Vent for the feet not working

[radun]

I bought last week a 2002 MCS with 123,000kms and it has a few issues, of which one is very annoying and I didn't find a similar problem listed on this forum.

The car has climate control, and the vent that blows air to the feet is not working properly: There's only a tiny bit of air being pushed out and switching the corresponding button on/off makes no difference to the flow of air. Raising the fan level to max makes a bit of a difference, but by now I'm vacuuming small birds through the air intake...All other vents and controls work fine. It's now only -5C here in Toronto and my feet are already freezing, while my head is cooking. It'll soon be -20C....
Any help is welcome.

The other 2 issues are creaking steering under low speed and "unlubricated" feeling clutch at end of travel, which seem to be standard problems, judging by the number of reports...Any idea on the cost of parts for the steering problem?

Thanks,
R

[Hank195]

I had a similar problem with my 2003 MC last winter - and it does get the feet a bit cold, even here in CT where -20C seldom occurs. You should check to be sure the motors which operate the various airflow controls are working by removing the center console side pillars. However, if you still can control the air to the dash or defroster then a dead control motor is not likely the problem (same motor controls all three air flow heat sources). Further investigation revealed the repair is a fairly big job so I waited until this summer. (the dealer was quoting 8 - 10 hours of shop time at $80+/hr!! and I had no warm place to work).
My problem was a broken cam follower arm on the heater air flow control damper (the parts man said he had seen this before). The piece needed comes as part of a kit of "misc heater parts" for about $37, unfortunately to change this part requires removal the heater assembly which requires removal of the entire instrument panel assembly. Not a trivial task but it sounds worse that it really is if you are mechanically inclined. Unlike older cars the instrument panel on the MINI is designed to be removed as a single part. It took me both days of a weekend but I work pretty slow and since the heater core must be drained, I also decided to change all the engine coolant hose with some new silicone ones at the same time (removing the old hoses seem harder that the dash panel). The job does require deservicing the air conditioning, there are good instructions in the Bentley manual. It's all back in, still works great and no new squeaks!

Good luck - I have attached a couple pictures of the process and broken part

[teknokracy]

Perhaps you are just not used to the Mini yet?
I bought mine back in November and quickly learned that they are terrible at heating your feet - especially if you have the rubber floor mats in (guessing you do if you are in t-o!)
It's not a matter of age or wear with mine as it's 3 years old and is just a hair over 20,000kms!

[radun]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hank195 (original)

I had a similar problem with my 2003 MC last winter .....

That looks like it!
The control motor is still functioning, as I can see the arms moving as I switch the vents on and off, and the other vents turn on and off.
But while I can do lots of work on my bike, this looks like too big of a job for me. In retrospect, do you think you could have fixed it without removing the entire dash?
In the mean time I think I could deal with blocking the vent in a (semi) open position. Is it accessible from the sides by removing the columns, or is it confined somewhere inside?
Could you post another picture with an arrow where the broken part is located (at least approximately).

Thanks, this is helping me a lot!

Radu

[radun]

Quote: Originally Posted by teknokracy (original)

Perhaps you are just not used to the Mini yet?
I bought mine back in November and quickly learned that they are terrible at heating your feet - especially if you have the rubber floor mats in (guessing you do if you are in t-o!)
It's not a matter of age or wear with mine as it's 3 years old and is just a hair over 20,000kms!

Yes, the previous owner admitted the heating was not this car's strong feature....
And yes, I have the rubber floor mats .

But what makes me think this is more than normal Mini quirkiness is the fact that turning the vent on/off does nothing to the flow of air going to the feet, as if it's stuck a bit open.

Radu

[timmydamini]

I think I have the same problem.

Where in the heater assembly is this 'broken part' located?

I have removed radio, front panel, etc. and can see the servo moving the levers, but very little flow to the feet.

Found more info here:
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...er-issues.html

Many thanks,

Tim

[timmydamini]

Got it sorted.

Didn't have to take the dash out, I couldn't face that.

The sub assembly containing the flap for the lower vent can be detached and dismantled before removal through the opening left by the removal of radio/heater controls/chrome switches.

The 'bit that breaks off' is on the inside of the green gear/wheel.