Heater Matrix water leak
Discussion
Has anyone experienced this one?
Couldn't work out why I was loosing 2 litres of water every-day and getting a smelly sauna effect in the car.
Do any of those service manuals have any diagrams and directions on how to repair this or access it? I assume its a dash out job. If you can scan a page or two of the relevent info it would be appreciated.
Scott
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Thursday 13th April 22:03
Couldn't work out why I was loosing 2 litres of water every-day and getting a smelly sauna effect in the car.
Do any of those service manuals have any diagrams and directions on how to repair this or access it? I assume its a dash out job. If you can scan a page or two of the relevent info it would be appreciated.
Scott
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Thursday 13th April 22:03
Don't need to remove the dash, just pull back the carpet on the passenger outer footwell and remove the GRP panel which is held in place by a few small self tapers. To remove the matrix undo the silicone hoses and undo the retaining plates. Also there is a screw that goes in from the engine bay behind the battery, so that will need to be removed too.
It's funny. It must have been slowly leaking ever since I have had it. What would happen would be that as soon as the engine got up to temperature, the thermostat would open up and AFAIK, the heater sytem becomes primed with hot water. At this point, I would get steam gently wafting through the car for about 30 seconds. The previous owner told me that it would do this but Castle TVR had diagnosed it as blocked drain channels (?). I personally thought that water was leaking out of these channels and then dropping onto the manifolds and then getting drawn into the car.
Anyway, after topping the rad up and the expansion tank and trying to purge the system of air, I ran the car up to temperature and just watched. Steam was coming into the car, water level dropping but it wasn't being pushed out of the expansion tank overflow. Antifreeze coloured water was dripping out from the N/S wing where it meets the door, at this point, I looked into the passenger footwell, lifted the carpet and found 2cm's deep of water under there. All nice and warm!
Searched the forums and found someone else had reported similar symptoms a couple of years ago!
Going to have a bash at it today. Personally, I think I'll find a hose that has perished around the jubilee clip that mates to the matrix. We'll see!
I suspect you may have a similar issue Mark if you are getting the smell. Is it loosing a little water too?
Anyway, after topping the rad up and the expansion tank and trying to purge the system of air, I ran the car up to temperature and just watched. Steam was coming into the car, water level dropping but it wasn't being pushed out of the expansion tank overflow. Antifreeze coloured water was dripping out from the N/S wing where it meets the door, at this point, I looked into the passenger footwell, lifted the carpet and found 2cm's deep of water under there. All nice and warm!
Searched the forums and found someone else had reported similar symptoms a couple of years ago!
Going to have a bash at it today. Personally, I think I'll find a hose that has perished around the jubilee clip that mates to the matrix. We'll see!
I suspect you may have a similar issue Mark if you are getting the smell. Is it loosing a little water too?
I get my smell avery now and again, but mainly as the car warms up.
I think I have a small leak that makes an area (such as a rad) damp, and when the car warms up this dampness evaporates off, giving the smell.
I dont loose too much water but do have to keep a constant check. I cant see anything around the bay, but hadn't thought of the heater rad, i'll take a look over the weekend.
I think I have a small leak that makes an area (such as a rad) damp, and when the car warms up this dampness evaporates off, giving the smell.
I dont loose too much water but do have to keep a constant check. I cant see anything around the bay, but hadn't thought of the heater rad, i'll take a look over the weekend.
Hopefully someone can tell me what I'm missing.
Heater Inlets under the expansion tank?
Heater hose x2 entering heater matrix through side of fibre-glass box area
Two 13mm nuts appearing to secure box area. One doesn't want to come off.
Unknown metal rods/pipes coming out of the box area. I have no idea what these do.
From what I can see of the pipes so far, they look OK. However, I want to inspect them at the point they enter the heater matrix. How the hell Do I get at it? Is it in the area I have marked with the bolts and rods coming out?
Any help appreciated.
Scott
Heater Inlets under the expansion tank?
Heater hose x2 entering heater matrix through side of fibre-glass box area
Two 13mm nuts appearing to secure box area. One doesn't want to come off.
Unknown metal rods/pipes coming out of the box area. I have no idea what these do.
