|
700/900 Series General Forum for the Volvo 740, 760, 780, 940, 960 & S/V90 cars |
Information |
|
Oh No! Heater matrix leaking?Views : 2586 Replies : 26Users Viewing This Thread : |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
Jan 2nd, 2020, 10:58 | #11 |
Volvologist
Last Online: Dec 6th, 2023 11:13
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Bangor - Norn Iron
|
The side panels of the dash come away and allow plenty of access, havent done an air con model so I'd imagine there would be a bit more too it, but I would have thought straight forward enough got a DIY'er. No special tools needs just a bit of common sense and methodology
__________________
What's the matter with the car I'm driving? Can't you tell that it's out of style? Should I get a set of white wall tires? Are you gonna cruise the miracle mile? |
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to NI_Volvo_Nut For This Useful Post: |
Jan 3rd, 2020, 11:39 | #12 |
VOC Member
Last Online: Apr 14th, 2024 15:55
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: telford
|
Mine started to leak and I put a tin of K seal in the cooling header tank and it worked fine still no leaks and that was 5 years ago.
__________________
1998 945 Torslanda estate named Wendy wood dash,Half leather. rear spoiler electric front windows, wind deflectors electric mirrors and egg crate grill all fitted by me. One life live it Volvo style |
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to wrinkles For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 01:11 | #13 | |
ericbeaumont
Last Online: Apr 22nd, 2024 19:38
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
|
Quote:
Noticed temp needle dropping slightly above 40; thought it may be a dodgy thermostat, but illness prevented investigation. Heavy window condensation appeared over Xmas after a run, and water dripped onto the front passenger from condensation on the sunroof. Discovered today that the flat areas of both front and rear passenger carpets are solid with water; no sign of passage of leakage anywhere in the carpets or up by the matrix, but water does odd things. Didn't smell sweet, but will taste it tomorrow (had to load and go to work today). I'm hoping it's water and not antifreeze (the car was well-maintained by the previous owner at Braydon and latterly Sentinel, where Bernie and others still work) and that the FAQs suggestion turns out to be the problem: If the only symptom is wet carpets and it’s not evident as anti-freeze then it’s more likely one of the following: a) The drain for the AC evaporator core box may be plugged. Condensate can fill the lower half of the box until it eventually overflows, either into the intake air blower air box section or the air distribution box section, running onto the passenger floor area (more detail in FAQs). The (b) possibility is a blocked air inlet in front of the windscreen under the wipers and backup of rain water. Trouble is, the green in the header tank has been dropping slightly recently, and as the rad, head gasket and lots more was replaced a few thousand ago... |
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ericbeaumont For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 17:20 | #14 | |
Senior Member
Last Online: Oct 31st, 2022 17:05
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Caterham
|
Quote:
Lets hope you just have a rain water leak somewhere but your symptoms sound similar to mine. I only have a small amount of antifreeze dampness in my front driver's carpet so I think my heater matrix leak is still fairly small. Talking to a couple of classic car buffs (one a professional mechanic) in the pub last night they both recommend K-Seal as a fix for heater cores as wrinkles has mentioned in this thread. There are some great guides on the forum if you want to see what is involved in changing the matrix: https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Hea...eplacement.pdf https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Hea...eplacement.htm Good luck, LeeP |
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to lnparry For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 17:52 | #15 | |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 12:42
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Lakenheath
|
Quote:
I'm not suggesting K-Seal is a bad product, it's good at what it does but it has a tendency to block slow moving channels that don't leak. With any form of sealant, you want the minimum that will do the job, for me that would be Radweld. If i was using it in something big (big like you need a forklift to crane each of the 16 cylinder heads into position) then K-Seal would probably be a better option - horses for courses.
