Alhambra 98 - Steam From Heater Vents

[dazza]

Steam is coming out from the vents every now and then and the screen is constantly fogged up have resorted to a cloth on the dash and wiping the screen every now and then.

Heater Matrix? It this going to be a PITA to fix??

 

[frank horton]

yep, heater matrix has gone.......anything under the dash is usually a nightmare........u could check on google "how to replace heater xxxxxx etc" u never know u might get lucky and it's easy........
other than that buy a quality rad sealer, Wynn's, STP etc and it'll do u for a year or so and then u'll need to do it again........never buy cheap, I always buy American product's for this kinda job......well worth the extra........
if the carpets are wet, try and get then out to dry, anti-freeze solution soaked in carpets make rust easy to get a hold........
good luck....... Frank

 

[normspanners]

heater matrix's are mechanics nightmare !

autodata gives 4hrs for the replacement so you can say 6hrs or more in reality for the job, IIRC they gave 5hrs for a terrano heater matrix, but was closer to 8 ! and that involved stripping out till virtually just the pedals were left!, front seats carpet etc etc. so much so that I got the customer to come and look to prove how much was required.
the problem is you can struggle for 10mins on a stupid plastic piece of dash to get to the screws that hold the dash in, that someone who knows how that piece unclips gets a screwdriver or trim tool in the right place and is off in seconds, YOU could have loads of those !! and will take hours instead of minutes. And then there might be breakages no matter how careful, coz some trim require brute strength other needs knowledge it is very hard to tell which.

 

[Seadog]

That'll be fun

 

[normspanners]

Was easy it only took a minute in that vid!

 

[dazza]

heater matrix's are mechanics nightmare !

autodata gives 4hrs for the replacement so you can say 6hrs or more in reality for the job, IIRC they gave 5hrs for a terrano heater matrix, but was closer to 8 ! and that involved stripping out till virtually just the pedals were left!, front seats carpet etc etc. so much so that I got the customer to come and look to prove how much was required.
the problem is you can struggle for 10mins on a stupid plastic piece of dash to get to the screws that hold the dash in, that someone who knows how that piece unclips gets a screwdriver or trim tool in the right place and is off in seconds, YOU could have loads of those !! and will take hours instead of minutes. And then there might be breakages no matter how careful, coz some trim require brute strength other needs knowledge it is very hard to tell which.

Will probably take me a week .

 

[thinfourth]

Mmmm

I'd be phoning a scrapyard

See how much i could get for it

 

[500e]

Come back Mk3 Cortina 2 self tapers & 2 hose clips there you go

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@dazza You're living in Spain, just bypass the matrix and open a window if things get 'steamy'.......sorry, that's not helping

 

[angellonewolf]

buy another car wait till summer sell yours

 

[dazza]

To be honest I love this car. Id probably sell the golf before this.

There is a hissing from the vents as soon as i start the engine (with blowers on and off) but it stops as soon as i switch the engine off.

The car has some type of auxiliary heater don't know if that makes a difference. No sign of damp but coolant level below min (but i have been battling coolant leeks else where since changing the thermostat).

 

[normspanners]

Some of the best in coolant sealing stuff I 've used is blue magic cargo seal up it is not left in the system and has to be left with the system empty for it to cure for 12hrs, You HAVE to follow the instructions it is not as dear as some but has worked on several systems with liner or head cracks and seems permanent. https://www.hids-direct.co.uk/blue-magic-liquid-glass-metallic-seal-up-323g-car1008/

Funnily enough I am trying to get some this morning for a nivara cyl head that has a crack. when using it I externally pressure the system to force it into the gaps and it seems to work ok

 

[slim_boy_fat]

What about Steel Seal, I know someone who used it for a blown head gasket and it worked.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=s...x-HXAhXnLMAKHX-QCFoQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=794

 

[normspanners]

What about Steel Seal,

Yeah that didnt work on this Nissan and it is very expensive for big vehicles cost him nearly £100!! for two bottles also they say you can leave it in well that doesnt sound good to me, I like the idea of plug the crack, then get rid, let it cure whilst dry and refill with antifreeze.
thats why we are trying the seal up.

 

[Gareth J]

I have been impressed with "k-seal" in the past. I once used it on an inline 4 honda bike engine that had a crack through the head into the spark plug recess. It was a small crack I guess but on a bike that I sold to a mate who would have ridden it flat out everywhere, it seemed good.

The above "coating" does sound like a more professional bodge though!

 

[dazza]

Just been having a read of the haynes manual this is going to be a PITA.

 

[dazza]

Bought some of the blue magic stuff that norm recommended. Its worth a try.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Had the same prob on my old Espace. Slight smell of antifreeze, followed by big fog coming out of the vents. Abandoned the sailing trip planned and turned for home. Had to fill up twice on the way. Both times from streams. Holts kept it at bay for a short while, then got the new matrix and went for it. Had to strip the whole dash and surround. Haines was useless, not least because it said you have to take the steering wheel off, but don't do that as it has an airbag and only your Renault dealer can touch that.
Finally got the old matrix out, only to find the new one was a few mm too big to fit (??) Applied the heat gun to the plastic assembly and when the area softened a bit, shoved the matrix in. Works so far... But not an easy job, and yes, I did bust a few bits of plastic in the process.

 

[normspanners]

Bought some of the blue magic stuff that norm recommended. Its worth a try.

please follow the instructions,
it may not be too bad with it being in the heater, ie only atmospheric pressure to deal with , the nissan that I have just been to, has a cracked head on exhaust manifold and is blowing the water out because of exhaust pressure before the turbo and pressuring the cooling system, the way i proved it was to put an industrial vacuum on the end of exhaust, to reduce the exhaust pressure before the turbo because it now is being sucked out and the manifold pressure reduced, that then stopped the water system being pressurised what I will then do is pressure the cooling system externally to a higher pressure thus blowing the sealup into the crack and then hopefully let it cure.
on cars with cracked liners like v8 rovers I find the affected cyl remove the plug and run the engine then that stops the cyl pressure building and forcing the sealer out again pressure the system to force the sealup into the crack in the same way.

 

[normspanners]

If a cylinder head gasket is blowing I dont think any quick fix will work, in reality coz the pressures and temp are just too great, a blown gasket is just that and if the fire ring is damaged it aint gonna get better, a crack is a slightly different thing and more likely to be able to get a reliable repair, if the stuff is forced into where it is needed.
Not just thrown in the rad and hope for the best if it is blowing water out now, it will still be blowing out after, you HAVE to reduce pressure on the one side and increase the pressure on the water side to make a difference, it just needs thinking about and applying.