g0ldf1ng3r's VR6

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Cheers will do.

 

happy to help m8

 

i will drop you a pm when i start the seats to let you know

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

I took 2 days off work last week specifically to change the heater matrix in the valver

 

it is starting to get colder & misty so early journeys to work need heat

 

fortunately the gf's mom was away for the week & had agreed to let me use her garage - which was nice as it was big enough to get both doors fully open & a large bench to organise all the bits as they were removed

 

TBH I have been dreading this job since buying the car back last year!

 

off I went on weds morning with a boot full of all my tools, I took the lot just in case lol, & armed with the guide from an old user Kris on here. The pictures in the guide proved to be extremely helpful as sometimes just reading the text about a process can leave some head scratching.

 

I took my time & made myself walk away & take some deep breaths each time something was testing my patience. the 2 bolts which secure the dash into the bulk head were definitely the worst offenders as unless you have extendable fingers they are extremely difficult to reach - cue lots of swearing & cuts getting the damn things back on!!

 

fortunately I had heeded the experience of others on here & had WD40'd the bulk head bolts which hold the matrix housing in place several times over a few months & once again before I started stripping the dash - they unscrewed very nicely :)

 

by the time I was knackered, knees were falling out & back was killing on the 1st day I had managed to get everything apart & the new matrix in its housing :D

 

thank you to the gf for helping me keep my patience & get the dash out of the car

 

Day 1 was not as tough as I was expecting, or dreading, & I felt rather achieved to get to the below....

[SR_Neale 10]

Winner winner corrado dinner.

[Chuggs1 10]

So how's your exhaust on the VR .... Still happy? Did you ever think of adding a 6-2-1 exhaust manifold.... Do you think there would be much benefit.... Think it might be a good addition especially if ceramic coated not wrapped.... Far to ugly for my liking

Edited September 14, 2015 by Chuggs1

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Winner winner corrado dinner.

 

ha ha tickles me every time!

 

thanks m8

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

So how's your exhaust on the VR .... Still happy? Did you ever think of adding a 6-2-1 exhaust manifold.... Do you think there would be much benefit.... Think it might be a good addition especially if ceramic coated not wrapped.... Far to ugly for my liking

 

hello m8

 

the exhaust is fecking awesome!!! it has quietened down even more when cruising at 70mph on the m'way but it lets you know it is there when you give a touch of throttle to overtake

 

TBH even when doing say 25mph in 5th it really it nice & quiet

 

however give it some beans & heads will turn to see what the roar is :D

 

as for the exhaust manifold I never even considered it. as far as I am aware, and have read, there are virtually no gains from fitting one unless you get major porn focused on port profile matching, gas flowing, lightening & balancing etc. one would also need to remove any other restricting items such at CAT's, increasing TB etc

 

all of which costs many many £ notes but don't actually give many horses in return

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Day 2 of the matrix saga update will follow but I was so shattered after getting it all back together, & cleaned along the way, I didn't take any pics - however, we all know what they look like when fully assembled lol

[Chuggs1 10]

hello m8

 

the exhaust is fecking awesome!!! it has quietened down even more when cruising at 70mph on the m'way but it lets you know it is there when you give a touch of throttle to overtake

 

TBH even when doing say 25mph in 5th it really it nice & quiet

 

however give it some beans & heads will turn to see what the roar is :D

 

as for the exhaust manifold I never even considered it. as far as I am aware, and have read, there are virtually no gains from fitting one unless you get major porn focused on port profile matching, gas flowing, lightening & balancing etc. one would also need to remove any other restricting items such at CAT's, increasing TB etc

 

all of which costs many many £ notes but don't actually give many horses in return

 

Nice - thanks - still on my list and will now be the next spend - Having the Bilstiens and Eibachs fitted within the next 2 weeks - then saving the pennies for the exhaust - so should not be too far away. Had read about people fitting 6-2-1s and was not sure of the benefits

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Nice - thanks - still on my list and will now be the next spend - Having the Bilstiens and Eibachs fitted within the next 2 weeks - then saving the pennies for the exhaust - so should not be too far away. Had read about people fitting 6-2-1s and was not sure of the benefits

 

no problem m8

 

if ever we get to meet I will definitely give you a co-pilot outing ;)

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

and so onto Day 2 of matrix swap

 

not much to say here really as it was just a case of reversing the previous day.

