Heater matrix flush
Discussion
Bloody Griffith heaters seem to be the bain of my life 
I want to use the Griff on those cold crisp dry winters days but unless I dress like Scott of the Antarctic I am freezing.
The heater is blowing away OK. Alright, it doesn't produce a hurricane but it's OK.
I've had my head under the dash and both the servos are working. The in/out water pipes are getting hot too.
So now the only thing I can think of is an airlock in the matrix. I think someone has had the water pipes open fairly recently because I discovered a drippy connector and all of the jubilee clips tightened 1/2 turn.
Back flushing the matrix is going to be horrible if I do it from the footwell - is this the only place I can do it?
I assume I pump water up the hose which doesn't have the servo valve in it - is this right?
This is the last thing I can think of which will fix this - any other suggestions would be very welcome.
Thanks
Ian
I want to use the Griff on those cold crisp dry winters days but unless I dress like Scott of the Antarctic I am freezing.
The heater is blowing away OK. Alright, it doesn't produce a hurricane but it's OK.
I've had my head under the dash and both the servos are working. The in/out water pipes are getting hot too.
So now the only thing I can think of is an airlock in the matrix. I think someone has had the water pipes open fairly recently because I discovered a drippy connector and all of the jubilee clips tightened 1/2 turn.
Back flushing the matrix is going to be horrible if I do it from the footwell - is this the only place I can do it?
I assume I pump water up the hose which doesn't have the servo valve in it - is this right?
This is the last thing I can think of which will fix this - any other suggestions would be very welcome.
Thanks
Ian
i recently flushed my entire cooling system and flushed the matrix seperately at the same time.to do this you can disconnect the pipework under the bonnet without doing it in the footwell and making a mess.if you follow the two pipes from the matrix at the bulkhead youll see that one goes into the top front of the engine(outgoing) and one goes down to the metal't' pipe(ingoing) on the return from the rad to the block.i used the pipe from the 't' piece and put the hose in there.you could then disconnect the outgoing pipe at the engine if youre just doing the matrix.
Thanks Mongoose.
I wonder if there was a significant change on the 500's
Mines a 4.3BV and I'm sure I remember both heater matrix hoses going into the back of the engine (near the bulkhead)
I'll have a good look at the weekend to see if I can chase the pipework around now you've mentioned this.
I'll have a nosey around a 500 at the TVRCC meet this weekend too, see if it looks different.
I wonder if there was a significant change on the 500's
Mines a 4.3BV and I'm sure I remember both heater matrix hoses going into the back of the engine (near the bulkhead)
I'll have a good look at the weekend to see if I can chase the pipework around now you've mentioned this.
I'll have a nosey around a 500 at the TVRCC meet this weekend too, see if it looks different.
barreti said:thats the key point.even if there are variations and there probably are,its far far better to break into the pipework under the bonnet and keep the water mess in there!
I'll have a good look at the weekend to see if I can chase the pipework around now you've mentioned this.
spend said:
If you have a bypass (which I believe the earlier cars have somewhere in the footwell pipes) then flushing will only go this far if the matrix is blocked. I would have thought its better anyway to flush the matrix as directly as possible.
Dave
You are right Dave, There is a bypass valve. Got the Griff out now to check it.
I'm a bit confused now because all the pipes in the passenger footwell are getting hot and the valve is working fine but I still have no heat at all.
I would chase and check the ventilation pipes but I have no idea where they go. Any ideas?
I can only relate to Chim in this matter, so take it with a pinch of salt.
Air is drawn in thru the inner wing, the heater blower is in the wing by the side of the battery. This has an output duct to the mixer box - incorporated with the matrix. 1 outlet (passenger footwell) is part of the matrix/mixer. Another outlet is the large duct which runs across the back of the engine (inner wing - inner wing and catches on the back of the engine!) which feeds the footwell vent on the drivers side. The screen vents are fed directly from the matrix into the 'void' of the moulding.
The matrix housing gets nice & warm in normal operation - are you sure somebody has not bypassed it? ie the pipes really go to in to the matrix...
Not very detailed, I only had to repair a torn duct at the back of the engine.
Dave
Air is drawn in thru the inner wing, the heater blower is in the wing by the side of the battery. This has an output duct to the mixer box - incorporated with the matrix. 1 outlet (passenger footwell) is part of the matrix/mixer. Another outlet is the large duct which runs across the back of the engine (inner wing - inner wing and catches on the back of the engine!) which feeds the footwell vent on the drivers side. The screen vents are fed directly from the matrix into the 'void' of the moulding.
The matrix housing gets nice & warm in normal operation - are you sure somebody has not bypassed it? ie the pipes really go to in to the matrix...
Not very detailed, I only had to repair a torn duct at the back of the engine.
Dave
Well, its not the matrix, or at least it wasnt clogged. See my other post about very cold heaters for more details.
For the record though this is how I flushed it.
The 4.3 has 2 pipes coming through the transmission tunnel on the passenger side.
They are joined together with a metal pipe which looks like a 'H' on its side then they go into the dash behind the glovebox to the matrix. One also goes through the valve operated by the electric motor. The 'H' pipe is a bypass for when the valve is closed.
By taking off the rubber pipes coming off the back of the 'H' (the valve side) you can attach long pieces of 15mm household copper tube to each rubber pipe and flush the system through using a garden hose attached to first one then the other copper tube.
A word of warning, when you pull off the pipes at the 'H' you will drain almost a litre of water into the passenger well so have a jug or something handy ready for it as well as plenty of towels.
When you put it all back together again, run the engine and keep an eye on the water level and top up again using the water you caught in the jug.
For the record though this is how I flushed it.
The 4.3 has 2 pipes coming through the transmission tunnel on the passenger side.
They are joined together with a metal pipe which looks like a 'H' on its side then they go into the dash behind the glovebox to the matrix. One also goes through the valve operated by the electric motor. The 'H' pipe is a bypass for when the valve is closed.
By taking off the rubber pipes coming off the back of the 'H' (the valve side) you can attach long pieces of 15mm household copper tube to each rubber pipe and flush the system through using a garden hose attached to first one then the other copper tube.
A word of warning, when you pull off the pipes at the 'H' you will drain almost a litre of water into the passenger well so have a jug or something handy ready for it as well as plenty of towels.
When you put it all back together again, run the engine and keep an eye on the water level and top up again using the water you caught in the jug.
Gassing Station | Griffith | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff