xonix_digital Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Hey wrenchers. I just pulled my dash and found a lovely mouse house in my heater. Gross. So I yanked the whole thing out. Are you guys keeping these monstrosities? I plan to only drive it in the summer months, and track it once or twice a month. Should I keep it or sell it? Is it worth anything? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 My PO took mine out. I thought I'd only drive mine in the warm months, but sometimes you get that "Z itch" to drive. I'd put it back in. It's not going to really make your car faster to leave it out, and having it when you need it is way better than regretting you took it out. My $0.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I ripped mine out. Such a waste of weight and space imo. Then again I live in a place where when it gets bellow 40 degrees at night people are complaining. I gutted my heater core and I'm going to reinstall it and use my own custom fan setup. That way I have a manual valve control so it doesn't radiate heat when not in use, and I don't have a bulky control console that's useless. I just need one setting - ON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 I ripped mine out. Such a waste of weight and space imo. Then again I live in a place where when it gets bellow 40 degrees at night people are complaining. I gutted my heater core and I'm going to reinstall it and use my own custom fan setup. That way I have a manual valve control so it doesn't radiate heat when not in use, and I don't have a bulky control console that's useless. I just need one setting - ON. I agree. I would only really need it if i were up way early in the morning and my W/S got fogged up. I could fab up some sort of custom solution for that. Let me know if you have any insight as to how you plan on pulling that off. Im interested in what you guys have come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernS30 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 My PO took mine out. I thought I'd only drive mine in the warm months, but sometimes you get that "Z itch" to drive. I'd put it back in. It's not going to really make your car faster to leave it out, and having it when you need it is way better than regretting you took it out. My $0.02 I agree. The heater really isn't enough weight, if you aren't full out race car, then you may as well keep it. A/C you can do without by rolling windows down. Heat is something nice to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodoldjam Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 (edited) If my Unit had been working and the heater control valve wasn't bad I would of left mine. I was thinking about buying a 80mm or 120mm core that I could fit a 12v PC fan to and routing it to the defroster vents, then just using a simple toggle switch or you could go with a variable controller. Would take up far less room and still do the job. Just check out a few watercooled PC's and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Edited September 7, 2010 by goodoldjam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphur280 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 (edited) ^I like that idea, I'm not sure if mine works, well, it feels like it doesn't at least, it just started getting cold up here and I'm more interested in the defrost feature vs heat. Which BTW is a good way to keep the gf out of the car in any case, I want something more efficient and possibly electronically controlled. Edited September 7, 2010 by Daphur280 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoWing Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I agree with getting the Z-itch, I also really enjoy those cool nights with the heat on and you can feel the turbo is just running more efficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 I don't think I could get my GF back in the Z WITH the heater installed. After she saw that gnarly mouse nest she was all about gutting it. I guess I could just wait until it becomes an issue and fab something up. I was hoping someone had an aftermarket solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodoldjam Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 (edited) Here we go a 86 Chevette uses a core that is perfect for 120mm. Napa has the core for $27, buy a $5-$10 fan maybe with a built in speed controller. Rig it to the vents and you have a mini heater system. Edited September 7, 2010 by goodoldjam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty260 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 could always take out and replace with something like this http://speedyairspares.com.au/products/12V_Heater_Demister_FOUR_Straight_Outlets-211-16.html which is what i hope to do in near future ta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHeartTouge Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I'll be keeping the heat in my Z. From past experience, a heater can help save the motor if it starts to overheat. Blasting my heater on my old SR20 made it drop 20 degrees. Having heat in the winter months in case my DD develops issues and isn't road worthy would be nice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 (edited) I drove my ZX for a couple months going into fall wearing a coat/beany everywhere I went. I was terrible. Turned out it was just a relay was rusted but I found that out this summer. Too late. Edited September 8, 2010 by Challenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Don't forget the mojave heater option if you don't want the stock stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Lasted an entire winter in the z by driving around in a parka all the time. NO fun. I'll be keeping the heater, but only the heater/defrost. All the dashboard vents are broken/inop/or blocked. They never put out heat anyway lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 i've had a z without heat...i do live in an area where it gets cold...scraping ice off the inside of the windshield is no fun....id clean it with bleachreinstall, and call it a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 (edited) Here we go a 86 Chevette uses a core that is perfect for 120mm. Napa has the core for $27, buy a $5-$10 fan maybe with a built in speed controller. Rig it to the vents and you have a mini heater system. And here's a fan to go with it: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835220014 Even comes with a good speed control. Case fans might get a little melty with that kind of heat though. Might be wise to mount them with an aluminum washer on the core side, and a hard plastic washer on the fan side, to keep the heat from transferring to the fan. Then you'll need some sticky foam tape to seal the edges of the fan so the air goes THROUGH the core. Another reason I didn't want to keep the stock S30 heater is that I hate the line placement. It's terribly in the way for most engine swaps. Oh, and despite my 280ZX having a working heater, I still have to drive with the windows cracked in the rain. Now, I know that modern cars use the A/C to pump cold air at the windshield to defog the windshield, but many older cars did just fine with a good heater. Point being, even a functioning heater in a ZX (which I consider better engineered than the S30 unit) doesn't really do a good job. So that being said, it wasn't hard for me in my climate (totally a different story if I lived elsewhere) to decide that I could do better by simplifying the system and making it do JUST what I want it to do. Give me basic heat, and allow me to defog at least part of my window. I'm actually considering an electric element heater for the windshield if I can find a suitable product. Still working on that though. Edited September 8, 2010 by Gollum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyoctopus Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 (edited) toss it, 20lbs is a good chunk of weight. and you could always do with the cheaper route of this http://www.harborfre...-fan-96144.html instead of the $260 one posted above. Edited September 8, 2010 by crazyoctopus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 9, 2010 Author Share Posted September 9, 2010 Wow... for $20? haha that's a glorified hair dryer is what it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 9, 2010 Author Share Posted September 9, 2010 (edited) I'm trying to figure out how to put that chevette setup in an enclosure so it doesn't look quite so... Um DIY. Haha and I'm a little concerned about how much air that 120 could really push through that core. Have you tried that setup? Edited September 9, 2010 by xonix_digital Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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