Another heater thread.......

[geordiedubber 0]

Ok I know theres loads of these at the moment but i've done a search

and cant find the same problem i have,

 

I think the heater matrix is leaking

as my pasanger floor is soaked and i've checked door seals etc.. and am

losing lots of coolant (needs filled up like every 2 days) and theres no

smoke from engine, Thing is theres still heat coming from it is this possible?

 

Is it right I can bypass the heater by joining the pipes going to the matrix

(as a tempory measure) ?

 

Could it be a split/loose pipe on the matrix causing the leak ?

Any help please as I'd rather freeze then have to remove the dash

to fit a new one :roll:

 

cheers.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah you can bypass it by using a 45 degree copper elbow from the plumbing section of B&Q. That's what I did anyway.

 

My matrix had a leak - at the bottom of it. But not enough to flood the interior, so I caught it in time. Was losing about a litre of coolant a fortnight when it normally uses none at all.

 

By the sounds of your leak, you should be getting some steam in the car if it's the matrix. Is the wetness on the carpet smelling of coolant and sticky on your fingers?

 

Yep, it will still give off heat if it's ruptured.

 

Not a pleasant job I have to say, but you'll be surprised how easy it is once you get stuck in. Should only take you a Sunday to do.

[geordiedubber 0]

Its not really smelly or sticky (just been out to check and theres a puddle

there now :( )

I filled the coolant up on wedensday and the light came on today...

 

Can you see the pipes going onto the matrix (from in the car) ?

 

A month of sundays knowing me :), I hate doing jobs like that theres

alway lots of those "spare" screws, washers, nuts etc, left over when its

done.

 

cheers for the help.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Hmmm, if it's fresh water it's probably a car leak I'm sorry to say :-( The most common culprit is the foam gasket that seals the leaf guard (above the heater fan) to the bulkhead apeture. Or the front sunroof drain tubes could be blocked.

 

The matrix hoses don't come into the car. The matrix inlet and outlet poke through the bulkhead.

 

If you were losing that much water from the matrix, you'd know about it as the screen would steam up and you'd smell glycol.

 

I think you might have a leak on the engine somewhere fella.....

[geordiedubber 0]

The screen does steam up, I'll inspect tomorrow maybe bypass it anyway

put up with the cold run to work get the floor dry(ish) and see if it stops the

loss of coolant.

 

Cheers for all the help kev.