AC equipped X1/9 heater core

A while back I received a reply from the rep at Nissens that I spoke with at the AAPEX show. This follows my comments in post #18. She searched all of their databases, including those for the European market and the historical archives, for a direct replacement heater core to fit the AC equipped X1/9. All of it came up empty. So her company and all others that directly cross reference with them have never made such a core. I'm guessing this was a special design made by one supplier specifically for the AC adapted X1/9 heater boxes only and it fit no other applications. Therefore there was a limited number of them produced and once they were gone that was it. That's only my speculation, unless someone knows otherwise.

Next I asked her if she could help me attain the one Nissen part number that comes fairly close to the dimensions for the X's core. My hope was maybe I could modify the heater box and other connections to make it work. As I discussed previously it is a application for a older European spec vehicle so it isn't readily available here. Very often in such cases the reps are very cooperative in getting ahold of the item for me. However she seems to have ghosted me, so I guess that was a "no". :confused:

Hopefully my "repaired" old core will last. I'm thinking it might be worth installing a "bypass" type valve so there is no coolant seen on either end of the heater core when not in use. That way it can't leak into the car if the repair does not hold up. At least not until the heater is used and the valve is opened....which in my case may be never. Otherwise there is always coolant present to at least one of the core's openings, and therefore in the core itself. So if the repair fails at any time - including when the heater is not in use and the valve is closed - it will still leak into the car.
 
I just wanted to say great work on all of the research you've put into this- I imagine many of us will need heater cores at some point, so hopefully, a suitable replacement can be found...otherwise, we may just have to get a radiator shop to make a custom one and record the exact specifications for future use.

Of course, heater core failures are most definitely not common just on our cars, but it does kind of concern me the amount of corrosion we tend to have in our cooling systems. The under-floor coolant pipes, for example, should NOT rust from the inside out if the coolant and its corrosion inhibitors are working as they should. What coolant are you all using? Personally, I am currently using BMW Blue (G48), as that's what I use in everything I own and is readily available. Liqui Moly seems to have some great options for coolant as well and coupled with regular change intervals hopefully corrosion can be slowed to a rate that it's insignificant. We have quite the list of metals in our cooling systems, so compatibility definitely needs to be verified with each and every one.

I was originally using a Zerex G05, but it kept turning "rusty" as quickly as a few weeks of use- even after numerous cooling system flushes. Since switching to G48, this has stopped, and it has remained relatively clear in the 6 or so months it's been in the system. The way I see it is if corrosion is the killer, then a bit of extra inconvenience or money spent on getting a premium coolant could definitely save the hassle of heater core and coolant pipe failures in the future.


Please excuse me if this post is off-topic for this thread.
 
Jonohhh said:
I just wanted to say great work on all of the research you've put into this- I imagine many of us will need heater cores at some point, so hopefully, a suitable replacement can be found...otherwise, we may just have to get a radiator shop to make a custom one and record the exact specifications for future use.

Of course, heater core failures are most definitely not common just on our cars, but it does kind of concern me the amount of corrosion we tend to have in our cooling systems. The under-floor coolant pipes, for example, should NOT rust from the inside out if the coolant and its corrosion inhibitors are working as they should. What coolant are you all using? Personally, I am currently using BMW Blue (G48), as that's what I use in everything I own and is readily available. Liqui Moly seems to have some great options for coolant as well and coupled with regular change intervals hopefully corrosion can be slowed to a rate that it's insignificant. We have quite the list of metals in our cooling systems, so compatibility definitely needs to be verified with each and every one.

I was originally using a Zerex G05, but it kept turning "rusty" as quickly as a few weeks of use- even after numerous cooling system flushes. Since switching to G48, this has stopped, and it has remained relatively clear in the 6 or so months it's been in the system. The way I see it is if corrosion is the killer, then a bit of extra inconvenience or money spent on getting a premium coolant could definitely save the hassle of heater core and coolant pipe failures in the future.


Please excuse me if this post is off-topic for this thread.
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Interesting findings on coolants. Honestly "coolants" is one topic I've never dug into much. Most of my 'modern' cars list a specific type of coolant to be used and that's what I usually do. In all of my "vintage" cars I just use the standard "universal" coolant (the basic 'green' stuff). I've never found much difference between any of them, but admittedly I've not paid that much attention to it either. The labels on the bottles all seem to say they are good for all applications so who knows. Much like choice of oils, I've read mixed opinions in every direction about all of them. As a scientist I'm sure there are chemical differences and it probably does matter what you use. I guess it is something I need to learn more about.

Regarding having a heater core made by a radiator shop. That has been done by a couple of members. I was a bit shocked at the prices - several hundred $$. And at least one person chose not to use it because the resulting product looked to be so poorly done he did not trust it. Frankly my X's aren't worth investing that much into a item that will very likely never get used (I live in a warm climate and seldom drive any of my vintage cars when the weather isn't perfect). But having a new core made from the old one is certainly possible.
 
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