Replacement of the crane heater VAZ-2114 own hands

The heater crane in VAZ-2114 cars is one of the weakest parts of the cooling system. It breaks down so often that the majority of car owners, gaining experience, without any problems, independently change it to a new one. Why it breaks down, as well as how the replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater is performed step-by-step, we'll talk about this in this article.

What is and why you need a heater crane

This element is a locking device designed to control the flow of coolant through the radiator. In the hot season, when the heater is usually not used, the driver overrides the tap, and hot antifreeze or antifreeze goes around it without heating the air being pumped or circulating freely in the cabin. In cold weather, on the contrary, the device opens, freeing the way for coolant to the "stove". Here such simple way there is a regulation of a climate in interior VAZ-2114.

The crane is powered by a cable from the control lever located on the center console of the car. This lever is indicated by a long red arrow below.

Causes of breakage

The cause of the crane failure is only two:

• The working parts of the locking mechanism become damped to the body or to each other;
• Violation of the hermeticity of the body (leakage).

Given that its design is non-separable, in any of these cases it will not only be necessary to repair, but a complete replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater crane.

How to determine if a crane is broken

Diagnosing a breakdown is not difficult. In the first case, its cause is the oxidation of the elements of the locking mechanism. This leads to the fact that he simply stops moving in any direction.

When trying to move the crane control lever, it will not budge. Try to break the mechanism by using force, fraught with breakage of the lever, cable breakage or mechanical damage to the crane itself.

Violation of the tightness of the device is the cause of the failure of seals, which in their majority are made of ordinary rubber, reacting with both antifreeze and antifreeze. To understand that the tap has flowed, you will help a puddle of coolant on the mat for the front passenger's feet or an oily white coating on the windshield, which is its evaporation. But in this case, you need to make sure that the tap is flowing, and not the radiator of the "stove" or the branch pipe.

Choosing a crane

Today in the auto shops you can buy three types of locking devices for the heater:

• Standard (regular standard crane from VAZ) with metal locking mechanism and rubber membrane;
• Ball (with a locking mechanism in the form of a movable ball with a hole);
• Ceramic (has a locking mechanism of 2 ceramic plates).

The standard tap is not recommended for you to recommend any of the auto dealers. It will not last long, and at a price is not much different from the modernized models. The replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater with a ball valve will allow it to work a little longer, but it will not solve the problem completely, since its locking mechanism is also metallic.

Ceramic devices have proved to be the best ones. They have a plastic casing and a mechanism made of ceramic that does not lend itself to oxidative processes. This device will work long enough, if the seals do not fail.

Below is a table of models of the heater cranes for VAZ-2114 vehicles specifying the manufacturer, the catalog number and the type of locking mechanism.

What should be on hand

In order to replace the crane heater VAZ-2114 did not take long, it is better to prepare in advance the necessary tools and tools. We will need:

• A container with a wide mouth for collecting the drained coolant (volume not less than 5 liters);
• Phillips screwdriver;
• Slotted screwdriver ;
• Key for 10;
• Key on 13;
• Pliers;
• 4 worm clamps 15-23 mm;
• Rust remover (type WD 40);
• rag.

In addition, the car will need to be installed on a "pit" or on a flyover.

Then we will tell you how the replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater crane is carried out. Photos of this process are presented in the article.

Preparing for the replacement process

Having driven the car on the flyover, open the hood, unscrew the plug of the filler neck of the radiator and the plug on the expansion tank. Then we go under the car. From below on the block of cylinders we find a stopper for a drain of a cooling liquid (do not mix with a stopper of drain of oil on картере). Preliminarily substitute an empty container, unscrew it with a key for 13 and wait until all the liquid drains.

After that, we get out from under the car and head to the engine compartment. The heater will be replaced from the interior, but first we need to unscrew it from under the hood. In the engine compartment from the passenger side we find two branch pipes going into the cabin. This is the inlet and outlet of the tap. We loosen the clamps on them and detach them. Near the nozzles there are two studs with thread and nuts. They, in fact, fix the tap. To make the nuts easier to unscrew, we process the pins with liquid against rust.

For convenience in the replacement of the crane, some masters and car owners completely disassemble the dashboard. Doing this is not necessary. We will tell you how the replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater crane is carried out without removing the panel.

Dismantling the crane

We pass to the car salon to the front passenger seat. To the left of the passenger's feet there is a panel cover. It must be removed by unscrewing the screws with a Phillips screwdriver. Now that we have access to the heater cover and the faucet, place a dry rag under them. It is needed in case of escaping coolant.

A screwdriver with a cross-shaped bit loosens the pipe clamps on the locking device and detaches them.

Further, replacing the heater tap requires disconnecting the drive cable. Take the pliers and, holding them to the bracket of traction, using a flat screwdriver, disconnect the drive cable. After that, again move to the engine compartment.

With the 10 key, unscrew the crane attachment nuts. Next, remove the broken lock from the front passenger side.

Installing a new heater tap

Installation of the crane is carried out in the reverse order. First, attach it to the body, twisting the nuts on the studs, and then connect the cable of the drive. It is also better to replace the hose clamps with new ones. Pay attention to the condition of the hoses. If their ends are too stretched or there are cracks, it is better to replace them. If they are all right, connect them to the tap and clamp the clamps using a screwdriver. We do not put the panel cover in place yet. We will need to check the tightness of the connections with the engine running.

Here, in principle, and the whole process. As you can see, replacing the VAZ-2114 heater crane with your own hands is not such a difficult task.

Completion of work and leak testing

At the end of the work we return to the car and turn the drain plug. After that, fill the coolant in the radiator neck, focusing on its level in the expansion tank.

Replacing the crane heater VAZ-2114 requires a thorough check of the tightness of the connections after the completion of repair work, and the master himself will be interested to know how well it worked.

Start the engine and warm it before turning on the radiator fan. Without turning off the engine, we check whether there is a leak in the places of connection of the nozzles in the cabin and under the hood. If everything is OK, try closing and opening the cock, moving the control lever while the heater fan is on. In the open position, the air pumped into the interior must be hot. This means that the locking mechanism is open and the coolant passes through the radiator. When the tap is closed, cold air should flow. This will indicate that the locking mechanism has blocked the flow of coolant into the radiator of the "stove".

Some useful tips

1. The replacement of the VAZ-2114 heater crane should be carried out in the shortest possible time if it is found to be faulty. Especially when it comes to leaking coolant. Both antifreeze and antifreeze are toxic!
2. Do not save by choosing a faucet. It is better to take a good brand model that can not be oxidized, and use it for 5 years than annually to buy a device of questionable quality and origin.
3. Do not use cheap cooling fluids - on their composition depends the duration of the work not only of the crane, but of the entire cooling system.
4. If the tap is leaking and there is a smell of antifreeze or antifreeze in the cabin, and there is an oily coating on the glass, do not be too lazy to wash and dry the mats or carpet, and also rub the glass with alcohol solution.
5. If the process described above seems to be difficult for you, you should contact the car service center.