121 heater cowling/body removal

JIM C · Nov 26th, 2006, 13:00

I am tidying up the engine compartment and want to respray the heater housing. I have indone all the self tapping screws and the two 7/16 nuts by the side of the heater. Nothing is will to move.
What do I have to do to remove this housing ?

Thanks Jim C

dilip122S · Nov 27th, 2006, 01:05

I did this job on my 122 a few years ago.I'm presuming that you have removed the heater unit from the car. The two halves of the heater housing have a layer of a mastic-like sealant between them ( to stop the blower blowing air through every joint. ) Once all the fasteners were undone , I had to prise the two halves of the casing apart with a screwdriver : go VERY carefully with this , and make sure you have undone EVERY fastener first , or you'll distort the housing ! I seem to remember that I opened up a small gap , then ran a blade all the way round between the two flanged edges to break the sealant. Also , where the heater inlet and outlet pipes pass through the housing , mine had rubber seals that had stuck to the housing and the pipes over the years.Use VERY gentle persuasion , and lever the cases apart a small amount at a time ,all the way round , trying to keep the two halves parallel as they come apart so they don't jam.

I put mine back together with black mastic where the factory sealant had been , and it seems to work absolutely fine. Hope this helps.

Nov 26th, 2006, 13:00	#1
JIM C Forum Support Team Last Online: Jul 4th, 2021 16:28 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Scotland View Photos By: JIM C	121 heater cowling/body removal I am tidying up the engine compartment and want to respray the heater housing. I have indone all the self tapping screws and the two 7/16 nuts by the side of the heater. Nothing is will to move. What do I have to do to remove this housing ? Thanks Jim C

Nov 27th, 2006, 01:05	#2
dilip122S Junior Member Last Online: Mar 6th, 2012 02:33 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: London View Photos By: dilip122S	I did this job on my 122 a few years ago.I'm presuming that you have removed the heater unit from the car. The two halves of the heater housing have a layer of a mastic-like sealant between them ( to stop the blower blowing air through every joint. ) Once all the fasteners were undone , I had to prise the two halves of the casing apart with a screwdriver : go VERY carefully with this , and make sure you have undone EVERY fastener first , or you'll distort the housing ! I seem to remember that I opened up a small gap , then ran a blade all the way round between the two flanged edges to break the sealant. Also , where the heater inlet and outlet pipes pass through the housing , mine had rubber seals that had stuck to the housing and the pipes over the years.Use VERY gentle persuasion , and lever the cases apart a small amount at a time ,all the way round , trying to keep the two halves parallel as they come apart so they don't jam. I put mine back together with black mastic where the factory sealant had been , and it seems to work absolutely fine. Hope this helps. Last edited by dilip122S; Nov 27th, 2006 at 01:10.

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