So... heater matrix based disaster!
The new heater Matrix yesterday so this evening I figured I'd get it fitted. Didn't know if I'd get it all finished but figured I'd make some serious progress, then I made a complete hash of it
The new heater matrix arrived with the tap too and I was generally pretty pleased with it:
I laid it out next to the old part and they looked pretty compatible, the only difference being a plastic bracket on the end with the pipes on the new matrix which was not there on the old one:
When I went to fit the new matrix this plastic tab got in the way of the screw which holds the cable for opening and closing the valve in place, figured it was not a problem I'd just cut the little bracket off, as it was clearly not required for my car :bang:
I should have guessed by the speed at which I was cutting through it I was in trouble, the plastic was hollow and I had just cut a large hole in the side of my brand new heater matrix.
I did consider trying to seal up the hole somehow but after consulting with my dad who is a plumber the consensus was with the pressure and temp. it would be exposed to it'd only be a matter of time before a repair would fail. Faced with, a little time on my hands and an old matrix leaking on the core itself and possibly a little on the valve and a new matrix with one end destroyed I figured at this stage I might as well see if I could butcher the 2 and make a good one, nothing to lose at this stage
I got the two end pieces off that I needed to swap over initially. I think there is a knack to pulling back the little tabs, a knack I had pretty well got by the time I finished the job! Was a bit of a challenge as the tabs on the 2 were a little different, plus I had to focus on not damaging the end bit on the old Matrix and the core on the new one.
Getting the old end to fit on the new core was also a little challenging, I thing being from different manufacturers it might have been a bit of a square peg round hole situation but again by the time I'd finished I'd worked out a system with vice grips, one on each corner to hold the bits together, then another to fold the tabs back over:
So in the end it sort of looks the part:
Even if a bit of a Franken-Matrix, with the different coloured ends and the new fins having taken a bit of a battering. I tried my best not to damage them, and the matrix in general but if this was successful or not I don't know yet. Typically I'd put the foam on the new one before I started too and some of that has already worn off against the work bench.
I 'pressure-tested' it by blowing down the tube with my finger over the hole and I could not feel a leak but I'll have to test it properly before actually fitting it. Then I've got one final problem to overcome, the seals on the two taps are different, with the new matrix having had a larger rubber o-ring and the valve having a completely flat mating surface, the old one a smaller seal and the valve having a raised ring on it. I was not sure if the old valve was weeping slightly anyway so would rather fit the new one but I'm not convinced I can get a good seal out of either of them yet! Any ideas welcome:
So yeah really not a great evenings work, still after the initial mistake which cost me a brand new matrix, the damage was done so if nothing else from the rest of the evening I've learnt a bit about heater matrix's and wasted a couple of hours in a freezing workshop!