot when the engine is up to temperature and is the heater valve operating correctly.

[David.Ashley.Poole]

Hello Mark,

i will do just that - I fitted a new heater valve last year and just assumed that it was working.  But it does not seem to be blowing very hard, so I think that I will have to investigate.  And I am still consumed by curiosity about the difference in pricing...

 

[Jim 123]

Have you considered top to bottom flushing out the heater rad.

[john milner]

On a very cold day my heater does not appear to be doing very much but if the roof is on it can get uncomfortably hot with the blower. Before looking at upgrades or faults check what it is like with a roof on. When my original heater (Mini matrix) began to leak I replaced it with an all metal type from Ebay. It seems a bit better especially with the blower running but this could be down to wishful thinking.

[David.Ashley.Poole]

Hello Chaps,

i talked to Caterham Parts about the difference in price between the CSR and S3/SV heaters and asked if there was any difference in performance.  They said there was not, and the price difference was due to legacy.  This implies, of course, that you can save over £100 by buying the CSR heater and fitting the S3/SV internal vent system....  If I ever get the time - and enthusiasm - what I would like t0,do,is fit the standard internal,vents and the couple the eyeball dashboard vents to fresh air intakes taken from the two NACA ducts at either side of the modern bonnets.  I have not scoped the difficulty of such a modification yet...

[nickh7]

The trouble with a 7 is the turbulence sucks out the air so at anything like fun speed it’s never going to be warm. 

I gave up took out the heater out and saved the weight 

now I just put on better warmer clothes 

[David.Ashley.Poole]

Hello Nick,

True.  But I also own a Morgan Plus 8 and the heater is truly wonderful, hood up or down.  And although the Morgan goes well - about the same bhp as my CSR - it is a lot heavier, and it is not a CSR.  So if I could boost the heater output of the CSR in winter I would be happier - so I think I will pull it all apart and see if Something Can Be Done.  I would really like to use it in any weather, except when snow ploughs are out - which is not that often, I hope - here in Weymouth.

[tbird]

David Hi as Alan remarked earlier , a cold CSR that must be a first, although mine is flat dash not a swoopy dash, anything below transmission tunnel is akin to a Furnace, obviously once above Tunnel Level heat is just sucked out, what temp does your water run at , mine rarely below 90c , heat radiation from cockpit sides is generally enough to keep lower half of body warm in winter, and with side screens  and with or without half hood,  extra heat from fanned air is plenty , sorry doesn't help you much but just another comparison , and we do drive n the winter