Montecarlo Heater Tap Modern Solution

[WestonE]

Fellow Monte Fans

By now I suspect there are many Monte's with either no heat from the heater or with constantly leaking heater valves on the manual heater controlled cars. If you have an AC car life is easier provided the vacuum capsule works as the vacuum controlled taps are still relatively easy to find and fit in line in the pipe. However the manual taps in both the plastic and cast alloy form are now no longer available worldwide. Even if you find one it's 30 year old internals may not work for long as I know from personal experience.

The Monte heater lever also controls an air flap controlling the air to the heater matrix which unfortunately operates in the opposite direction to the heater taps that fit e.g. the heater taps from Fiat Uno, Puntos, and Ritmos. You can try the earlier Classic Mini heater tap but it is a poor and tricky installation.

I finally solved this problem by making a heater outlet elbow from a brass plate and copper 90 degree plumbing fitting and bolting a brass heater tap to the heater matrix plastic casing. The brass heater tap came from Car Builder solutions and requires 2 minor mods. The first is removing the travel stop from inside the tap with a file so it can travel in the same direction as the heater flap. The second is adding some sleeving on the 15mm outer so the 16mm ID heater pipe fits securely.

You then need to create a link wire from the tap control arm to the flap control arm with stiff wire and you have a reliable well made modern heater tap that does what you need it to do.

The heater elbow fabrication needs basic metal work skills, Silver Solder from ebay (55% Silver ) with flux and a Mapp gas torch to do the soldering. I managed the soldering first time despite not having done Silver Soldering for 40 years. Grandad left me the Brass plate material and Wickes sold me the Copper 90 degree elbow.     

I will try to get the photos up here and I have already given Darren Cooksey the photos and part specs so hopefully warm cars and clear screens for all.

Cheers

Eric
PS It would be even easier with a new alloy heater Matric with 90 degree outlet fittings built in. Also this approach might help with the similar problem on the heater matrix on the Betas