Coolant in the car

[Thom 1]

Hi, I think I may have a knackered heater matrix but want to know what else could be the problem here before I go pulling the dash apart.

I have soggy carpets on both sides of the car, front and back, but it's worse on the passenger side. I'm pretty sure it's coolant as the level has gone down and the water on the carpet has an oily texture. But my heater is working fine and there's no problem with condensation on the windscreen.

 

Any ideas?

 

Also, some knob goblin left a nice big dent in my door last week, :censored:

[carrots 1]

try some k seal in it mate its great stuff and perminant

[Jim 2]

Ummm.... I'd get the heater matrix replaced personally. Sounds very likely to be the problem.

[colinstubbs 0]

^^^^ What Jim said rather than gunking up by-pass valves etc

[Thom 1]

Ummm.... I'd get the heater matrix replaced personally. Sounds very likely to be the problem.

eers

 

Yeh,I thought as much! Cheers for your help guys :D

[pete_griff 0]

if you want a definitive answer, go to your local plumbing outlet and buy a 180 degree (although a 90 will also work) piece of copper fitting of a size to fit into your coolant hoses. plumb that into the hoses where they run through the bulkhead and into the matrix (i.e isolate and cut off the matrix from the circuit) then run the car around for a couple of days and see if the carpets dry out.

 

if they do start to dry then you have your answer!

 

also if you're doing the matrx (which is what it almost certainly is anyway) then it's worth doing the bowden cables at the same time - that way you'll avoid any sticky heater control issues in future.

 

 

edit - also i would NEVER even CONSIDER k-seal, radweld etc etc unless is had absolutely no cash AND was selling the car soon. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE STUFF (IMO)

[ziderapple 0]

i would NEVER even CONSIDER k-seal, radweld etc etc unless is had absolutely no cash AND was selling the car soon. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE STUFF (IMO)

 

Agreed, its nasty stuff. Crack a few eggs into the coolant header tank instead. :D

 

On a more serious note, just change the matrix before it goes pop.

[carrots 1]

dont call the aa or rac if you have a water leak,they love k seal