Vectra C - heating problem, passenger compartment

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Hi there

First time I have ever had a heating problem, so was unsure how to begin, but some very useful posts on forums gave me some good advice

I have hot pipes in and out of bulkhead and therefore believe the heater-matrix is clear. Another tip was to listen for actuators whirring when moving the controls and here may lie the problem: when rotating the temperature control, I can hear movement on the cold side of the dial, but nothing on the hot side. This seems to fit the symptoms of my problem, but I don't understand the working/not working noises as I believe there is only one servo ( GM part 9180210 ) and if it were working at all, I would have expected it to work 100%. Is that illogical/foolishly optimistic ?

Just to list other things I checked and eliminated: all four heater-speeds working as well as all the flap-servos for wind-screen/foot-well etc.

Thanks in advance

P.S. Would it be possible to physically move the "valve" actuating arms so that I have heat until I can source a new unit, perhaps from a scrapper ?
 
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For once, the servo is reasonably accessible from the passenger foot well......best to disconnect the linkage and see if everything is moving. If it is, it's a servo issue but you should be able to jam the thing on hot in the mean time.
John :)
 
Thanks John, I will try that although I had hoped for some comments on the servo. Why /how would it work on the cold side of the system but not the warm side if there was just the one motor ?

In any case thanks for your comment .
 
Difficult for me to say , but I've had servo motors that didn't have their full travel before - hence my suggestion!
I'd disconnect the servo and see if the mechanism can be moved......if it is free, I can't see how a working servo couldn't move it. The servo is a readily available part which could indicate it has a weakness.
John :)
 
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Citroen's of a few years ago were prone to this trouble and it was generally caused by the plastic drive shaft slipping in the motor, they eventually brought out a motor with a longer shaft. If you watch it in action (or otherwise) as Jim says, that should give you the answer.

Peter
 
Happy to say that the cause was a seized actuator arm - probably hadn't moved in five months - and force from finger and thumb freed it. Will ensure that I move it at least monthly in future , irrespective of the weather.

Thanks for your help.
 
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