Heater matrix leak :-[

[Keithgg]

\Hello , I live in Sussex, and have a Autocruise Starfire. We hope to go to Spain in January and suddenly our heater matrix is slightly leaking . We contacted various places and were told the whole dashboard has to come out, very expensive. Well we went to Normandy for a few days recently and placed some K seal in the main rad, it seemed to do the trick, plus we sealed the matrix off with 2 clips on the hoses under the bonnet. I think for a all round trip to Spain in Jan maybe something a little better is called for . By the way when removing the clips the k seal repair seems to be ok at the moment. It seems I can risk the trip with just the K seal unsure of its track record, put the clips on or find a way to repair the very slight leak without removal of the dashboard. I live in East Sussex. Anyone have any suggestions please ? Keith

 

[dave newell]

Welcome. If the matrix is leaking then it's knackered and needs to be replaced. K seal is a temporary fix, it may last of it may fail. If it fails in Spain it's likely to be difficult to get someone to fix it, if only for the fact that the dash does indeed need to be removed which makes it a long job of several days. Where would you stay in the meantime? Some garages may let you stay in it overnight but most wont.

D.

 

[gus-lopez]

Welcome .
Or you could just disconnect the 2 heaters pipes & connect one to the other & jobs a good un. No heater though & a bit cold this time of year.

 

[ambulancekidd]

 

[Kybod]

Hi, I had to eventually replace the heater matrix on my R reg Peugeot Boxer after it had started weeping, initially i just disconnected the water hoses to put off doing the repair, but it got too cold during the winter to put off any longer.
It is an awkward and longwinded job as you do need to take out the dashboard completely. I was a mechanic in my younger years and have done similar jobs before, but it's not a job i want repeat as i spent alot of my time laid on my back in the footwells and i,m an old bugger now.
Before doing the job i looked around the internet for any tips or clues for doing it and came across a thread on a Fiat forum, where someone with the forum name MYTHING had written a step by step procedure which i found usefull to follow.
Linked here, https://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/191903-dashboard-removal-heater-matrix.html

Good luck, Mike

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[Keithgg]

Thank you all for your advice, very much appreciated. Local Peugeot garage quoted me £1000for the job, gulp !! Think I will just wear double trousers to get to Spain and sort out when I return !! It will be cold getting there! I would like to attempt myself but it sounds like it might be too difficult just before we go in Jan in case I get stuck Mike. I checked the link you sent me. Anyone know of a cheaper reliable repairer here in East Sussex

 

[2bob]

go to a local garage