__________________
Cheers Dave Next Door to Top-Gun with a Honda CR-V & S Type Jag Volvo gone but not forgotten........ |
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Laird Scooby For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 19:48 | #16 |
ericbeaumont
Last Online: Apr 22nd, 2024 19:38
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
|
Lee,
Drove forty miles at speed last night with the temp needle dropping to 11 o'clock above 40 and heater output reduced, but this morning the header tank was green to max. Matrix theory Sampled the carpet water in both front and rear and it tasted of not very much - a very slight salt flavour, but after all the carpets (though clean and only 105k) are 22 years old. The header tank was a different matter, and I had to go rapidly indoors and wash out my mouth numerous times (since then a glass of good sherry has cleared the rest). The green mix tasted of very acrid, not very sweet medicine and was strong. However, the fact that it tasted significantly different from the carpet water doesn't convince me that the two are unconnected: the strong header mix could stay in there for a long time without moving through the system (this is a guess). Vent theory Came across this link http://www.forums.turbobricks.com/sh...d.php?t=341184 which explains how a vent in front of the nearside door hinge and behind the kick panel can fail and flood carpets, so that's worth exploring. Sunroof theory Poured water down the front exit holes in the sunroof gutter. Nearside came out of a drain hole two feet from the front nearside door hinge; offside came out of a drain hole one foot from the door hinge. Seemed to come out alright. Couldn't see the rear sunroof drain holes, but apparently pipes lead to the rear of the car. Current optimism leads me to hope that the vent hole is flooding the carpets and that the temp gauge drop is the result of a dodgy thermostat or gauge temp sensor. Have you summoned the courage to replace your matrix? |
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ericbeaumont For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 19:53 | #17 | |
ericbeaumont
Last Online: Apr 22nd, 2024 19:38
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
|
Quote:
|
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ericbeaumont For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 21:30 | #18 | |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 12:42
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Lakenheath
|
Quote:
Secondly, your heater matrix isn't leaking. If it was, your carpet water would taste the same as the expansion tank coolant which is circulated round the system. I would suspect the floorpan. It's a known rust spot on the chassis rail that runs under the passenger footwell, similar on the drivers side but the passenger side seems to go first then water gets into the drivers footwell by capiliarry action. From underneath, that hole was invisible almost, held together by underseal. That was after removing the sill trim, kick panel trim and folding the carpet back. After cleaning up the hole and getting back to good metal : Note the cardboard template for the repair panel that went in. All cleaned up with weld-through primer and repair panel ready to weld in : Worth taking the 5 minutes or so to remove the bits of trim described and lifting the carpets. Might save a lot of time chasing your tail trying to find an alternative cause and if it doesn't, it will hopefully eliminate that as a cause. As for your 940 turbo coolant pipes, they have a habit of furring up inside by themslves, combination of the heat and everything else in the area. Definitely worth using a flushing agent every 2 years when you do your normal antifreeze change.
__________________
Cheers Dave Next Door to Top-Gun with a Honda CR-V & S Type Jag Volvo gone but not forgotten........ |
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Laird Scooby For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 22:52 | #19 |
ericbeaumont
Last Online: Apr 22nd, 2024 19:38
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
|
Thanks for your insight, Dave.
Thermostat: yes, a new 92 will go in when I get back to London. Leak taste: that's good to hear! I'll check first from underneath and if necessary, take the carpets up. You don't think that vent behind the passenger kick panel is likely? Re. the turbo coolant pipes blocked with ancient K-Seal: took a few hours to soak and clean them out but was very satisfying. Car ran really well after the refit, but last September it was written off in Kennington Lane by two idiots in a stolen van, who decided in stationary traffic to do a rapid u-turn without looking. Within a minute they'd scarpered, leaving the Elephant & Castle traffic backed up for miles. Lucky I was only doing 25 at the time; 30% of the front offside was caved in, but the front of the van turned into a pile of plastic. |
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ericbeaumont For This Useful Post: |
Jan 5th, 2020, 23:37 | #20 | |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 12:42
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Lakenheath
|
Quote:
That pair in the van certainly picked their spot to do a decamp after causing an accident! Wondered why i recognised the road name, just looked it up on Gaggle Mops and found it was just off a road i used to use regularly.
__________________
Cheers Dave Next Door to Top-Gun with a Honda CR-V & S Type Jag Volvo gone but not forgotten........ |
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Laird Scooby For This Useful Post: |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
|
|