Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 22, 2015 hi. Very new to Corrados. Just treated myself to one as its been my dream car since I was a child. It's a 94 vr6. Only problem is this, when I bought it the seller told me that the pipes for the heating system have been linked together to give the car more power. To have my heating back I would need to split the pipes and clip them onto the the two outlets. The pipe is running from the rear engine down to, I don't know where. Has any one heard of this? I was told it was a common mod? [ATTACH=CONFIG]80531[/ATTACH] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
easypops 8 Posted January 22, 2015 I'd say it's far more likely, in fact almost a certainty that your heater matrix is burst, no power to be gained by the driver being cold as far as I'm aware :) Welcome along though, and if you can wield some tools you'll be able to sort it, there is a good guide on here, with decent pictures Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted January 22, 2015 I've seen it done before if the heater matrix (within dashboard) has broken or one of the pipes as split, its a temp fix really to get you home, Nothing to do with power. Its usually pipes 18 and 21 that get joined. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 22, 2015 That's brilliant. Thank you for the swift reply. I'm booked in at a garage tomorrow anyway just so they can have a look at it. But what you've said seems far more legit. I have plenty of tools, could you please direct me to the replacing heater matrix guide? And thanks again for your help. Really appreciate it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 22, 2015 Ok Jim. Thanks for the reply. So you're also saying the heater matrix is damaged then? Will a garage have the means to fix it you think? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted January 22, 2015 It's very common for the matrix to leak when it gets old and brittle. A garage will be able to do it but you will pay in labour costs as it's very time consuming. You need to remove the dash to get to it. If you are comfortable with doing it yourself I'd suggest that mate. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
STU175 0 Posted January 22, 2015 link to guide http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?t=45452&highlight=heater+matrix+guide Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 22, 2015 Thanks a lot mate. Looks like that's what I'll be doing. I worked at Jaguar for a while ripping out the dashboards of the new F-types. So I'm thinking because of the age of my Corrado it might not be quite as technical. I'll give it a go, and let you all know what happens :smug: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Hi. Really need help. I went to the garage, they said it was OK to split a pipe that had been joined and to connect it back to the heater matrix. Now that I have the car just fills up with steam and a warning appears on dash. Can anyone help?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 It's the warning under the petrol gauge that looks a lamppost in some water. Best description I could give unfortunately. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted January 23, 2015 That just confirms that it is indeed your heater matrix that is screwed... It's not a job I'd like a garage to do (unless I trusted them implicitly) as it requires a lot of care removing the dashboard and all the instrumentation / switch gear, to get at the heater box. They're likely to rush it otherwise the labour cost will be astronomical. It took me about 8-10 hours to do it all as it's just very time consuming! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Ok definitely the heater matrix then. And what's that warning, can you tell me? Thanks so much for quick reply!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted January 23, 2015 Well I'm guessing it'll be your coolant level gauge flashing as of course the coolant will just be leaking out of the (blown) heater matrix, causing the coolant level to drop :( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Ok thanks, and like I mentioned. A warning is coming up underneath the petrol gauge. Looks like a lamppost in water. Could you tell me what that is please? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted January 23, 2015 Yep that is the coolant warning light - and it'll be because the level has dropped as I say. I'd bypass the matrix again, top up your coolant, and the problem should go away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Right ok. Well that's that then. Thanks so much for your help. Really appreciate this. Don't k ow what I would of done. I'll put it back the way it was and order a heater matrix. Any one know of a reliable website? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks man. Appreciate it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted January 23, 2015 Have a look on eBay - whatever you do, don't buy a cheap one as it's not a job you want to be doing again. I bought a Valeo one and so far, so good. Just to give you some idea of what awaits.. when I got to this stage, I was freaking out a bit but it all came good :) The forum's built in search feature is a bit guff, but if you click this link: https://www.google.co.uk/search?btnG=1&pws=0&q=site:the-corrado.net+heater+matrix&gws_rd=cr,ssl&ei=DWHCVM6CLo_Y7AbpjoDQCw Should take you to all search results on the forum to do with heater matrix's. Should be able to find loads of info :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Jesus Christ!! Looks pretty scary. But I'm sure I'll be ok. How long did it take you to strip and rebuild? And thanks for the heads up on the heater matrix Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 What do you think to this? Think it'll work? http://wiki.the-corrado.net/heater_matrix_replacement.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted January 23, 2015 Jesus Christ!! Looks pretty scary. But I'm sure I'll be ok. How long did it take you to strip and rebuild? And thanks for the heads up on the heater matrix Probably about 4 hours getting everything out, and about double that putting it all back in. I strongly suggest you collect up as many yoghurt pots or plastic tubs as you can so you can collect and organise all the screws that come out! Honestly it's not very difficult a job to do - just daunting. And you need to be methodical about how you take it out and put it all back together.. if you get stuck at any point, come on here and ask for advice. Plenty of folks have been through this pain in the last few years! As for that Wiki link, I'm not sure. Search for the guide posted up by -=Kris=- which is very comprehensive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Ok thanks mate, I'll have a look for him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g0ldf1ng3r 14 Posted January 23, 2015 Ok thanks mate, I'll have a look for him. the link jim is referring to is on a post earlier in this thread david there are still some pictures missing when I looked at it today - jim any chance of getting the document version I managed to get the pics for up on the same link? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davidjhopkins 10 Posted January 23, 2015 Yeah I realised after a while it was the link mentioned earlier haha. And I did notice there appeared to be some integral pictures missing. So if you can find the full version Jim. I'd be extremely grateful. Gonna tackle this a week on Sunday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g0ldf1ng3r 14 Posted January 23, 2015 Yeah I realised after a while it was the link mentioned earlier haha. And I did notice there appeared to be some integral pictures missing. So if you can find the full version Jim. I'd be extremely grateful. Gonna tackle this a week on Sunday. it took me quite a while but I managed to get all but 2, IIRC, of the pics for the guide KRIS produced & I made a word doc for it. if you drop me a PM with your email address im more than happy to send you a copy :) I take no credit for the guide itself but the full set of pics kris did with it, which now have dead links, show screw locations etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
