VAZ 2114: replacing the heater radiator (photo and video) - a necessary tool, which radiator to choose

Repair / From Alexander Smirnov

• Types of heater radiators installed on the VAZ 2114/15
  Table: comparison of the main characteristics of aluminum and copper heater radiators for the VAZ 2114/15
• Radiators DAAZ

The heater radiator is the main element of the vehicle interior heating system. Its failure leads to unpleasant consequences for the driver. In winter, the car interior becomes cold, and the windshield becomes covered with a layer of ice. Therefore, timely identification and elimination of radiator malfunctions becomes relevant.

THE INTERIOR OF THE VAZ 2114 DOES NOT WARM UP

Often, car owners with front-wheel drive VAZs are faced with a problem when, in the cold season, the car interior is poorly heated and does not warm up. What could be the reason for this? Possible reasons:

• An air lock that has formed in the cooling system;
• Heater motor that refused to work;
• The thermostat located in the engine cooling system does not provide the desired temperature;
• A stove faucet that is closed or not fully open. Perhaps it has simply turned sour and does not open - it happens often;
• Burnt out cylinder head gasket. But in this case, antifreeze will leave the engine cooling system and the engine will overheat;
• Stove radiator. It is clogged and does not let warm air into the cabin;
• Air dampers on the instrument panel or their drive (cables).

ADJUSTING THE TAP

Method one

So:

• Remove the bracket holding the cable sheath to the furnace valve body.
• We pull the cable off the stove valve lever.
• Open the tap with your hands to the maximum opening position.
• Unhook the cable from the levers.
• We take out this cable. (You can put it in your stash).
• We will close the tap in the spring, or you don’t have to close it at all.

If this method does not work, then:

• It is necessary to adjust the length of the cable and sheath so that in the extreme right position of the lever on the lever block the faucet is fully open
• Secure the cable with a latch

Method two

Damper adjustment:

• We remove the bracket that holds the cable sheath on the left side of the body - you will feel one lever there.
• We move the lever towards ourselves - this is the maximum open position.
• We adjust the length of the cable so that in the extreme right position of the longest lever on the block of levers, the damper is open as much as possible.
• Let's fix it.

By adjusting the heater, you can make sure that the heated air hits the windshield. The cabin will also become warmer.

Attention: It is important not to overdo it when adjusting, so as not to break the plastic to which the cable is attached.

If replacing the VAZ 2114 stove radiator does not suit you:

• We move the damper to the “hot” position, secure it tightly, covering it with plastic mass.
• At the same time, we send the drive cable to the spare parts warehouse. The positive effect is felt immediately, although the temperature of the cabin is now regulated only by the heater tap.
• It will become so warm that you can forget about hats and sheepskin coats. The driver becomes comfortable even in forty-degree frost. Cold air is insulated.
• However, the air on the right will be colder. It all depends on the deformation of the damper during the operation of the car: on the side opposite to the cable, the damper cover ceases to close tightly.

COOLANT LEAK IN THE CAR PASSENGER

The following situation may also arise - antifreeze begins to leak from the main cooling radiator, and a puddle has formed in the car interior under the passenger's rug. You can tell that it is coolant and not water by the characteristic smell and color of the liquid. Coolant leaks in the passenger compartment in the following cases:

• If the clamps in the heating system are not tightened well;
• The pipes are torn or dry (delaminated);
• The heater radiator is leaking.

HEATER RADIATOR

If it turns out that the heater radiator on a VAZ 2114 needs to be replaced, first of all you need to find out where it is and how to get to it. The heater radiator on the VAZ 2114 is located below the instrument panel on the right passenger side in the car interior. The design of the model 2114 stove is fundamentally no different from the heating system diagram of any other car. The VAZ 2114 stove consists of the following elements (stove diagram):

1. Main body (the radiator and heater motor are mounted on it);
2. Motor (located on top of the body, dismantled from above, from the engine compartment);
3. Two pipes;
4. Air ducts. They are located along the entire length of the instrument panel. There are also air ducts in the lower part, they are needed to heat the feet of front and rear passengers;
5. Heater radiator;
6. Stove tap.

Heater tap
The heater radiator is relatively inexpensive, prices depend on the manufacturer and region of sale. In addition, the parts differ in the material of manufacture, that is, they can be copper (brass) and aluminum. A copper radiator is more expensive (ranging from 1400-2000 rubles), and it is believed that it has the following advantages:

• Greater heat transfer (that is, it will be warmer in the cabin);
• Maintainability (it is possible to solder it if a coolant leak is detected).

An aluminum radiator is cheaper (700-1000 rubles) and does not transfer heat to the interior as efficiently. But this is only in theory. If you go to car enthusiast forums on the Internet, you can “hear” from users the opinion that copper is actually less effective. In fact, it turns out that the copper stove practically does not heat the engine at idle speed, and at these speeds the car has to work quite a lot in winter.

Among the manufacturers of VAZ radiators it is worth noting:

• Copper products – OR LLC (Orenburg) and SHAAZ;
• Brass - DAAZ, LUZAR and KRAFT.

A new radiator should be chosen carefully, since replacing it is quite labor-intensive for a car enthusiast.

Moreover, if you perform this procedure yourself for the first time, it will seem long and tedious to you. Car repair shops charge from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles on average for replacing a radiator and do the work quite quickly.

When purchasing spare parts, there is always a risk of buying a fake. To avoid such a purchase, you should adhere to certain rules:

1. Do not buy a product whose price is suspiciously low;
2. Ask sellers for a certificate for the product;
3. Try to purchase spare parts in original packaging.