 

apart from 1 clip (from somewhere on the matrix housing connecting to the air feed pipe on the passenger side) and 1 screw which I made use of elsewhere it all went back together rather swimmingly

 

Hmmm! the cuts on my hands & arms have reminded me about the awkward washer/nut combo's that spin independently of each other which hold the dash to the bulkhead. they really tested my patience as they are nearly impossible to get back on the thread but they didn't beat me lol

 

I took the time to clean stuff before reinstalling, dust & grime etc in air vents for example, which was noticeable once it was all back together. all seats & carpets were vacuumed as well

 

Plus I tried to secure cables etc & tape together where required to prevent rattles - which im pleased to say have been minimal after resinatalling

 

I also took the opportunity to fit the VW standard 16v steering wheel which I had purchased off a kind person on facebook. I will take a pic at break time

 

in terms of getting the valver back to how it was when I sold it the list is getting shorter...

eyebrow grill - in process of refurb

Kamei front spoiler - this will take some time as I have to save up for the Wurth replast plastic repair kit BUT at least I have found one!! lol

gearknob

stereo & speakers - might be a challenge as a cowboy bloody chopped the factory loom ends

headlight loom upgrade - KUR2Y is making me one of his 3 relay specials :)

change alternator as it is noisy as hell

[Chuggs1 10]

Hold you to that and will look forward to it ..... Cheers

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Hold you to that and will look forward to it ..... Cheers

 

will be a pleasure m8

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

a week of driving the valver after the dash out job & all seems well.

 

ive an intermittent rattle but figured this was down to an old alarm siren ive not touched or removed yet rather than my dash reinstall

 

the matrix feed & return hoses arrived from heritage & thanks to Thursdave on here I also got the constant tension spring clips for the hoses

 

as the valver had a matrix bypass fitted I checked in the Bentley manual for correct flow direction on the matrix

 

it was a sunny morning on sunday so tool box in hand it was time to try & get some warmth in the valver

 

fortunately I had read on here about people fitting cooling hoses & the various difficulties so I got myself one of those hose spring clamp tools & put the new hoses in a sink of warm water to help them soften a little.

 

the expansion tank overflow to radiator hose was very tatty due to a disintegrating material sheath & as this was the easiest of the 3 hoses I wanted to change I attacked that first. this was nice & easy & a few minutes later it was fitted & secured using the smaller one time use clips

 

the next part was a tad of a fluster as I wasn't expecting quite so much coolant to come gushing out when I removed the block end of the matrix feed hose. to say the small tub I placed under it was nowhere near sufficient to catch said coolant was an understatement lol thus pretty much as soon as the hose was off it was back on again! waterfall stemmed I rushed to the kitchen & got the new feed hose

 

tub emptied & repositioned, well errr tipped down the back of the block as I couldn't wriggle it out when it was so full of rather warm coolant (I probably should have let her cool down more before starting the job lol), the 2nd attempt was a quick switch of old hose for new. fortunately I remembered to put the clip over the hose before fitting.

 

minimal coolant loss that time & a good time to say how much easier a job is when you have the correct tools. the hose clip tool would swivel & really did allow you to get in where you wouldn't think it wasn't possible - matrix end specifically!

 

the matrix ends were quick tricky but warming the hoses really helped & was more of a case of needing more than 2 hands rather than physically difficult

 

a short while later & all 3 hoses were fitted, fingers crossed it all worked :)

 

I then followed advice I had read on here about topping up the cooling system - thank to those who posted

 

topped up coolant, started engine without expansion lid on, gently squeezed top & bottom rad hoses to help any air escape. no leaks so far wooo!!!!

