heater core/ heater core valve

[park5]

I just bought a 78' 320i, and to add to a growing litany of problems, I now have coolent leaking into the cab. It seams to be coming from the control valve that lets coolent into the heater matrix. Dose anyone know how to remove the valve or dose the matrix have to be removed in one peace?

[op6]

I too had this problem, I took out the entire heater which took perhaps an hour or so, found that someone had been there before me and had tried to seal the leak up. Glad I took the whole lot out as it gave me the chance to have the heater core tested, and of course it was well past its best. replaced the core, found the valve very expensive to replace, so grabbed a Toyota van heater valve and used that on the engine side of the firewall for ease of installation and any future repairs, works a treat. Putting the whole heater back in etc and fitting up a new, longer cable (from a bicycle!) for the valve took less than an hour.

[mr edd]

On a right hand drive 1978 car the heater valve is fixed by four small nuts on the back of the valve ....all are outside the heater case so no need to remove the heater to replace the valve..
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/e/l/16.png
heater valve is item no 1