Buy goods from well-known manufacturers (in packaging with documents).
If the product is suspicious, you can always refuse it. Now there is no shortage of spare parts for the VAZ 2114; if in doubt, it is better to buy a heater radiator elsewhere.

REPLACEMENT

Replacing the radiator of a VAZ 2115 (VAZ 2113) heater is no different from replacing it on a 2114 model, so this work is performed in the same way for the listed brands. To carry out the work you will need the following tools:

• Various screwdrivers (phillips, slotted, different lengths and sizes);
• Set of combination keys;
• Skillful hands and maximum patience and accuracy.

You need to prepare a container to drain the coolant. Instead of screwdrivers, it will be convenient to use a screwdriver.

If you need to remove the entire stove, then the instrument panel is completely removed. To remove the heater radiator, the panel is disassembled partially, halfway. Such repairs are not very easy to carry out, but you can still do it yourself without any special plumbing skills. You just need to do everything carefully and slowly. So, what is needed to remove the heater radiator on a VAZ 2114:

Don't forget to drain the coolant first.

1. Drain the coolant. First, remove the expansion tank cap and drain the antifreeze from the main radiator, then unscrew the cap in the cylinder block and drain the liquid from the block.
2. Remove the car radio in the cabin.
3. Remove the plug, then unscrew the screws of the instrument cluster mounting frame (four screws in total - two on top and two on bottom). The instrument panel cannot be removed.
4. Remove all sliders and knobs from the stove control unit.
5. Remove the steering column cover (fastenings at the top and bottom).
6. Remove the cover of the diagnostic connector (located under the cigarette lighter), unscrew the screws securing the connector itself.
7. Disconnect the cigarette lighter connector.
8. Next, you should disconnect all the plugs that are located on the center console. It is better to mark them so as not to confuse them later during assembly.
9. We take out the signaling unit by unscrewing two screws. Now the central frame of the instrument panel is free, you can dismantle it. Now it’s also convenient to get to the cigarette lighter illumination plug; we disconnect it too.
10. The glove compartment is held on by 6 screws. We remove the glove compartment.
11. There are fasteners on the sides of the instrument panel (one screw on the top and one on the bottom). We turn them away.
12. We unscrew the bolts of the bracket securing the engine control unit and from below the bolts securing the iron frame on the left and right sides (to the bottom of the car).
13. We unscrew the screws that hold the heater control unit.
14. Remove the plastic trim of the front upper body pillars. They are fastened with self-tapping screws.
15. There is a screw on the panel between the panel and the steering column, unscrew that too. Now the entire panel is loosened, you need to move it towards the seats and slightly up. It is advisable to use a diamond-shaped jack on the right side to fix the panel in the depressed state and get to the heater radiator.
16. We get to the clamps on the heater radiator pipes and loosen them. We pull off the pipes. It is advisable to first place a rag under them so that the remaining draining liquid is not absorbed into the carpet of the floor covering.
17. The radiator itself in the stove body is held on by three screws. We unscrew the screws and take it out.

Now all that remains is to install the new part in place and assemble everything in reverse order. To make the interior warmer, we cover its surface with a layer of foam rubber approximately 1.5 mm thick.

A performance check after replacement is carried out before the instrument panel is assembled. The heater radiator is installed, the pipes are attached, antifreeze is poured in and the engine is started. If the antifreeze does not leak and the heating system of the VAZ 2114 is functioning normally (the air in the cabin is heated properly), it means that the replacement of the heater radiator was successful, and all parts can be completely installed in place.

Repair of the stove on a VAZ 2114 (radiator) can only be performed if the material of the radiator housing is not aluminum. Even if you manage to solder an aluminum case, there is no guarantee that the soldering will be reliable.

Replacing the heater motor

The following sequential steps must be performed:

• The electrical network is completely de-energized.
• The positive wire should be disconnected from the motor. It is located under the dashboard.
• It is necessary to unscrew two bolts located in the engine compartment. They serve to hold the stove casing.
• Then you need to disconnect the mass.
• Unscrew and remove two bolts that serve to secure the fan to the heater housing.
• The air duct grille is being dismantled. To do this, the element is rotated 90 degrees and removed from the casing.
• The device should be assembled using the reverse sequence. The power supply contacts must be securely fixed. Otherwise, the assembly will have to be disassembled a second time.

CABIN FILTER

One of the reasons why the heater in the interior of a VAZ 2114 stops heating the air normally is that the heating system is clogged with various debris and dirt. To prevent the entry of dirt and dust, a cabin filter is used; it is located between the engine compartment and the upper part of the heater housing. To replace it, you need to open the hood and find the filter protective housing; it is located just below the windshield, approximately in the center of the wiper panel. Changing an element is easy - just remove the old one with your own hands and install a new one. A cabin filter adapter has been developed especially for VAZ models (2108-2115); this design allows the installation of a modern type filter element. Replacing the element every 10 thousand kilometers will keep the heating system parts clean.

Resistor fault

As noted above, the resistor is designed to change the level of resistance of the current supplied from the generator to the heating system fan. In the VAZ-2114, using a switch, you can ensure the fan operates in three modes. In the extreme position, the fan is powered by a voltage equal to the nominal voltage of the vehicle's on-board network, providing maximum power output. In the intermediate position of the switch, the level of the supplied voltage is reduced due to one of the two resistor windings, the resistance of which increases by 0.20 Ohms. In the third mode, the second winding also comes into operation, due to which the total resistance of the resistor increases by 0.80 Ohms, reducing the fan rotation speed to a minimum.

If the windings burn out, regardless of the switch position, the fan operates only at full power. The inability to switch fan operating modes is evidence of a resistor malfunction.