 

kept massaging hoses gently, stat opened & bottom hoses got warm, topped coolant a tad & checked matrix feed & return hoses & both were warm. fans kicked in as they should, turned off, cooled down & topped coolant to where it should be

 

since buying the valver back last year today was the first journey I have had with heat :D

 

very happy indeed & bearing in mind it was a job I have been putting off it really wasn't that bad. just need to take your time & go step by step

 

one thing I would ask for those reading this, & those who have changed their own matrix......was the heat it produced very hot on the first time using it?

 

it definitely got 'warm' this morning but it didn't seem to get as hot as the VR heater for example

 

I didn't know if a new matrix takes a few uses to bed in or something or if it could be due to me not replacing the thin foam barrier thing on the heater box that the matrix fits into

 

oh & a side bonus - I discovered both my electric mirrors heat function still work today :) lol

Edited September 28, 2015 by g0ldf1ng3r

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

anybody got any thought on the heat output?

 

please, thanks lol

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

anybody got any thought on the heat output?

 

please, thanks lol

 

Hmmm im sure the heater felt like it was getting warmer than yesterday

 

does anyone know how the level of heat is controlled? IE when you move the slider further towards the warm section doe sit just close off some of the cold air feeding into it (rather than some kind of thermostat)

 

hopefully someone who has recently changed their matrix will see this & can shed some light

[seanl82 23]

Yeah the heater box where the matrix lives is just a series of flaps. Sliding direction and heat controls just moves the bowden cables and closes/opens the flaps mate.

[Jim 2]

Indeed. The heater matrix sits in a compartment which is closed off by a flap - as you slide it over from blue to red, it just opens the flap to allow air pass through it, to put warm air out of the cabin. I wonder perhaps if that flap isn't opening fully, reducing the amount of heat you actually get out of it?

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

thanks sean & jim - appreciate your replies

 

I kind of thought as much

 

everything seemed to move ok when it was apart & feels ok on the sliders now it is back together

 

however the majority of the thin foam liners on the heater box flaps disintegrated during the matrix swap. I have a feeling they may help reduce the cold air feed to the matrix when you have it set to heat on the slider

 

the air output is pretty warm, just doesn't feel as toasty as the VR for example

[SR_Neale 10]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/03/6d0740df80ef1678ec319cb424f33559.jpg[/img

Just see this on my take away and thought you might like it.

[SR_Neale 10]

 

I'll try that again then

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

 

I'll try that again then

 

Oh my word m8 that is brilliant!!

 

thanks for posting it, properly made me laugh this morning :D

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

thanks sean & jim - appreciate your replies

 

I kind of thought as much

 

everything seemed to move ok when it was apart & feels ok on the sliders now it is back together

 

however the majority of the thin foam liners on the heater box flaps disintegrated during the matrix swap. I have a feeling they may help reduce the cold air feed to the matrix when you have it set to heat on the slider

 

the air output is pretty warm, just doesn't feel as toasty as the VR for example

 

ive used the valver quite a few times over the past week & also done some more reading about the heater box that the matrix sits in

 

im pretty much certain that the air coming out of the dash centre & side vents is cooler than in my VR due to me 'tidying' the lining on the main flap which controls heat or cool.

 

it makes sense when I think about now that the interior is all back together & in retrospect I did have the thoughts of 'should I replace this lining whilst everything is apart' - kinda wish I did but then im not taking it all out again any time soon lol

 

that said, within a few minutes o the journey this morning I had nice toasty warm air feeding out of the dash top vents to the windscreen. this in my view is the main objective & demisting works ok

 

job done methinks

 

next will be to get back onto the eyebrow spoiler refurb but I really should devote some time to the house again very soon

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/03/6d0740df80ef1678ec319cb424f33559.jpg[/img

Just see this on my take away and thought you might like it.

 

by the way Neale, what chicken dinner was it you had in the box?

 

just out of interest lol

[SR_Neale 10]

It was supposed to be chicken but I would have been better off eating the box.

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

It was supposed to be chicken but I would have been better off eating the box.

 

oh dear that doesn't sound good

 

more show than go with that dinner then :(