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Heater Bowden Cable DIY repair

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  • Heater Bowden Cable DIY repair

    Over time the internal shutter / flap gasket, inside the heater box behind the MC dash deteriorates. The end result is that you have to use more force than usual to change the heating temperature inside the car.

    Eventually the required force becomes too great and the plastic bowden cable clip connecting the heater dial to the heater box breaks off. You'll then just get full heat or no heat inside the car.

    Now the ultimate fix for this would be to completely remove the dash to gain access to the heater box. Then replace the heater box complete at considerable cost.

    My solution is quick and cheap, based on two modifications:

    1) To fix a stopper to prevent the flap closing 100%. Allowing it to close just 98%, this stops the sticky deterioriated gasket coming into contact with the flap. This does not detract at all from the performance nor does any unwanted air or breeze come through.

    2) To fit a modified cable holder with adjustment if possible. This will allow the bowden cable to operate properly. I sourced one off an old mountain bike I had.

    To get started you need to remove the plastic cowling from the drivers footwell and gently easy back the remaining partition to gain access. A phillips screw driver is all thats required. Take your time not to scratch the screw heads or slip on to your MC trim.

    Now for the pics.

    Here's what one looks like with the broken cable clip:





    Here's the job finished with the modified parts:







    Somthing else to mention is that there's a micro switch on the heater control dial that switches on and off in the cold area (blue range of the dial). Therefore it's important to adjust your cable so that you still have functionality on the switch - A good way to be sure is to listen very carefully to it clicking on / off as you move the dial to the end of the blue section.

    Hope this solution is helpful to you if the above ever happens to your MC.
    Out: 99 S50 Titan Silver V876 KKO
    In: 98 S50 Estoril.......

  • #2
    top work Paul, I find the vent direction control is hard to adjust on my coupe could this be something similar?

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    • #3
      Yes it would seem so, Dave.

      If its harder to adjust from the extreme ends of the dial (either the hot or cold), that'll mean your gasket is sticking the vent closed/open. Thus requiring you more force to adjust.

      Unfortunately that may indicate your plastic cable clip will eventually break too - You could fit the stopper only as a bit of preventative maintenance.

      The research I did into this revealed that all Z3's could be prone to this failure at some point.
      Last edited by h4pry; 30-07-2012, 06:28 PM.
      Out: 99 S50 Titan Silver V876 KKO
      In: 98 S50 Estoril.......

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      • #4
        My Coupe seems fine so far but I remember my similar age Roadster was inconsistent with the heater control; it would seem to "fall" itself round to full heat when set over half way.

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