julianf

Well-Known Member

• Jul 8, 2022

• #1

Is the defender 300 heater any worse than that on the 300 disco?



I've owned a 300 disco for years. Over 10 I guess. In the disco, I've never thought "wow, it's so cold in here, I wish I had a better heater".

I've finally got my 110 it's first MOT pass since 2015.

I have a couple of those webasto thermotop things, but, if the heater is no worse than the discos one, I'm not really understanding what the issue is...

Basically should I fit the thermotop or is it just another defender "option" that people like to fit but isn't really needed? I mean I'd certainly not have bothered fitting one to my old disco..?

Thank you

 

L

lynall

Well-Known Member

Full Member

• Jul 8, 2022

• #2

I don't think it's so much the heater is poor it is the distribution of warm/hot air that is poor in the defenders

 

miktdish

Guns n Chainsaws

Full Member

• Jul 8, 2022

• #3

Discos are padded, coddled, insulated from the rigour de life, made for the older generation and ladies. Defenders are tin to the wind, bare, open, character building machines.
The heaters are pretty much the same.

 

julianf

Well-Known Member

• Jul 8, 2022

• #4

Right, thank you.

So from what you're both saying a thermotop (the one that plugs into the coolant circuit) will make no real difference at all.

Well, logically, I guess it would only ever make any difference on start up time anyway.

I can see that an air one would make a difference to the air temp, but the water one seems fairly useless in the context.

I may possibly still fit it for helping with high jell point fuels in winter, but it wasn't that often that that was a problem on the disco anyway.

Kind of a shame as I have a couple of them, but they may as well stay on the shelf, rather than be carried about everywhere.

Thank you.

 

doriz

Well-Known Member

• Jul 8, 2022

• #5

The defender ideally needs something for instant heat like a preheating fan or a Chinese heater. Often a good 110 won’t get warm until you’ve driven where you need to go and the cycle starts again. Maybe a scarf and glove

 

frog hopper

Well-Known Member

• Jul 11, 2022

• #6

Can't comment about the 300Tdi's but I have had a 90 200Tdi and Disco 200Tdi for 7 or 8 years together.
The Disco gets reasonably warm inside in about 20 minutes if the temps are around freezing, the 90 would take about 3/4 hour.

 

L

lynall

Well-Known Member

Full Member

• Jul 11, 2022

• #7

julianf said:

Right, thank you.

So from what you're both saying a thermotop (the one that plugs into the coolant circuit) will make no real difference at all.

Well, logically, I guess it would only ever make any difference on start up time anyway.

I can see that an air one would make a difference to the air temp, but the water one seems fairly useless in the context.

I may possibly still fit it for helping with high jell point fuels in winter, but it wasn't that often that that was a problem on the disco anyway.

Kind of a shame as I have a couple of them, but they may as well stay on the shelf, rather than be carried about everywhere.

Thank you.

Click to expand...

Coolant one is great as you get hot air from the heater straight away, but as the vents are pants a warm air heater would be really good.
The cheapy chinese ones are not bad at all.

 

owas

Well-Known Member

• Jul 12, 2022

• #8

Fan and lack of Insulation.

I put a bilge blower fan inline after the heater air intake and have abit of insulation in the cab area, warms it up too much tbh, but I only have the lever working on hot,so it's either full heat or nothing.

Diesel air heater is good to warm it up before I get in