Capri Heater - No, Subaru Heater, Part 1

My Capris have been a little neglected for the last week or so as my attention has been directed to one of my other cars, a 1990 Subaru Liberty. This was originally my son's car but is used as a second daily driver. It is a really good car but not worth a great deal and for some months the heater has been leaking slightly into the interior of the front left hand side carpet. From past experience with Capris, I know what a terrible job it is & I knew that if it was to be done in a service centre, it would possibly cost about half the car's worth. So, after reading the manual & a fair bit of research on the web, I got to it. The pictures really tell the story from as it was to finding the heater.

[Click on the pictures if you want to see the real damage!]

Some words of advice - DON'T EVER DO THIS!! BYPASS THE HEATER OR SELL THE CAR!
This would have to be one of the worst car projects I have ever undertaken. Just as well I am retired as it took nearly two full days to get to the heater. Just when you thought the dash board could be lifted out, there was another wire to undo or unclip. It was just a maze of wires. The heater box, which is the larger white box in the centre was leaking from several places & it is right at the top in the centre of the dash.  Seeing the car is 23 years old, I suppose that is not too bad.
After a bit of research & phone calls, I went to the Valley Radiator Works, where Jim was most helpful. They were unable to source a new replacement part but repaired the old one with limited guarantee. That was done in a day & I could certainly recommend their service.
Putting it back together was just a painful & the main concern I had related to the after market car immobiliser fitted to the car. I was determined not to rush it, but again it took me nearly two days getting it back together. A few dramas resulted when you can't find a wire to connect up but eventually it was all back together. I also did a few other jobs at the same time while the battery was out like replacing the valve cover gaskets & spark plugs but that is another story.
I sought advice from the manufacturer about the alarm before I attempted to start it. Would it start or would windows go up & down instead of lights or mirrors? It fired up first go but there were lights flashing & indicators going everywhere. What the hell? I then realised that various switches were on & after turning these off, everything settled down. Yes, everything was working as it should, except as the car warmed up, I realised the heater was on when it was supposed to be off. The cable connecting the dash controls & the heater box had separated so I reached under the dash & turned off the heater which was a very simple fix but I will have to redo that bit. It doesn't require a huge amount of work. Overall, I was very happy to get it back together & working but would I do it again - I don't think so.
In Part 2 of the story, I will show you the Capri heater box & do a little comparison.