Alhambra 98 - Steam From Heater Vents

[dazza]

I knew i should have fixed the alhambra and got the golf back in the garage. Just too many jobs.

There was a note under the wiper arm the guy should come over this afternoon.

At first i thought it was just the boot and bumber but the quarter panel does not look right to me.

 

[normspanners]

Unless-------- I am writting this note coz people saw me crunch your car and are watching me, and they think I am leaving my correct details to the injured party -----well... tough titty

 

[normspanners]

Do you have to have a red car in spain is it the law?

 

[Cobbler]

Norm, you know the old proverb ...... Red car at night, crashers delight

 

[dazza]

Decided to have a go with this seal up. Drained, flushed and filled then went for a blast on the dual carriage way repeated this 4 times. But although temp gauge is getting just past the middle lower rad hose is still cold. Should i take it for a longer run and do it once more?

Also looking at the instructions on the seal up you get it warm at idle (this will take over an hour).
Once leak has stopped let cool and empty system. But wont it stay in part of the system as the thermostat is closed?

 

[dazza]

Even this is a pita should have just taken the dash out.

Going to try and flush the matrix these must be the pipes at the back going up?

Did find a broken pipe going to the egr valve will fixing this make any difference to the clouds of black smoke at wot.

Where are you supposed to add the seal up? Reservoir? Will it even make its way to the matrix if rad is clamped off??

 

[dazza]

Been looking on line many people say not to use this seal up stuff. Would it fix the leak if i ran it through just the heater matrix with a pump i have laying about?

 

[angellonewolf]

Decided to have a go with this seal up. Drained, flushed and filled then went for a blast on the dual carriage way repeated this 4 times. But although temp gauge is getting just past the middle lower rad hose is still cold. Should i take it for a longer run and do it once more?

Also looking at the instructions on the seal up you get it warm at idle (this will take over an hour).
Once leak has stopped let cool and empty system. But wont it stay in part of the system as the thermostat is closed?

i belive a car standing still like stoped in traffic is about the worst for a car as soon as you are driving you are getting air to the car through the rad if you want to heat the engine up park up and rev the engine up or just park up on the drive let it tick over

 

[Robotstar5]

i belive a car standing still like stoped in traffic is about the worst for a car as soon as you are driving you are getting air to the car through the rad if you want to heat the engine up park up and rev the engine up or just park up on the drive let it tick over

It might depend on the engine, when I changed the rad in my TD4 Freelander I left the engine idling to make sure the fan cut in, after 30 minutes I gave up as the temp gauge just stayed at "normal".

 

[angellonewolf]

not that i know much about cars but how can running at 30 be easyer on the engine than staying still if its running it getting air

unless there is a problem

 

[dazza]

This car takes ages to warm up half an hour with reving now and then and it got to half normal temp.

There is quite a lot of steam through the vents just wondering if i should just whip the dash out and replace the matrix rather than messing about with this seal up stuff that may cause more problems or not even work.

 

[octo0072000]

IF it takes 30 mins to warm up thermostat is stuck open by the sound of it

 

[dazza]

IF it takes 30 mins to warm up thermostat is stuck open by the sound of it

I changed the thermostat a couple of years ago before this the car never got up to temp.

 

[normspanners]

You havnt listened have you, I said several times to block off the main rad and have it just go through the heater, why take it for a blast, that is the last thing to do ???????? now the seal up is all round the system

 

[dazza]

You havnt listened have you, I said several times to block off the main rad and have it just go through the heater, why take it for a blast, that is the last thing to do ???????? now the seal up is all round the system

Not put the seal up in yet norm been filling and flushing to get the coolant out.

 

[normspanners]

It might depend on the engine, when I changed the rad in my TD4 Freelander I left the engine idling to make sure the fan cut in, after 30 minutes I gave up as the temp gauge just stayed at "normal".

in the winter it is virt impossible to get the cooling fan to cut in, when outside the slightest breeze and the rad does its job, i even a viscous fan just free spinning is easily enough, if you have the heating fan on just number one setting that is enough,in fact some cars the heater fan is on as soon as the car is started even when the switch is set to zero.

 

[normspanners]

Not put the seal up in yet norm been filling and flushing to get the coolant out.

AH SORRY SORRY I thought you had put it in four times and it hadnt worked !!
just clamp off the main rad then let it the engine run just through the heater at 2000 rpm should soon get warm, the matrix is easy to flush out just run garden hose through the rad either way. Then let it run the other way through the heater hose to the cyl head/ block / till pure water comes out of the bottom hose, if the stat is in top hose . dont mess with the main rad block that off, and any breather pipes to it.
the heater water doesnt go through the stat.

 

[dazza]

AH SORRY SORRY I thought you had put it in four times and it hadnt worked !!
just clamp off the main rad then let it the engine run just through the heater at 2000 rpm should soon get warm, the matrix is easy to flush out just run garden hose through the rad either way. Then let it run the other way through the heater hose to the cyl head/ block / till pure water comes out of the bottom hose, if the stat is in top hose . dont mess with the main rad block that off, and any breather pipes to it.
the heater water doesnt go through the stat.

Thanks norm the stat is at the bottom. Where do i put the seal up into the system? I was just about to start taking the dash out spent all afternoon yesterday flushing it and still very uncertain weather to use this seal up stuff.

 

[normspanners]

Well take the stat out then, up to you if it was mine I would give it a go, it has saved me some work in the past, also saved a few engine blocks from the scrap. As to where to add it you have to look at the system I dont have an alhambra here only a later galaxy with a 2 ltr ford engine at the moment , so cant look at the pipe work, it cant do any harm if it is flushed out after if used, correctly it worked a treat. as long as you keep adding water to the system as it leaks it will plug it dont use rad cap though. it might work with a seperate pump but you will have to heat the system up for it to work , where are you going to get a heater and a pump of that size?? oh yes an engine thats a good idea

 

[dazza]

simples . Only took 4 hours. I made such a mess of the matrix hard to see where it was damaged.
I should have read the haynes manual i skipped a couple of steps and broke a small piece of the dash and the wiper stalk.

The main problem i cant pull the heater box away from the bulk head... cant get at one of the nuts holding the heater box to the bulk head and cant find another so i had to split the pipes on the matrix to get it out. Will have to sort that tomorrow as did not realise how delicate these things were.