From what I can see of the pipes so far, they look OK. However, I want to inspect them at the point they enter the heater matrix. How the hell Do I get at it? Is it in the area I have marked with the bolts and rods coming out?
Any help appreciated.
Scott
Oh, your is different to mine - my fuel pipes run through the transmission tunnel above the gearbox, but the later Cerbs were modified to run the fuel lines inside of the car I guess to try to prevent fuel vapourisation. Also my heater matrix pipes enter the footwell next to the engine and silicone hoses run across the top of the footwell to the heater matrix. I guess that is another mod then!
What an absolute nightmare. After 3 hours of lying in a ridiculous position, making my car more lightweight than it was by removing some of its structure and swearing alot, it still won't come out!
I can see where the pipes go on and from what I have seen and felt, they seem ok. However, I need to get the unit out to have a proper look and there just isn't enough clearance to do that. How the hell they got them in I'll never know let alone connecting wires up etc. It will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get an attachment for my drill that will alow some more glass fibre relieving.
By the way, to get access to mine, you don'ty need to take the battery out or the plate. Just remove the carpet and cover panel. I might retrim the carpet whilst I'm at it.
I can see where the pipes go on and from what I have seen and felt, they seem ok. However, I need to get the unit out to have a proper look and there just isn't enough clearance to do that. How the hell they got them in I'll never know let alone connecting wires up etc. It will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get an attachment for my drill that will alow some more glass fibre relieving.
By the way, to get access to mine, you don'ty need to take the battery out or the plate. Just remove the carpet and cover panel. I might retrim the carpet whilst I'm at it.
Yep, when I took mine out it just didn't want to squeeze out the gap. I forced it in the end with a big screw driver as leverage and luckily it didn't break, but I would definitely check that it doesn't have a bolt through the body behind the battery as I ripped the matrix out out not knowing it was there and had to use chemical metal to weld the hole in the heater matrix where the bolt was attached. The matrix moved quite freely in its space with this bolt still in place, hence why I didn't realise it was there. Although it is quite possible this was changed on later Cerbs as well. Sounds like your on the right track to source your leak thou!
It had two brackets on the front of the matrix which held it in place with the surrounding panel. There seems to be an inspection panel immediately behind the front wheel which has been silkaflex's on. I'm wondering if I was to take this off would it reveal any other fixings?
I'll probably make the gap big enough first as its almost there. It just catches on the edge so I can't quite get the bottome edge out. On the plus side, the battery was a piece of piss to get in and out. Alarm sync'd up easily as well when I put it back in!
Scott
I'll probably make the gap big enough first as its almost there. It just catches on the edge so I can't quite get the bottome edge out. On the plus side, the battery was a piece of piss to get in and out. Alarm sync'd up easily as well when I put it back in!
Scott
Thanks Mark for the offer. It involves alot of carpet pulling so I wouldn't want to subject yours to that. Going to have another bash today. If I'm stuck, I might just bypass the matrix by joining the two pipes together in the engine bay. Don't know why I didn't think of that before now.
All I can say is that I'm glad I didn't have to pay for someone to take that out. Took me bloody ages. Ended up having to remove the inspection panel behind the left wheel (does everyone have one of these?) and remove some of the inside to get enough clearance. eventually it let go.
Here's what the thing looks like.
Hoses that came of seem ok. No splits. Seemed reasonably tight on the inlet/outlet. Is there anyway of testing the matrix for leaks other than running mains pressure water in from a hose-pipe? Blower units were full of leaves but they had still been working anyway.
Scott
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Saturday 15th April 16:57
Edit. If I blow on one of the tubes and cover the other with my thumb, I can hear air escaping easily. I take it this means the matrix is screwed?
Whilst the wheel was off, I decided to chav up my calipers.
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Saturday 15th April 18:51
Here's what the thing looks like.
Hoses that came of seem ok. No splits. Seemed reasonably tight on the inlet/outlet. Is there anyway of testing the matrix for leaks other than running mains pressure water in from a hose-pipe? Blower units were full of leaves but they had still been working anyway.
Scott
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Saturday 15th April 16:57
Edit. If I blow on one of the tubes and cover the other with my thumb, I can hear air escaping easily. I take it this means the matrix is screwed?
Whilst the wheel was off, I decided to chav up my calipers.
>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Saturday 15th April 18:51
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