Heater matrix leak?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Right, if the heater matrix is leaking, where does the water end up?

If you say it makes the carpet under the passenger seat wet, i may very well just cry.

The perfect end to possibly the shittiest week of my life.

:'(

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

get the kleenex boyo!

When the matrix leaks it leaks out into the passenger side footwell.

Stuff a towel down there, I have had a towel in my passenger footwell for about ohh 2 months at least to catch the water.

I just today removed the good matrix from my energy, I am not lookign forward to fittign it in the 16V.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

*sigh*

ok well im really not in the mood today this week or probably even this month to fix it, so any objections to just connecting the 2 hoses together in the engine compartment that go to the matrix, to bypass the matrix?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

well, its done now. Hopefully that will be the end of my daily water topping up activities, just need to put in a new matrix before it gets cold or ill freeze my tits off. Thats if i dont smash/sell (yeah i know)/scrap the car first.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

might run a bit warmer but theres no prob with you connecting the hose together.

I would do a full photo how 2 on it but I won't have a camera so I can't.

I will be doing mine tomorrow hopefully.

Retroholic Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 5685

I've always said if mine goes i'd just be joinin the pipes!

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

cold in winter!!

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

mine is cold right now, up here its ferking freezing after 11 and I liek to go out night driving. Also no matter how many umpers etc you stick on it always gets freezing. You need to drive with either the window open or the fan on full at the coldest setting to try and stop the windows steaming up.

Todays challenge is the matrix and thermostat and CTS, oh joy.

Level 6 User Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 155

You could just not bother fixing your matrix and use one of these http://www.sales-services.co.uk/html/micro_car_heater.html or one of the many similar items on ebay. Aside from being a damned sight less effort and expense, it also would have the benefit of instant heat as soon as you start the car Smile

I think its the way I'll go if my heater matrix packs up. By the way, if you have the heater control set to the coldest setting, does this isolate the heater matrix from the coolant circuit? ie. would your passengers still get damp feet when on the coldest setting if the matrix was shagged?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

the matrix has heat passing through it all the time. On minis and bm's etc theres a valve which closes the matrix off to the rest of the system.

So no matter what the temps at it will still leak!

If you wanna by pass it you do it in the engine bay.

Level 6 User Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 155

Yeah thats what I figured - I'm just wondering cause I'm having problems with my coolant level recently - it keeps dropping down to the min level or just below, I top it up, and then when I next check it (which admittedly is sometimes 200 miles later), its dropped down again. No wet carpets that I have noticed, and its not leaking fast as I've been keeping a close eye on it the last few days. I was out the other day with the heater on full blast the whole journey (about an hour and a halfs driving time) cause it was bloody freezing, and the next day I checked it the water level had risen up slightly above the max mark, so I'm thinking maybe the rad is bust.

The header tank cap is totally rank and full of rusty shite so I'm gonna try replacing that first, esp as when I was doing a head-under-the-bonnet-while-warming-up session, and before the dash gauge was reading past the second line on the temp (with the first line being horizontal/stone cold), the cap was bubbling out rusty water from one side. The water level when I checked it immediately before starting the car was at max, and was also still quite warm (like 20 degrees), so I wasnt expecting the header cap to do that!

Oh one more thing - no 1 spark plug was loose as anything when I checked it yesterday, and the well was full of oily crap*. I don't know whether this would cause the engine to burn off more water or not. Also, theres no water/oil contamination, but I'm not sure if that means the head gasket is fine, or whether it could still be leaking water there.

* any tips on how to clean out an oily spark plug well and its screw threads would be appreciated too Very Happy

Cheers

Alex

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

right I can't remember if you have an energy lump or not.

1st things 1st, caps buggered, you can strip them and clean them, but theres bits you can lose if your not carefull. Most people replace them.

That cap will be doing the engine no favours. Might also explain water vanishing, no pressure means it can boil on long or hard runs and vent through the cap.

The plug well, remove the plug then use paper towel to get the oil out. Will take a while but get it done. As for the threads no need to worry there, just wipe the plugs threads.

You need to find out why oils there, common cause is rocker cover gasket which is an easy change and sloppy filling of the oil level.

Sort that lot out first then see where you stand.

I just done the coolant in the megane actually and drained out the white 1.4 but as soon as I poured clena water in it turned rusty. I had that bloody engine clean for a good while too!

Level 6 User Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 155

Cheers Chris - you are a font of knowledge Smile

I do indeed have an energy, so well remembered!
I've seen a pressure cap on GSF for summink daft like Â£2, so I think I'll splash out on one of them to start with and see what difference that makes.
Is the rocker cover gasket another name for the valve cover gasket or am I being stupid? Do I need to drain the coolant or remove the strengthening bar before getting the rocker cover off? What do I do with the accelerator cable and the choke cable? Is there anything else I will need to disconnect or move to get the rocker cover off? Also, when putting it back on, is there a specific torque setting for the bolts, or is it just a case of guesswork? Any tips welcomed!

Cheers

Alex

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

yep rocker/valve/cam cover gasket.

No you don't need to drain anything, theres 8 10mm bolts to undo to remove the cam cover.

Yes take the strut brace off, a 2 second job anyway.

Dissconnect the choke and throttle cable at the carb then slide them off the bracketon the cam cover. Its very easy.

settings are 10nm but as long as you start in the middle and work your way outwards diagonally, (theres instructions with the gasket) and use hand pressure, firm but not super firm like a road wheel bolt or anything!

Level 6 User Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 155

Cheers Chris - I will get meself one of them gaskets and do the job since it sounds easyish even for me. I had a look at the cover today and have located all the bolts (and discovered another thing I have to take off to get at the cover - the HT lead guides) so now all I need a is a half a day of dry weather and I'm set! I was going to double check though about the oilyness of the spark plug - the oil isn't coming down into the spark plug well from above, its coming up from the cylinder side (or it was, seems to be OK now I've tightened it). The plug's nose insulator also looked a bit wierd, as one side of it was brown and the other was white!
BTW If I'm going to have the valve cover off, is there anything else I should check while its off?

Cheers

Alex

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

the oils not come up, if it has then its magic and I'd suggest a church visit and a ritual burning if it has.

Oil doesn't defy gravity its came from above.

Plug colouring is normal.

Level 6 User Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 155

lol OK - I just thought I'd mention it. The plug had really caked on oil on the threads nearest to the nose, but I guess that could have been because of the greater eat there. I'm a bit confused as to how the oil got from the rocker cover into the spark plug well though, as there isn't any oil on the outside of the cylinder head dribbling down or anything, so how'd it get there if not from the engine cylinder side outwards??

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

liek I said sloppy fillign or old leak.

the reason oil was on the threads was cos you unscrewed the plug and yes thats right you exposed the threads to the oil in the plug well.