Hi guys

My heater matrix system is leaking and needs replacing.

Can anyone give me an idea how much it would cost to replace and/or let me know if it is easy to fix myself?

Cheers

the part is £60 ish, and its one of the worst jobs you will ever have to do, you have to remove the whole dashboard its not hard just a pain.

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ha ha eveything thats gone wrong with your has gone wrong with mine in the same order. don't put your ecu back where it was put it just under the glove box use cable ties. anyway ok i had a fat leak from the heater matrix bought a new one but before that i found some stuff that goes into the radiator that blocks up the holes, not rad weld.. im not sure what its called but it cost me about £3.00 and it looks like mud. this was about 4 months ago now and my car is fine. it use to run for about 5mins with a full radiator of water then it would just **** all out so i couldn't drive it. but after i put this stuff in my temp gauge don't go past half way don't buy a new heater matrix yet cause i never put mine in i think iv still got the bottle at home of what the stuff is called but iv never seen it in halfords. i got it in maccess in mitchem.. if you wanna know what it before monday PM me ur mobile number and il txt u it to night..

Damn right im good in bed i can sleep for days!!!!

you probably mean BARRS LEAKS

The Fiat Cinquecento
Fun While It Runs

3 quid thats a bargian!

spoke to this guy and hes saying its an all day job and will set me back £140.... big difference!

the funny thing is i put the ECU back in the same place, but covered it in plastic and was driving/racing it around for a bit, untill i heared some noise coming from the foot heater, and guess what, orangy coloured water everywhere!!
This time i managed to save my ECU - thanks to God!

So what you're telling me is that this mud crap thingy will block up the hole where it is leaking?

im gonna try p.m you my mobile number to find out what you done to fix it, but im new to this thing so if it doesnt work email me yours on [email protected] and i'll bell you mate.

got ur number il let u no about 5ish

Damn right im good in bed i can sleep for days!!!!

pay the £140 if thats parts and labour its well cheep it does take all day, don't use that blocker stuff, thats a tempory fix/bodge just to get you out of trouble.

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Please do not Email or PM me asking for support. Post on the forums instead. Your reply may help someone else. Thank you

I had a prob with a leaky heater matrix a while back, and it's a simple enough thing to sortif you just bypass it. This means you don't have any heat, mind, but it's a hell of a lot easier than replacing it! You'll need a u-bend and a couple of jubilee clips. (both easy enough to pick up from a diy store) You'll need to measure the diameter of the tubing to match though. I assume you've done something to sort this prob by now, but thought i'd share my experience. Anyway, if the heater matrix is leaking, you'll lose loads of water and your engine won't cool. If you pop the bonnet, you'll see 2 pipes going centrally into the bulkhead, fairly low down-these are the inlet and outlet valves which take the water to the matrix behind the consol in the car. All you do is disconnect these 2 and attach them together. If you're not sure which ones they are, you can follow the pipe where you put the water in for the engine coolant.

Hi, you can use forte stop leak or a few other makes that are on the market to fix your rad or the heater matrix, we started using forte stop leaks about 6 to 7 years ago and it has not caused any problems on the customers cars we used it on and we still service them so it shows a good test of time, fantastic stuff, but it does depend on the size of the leak, just make sure the one you buy is mixable with all anti freeze coolants, and it says on it that it wont block the heat exchanger,
happy motoring

you got the right user name there cowboy, i would strongly go against what you suggest as people on here have used it and ended up with it going again under pressure and ending up with bad burns too their legs

Hi all,
I think i may be another victim of a leaky heater matrix.
My windows steam up alot and VERY easily. Iv cleaned them with window cleaner and microfibre cloth but just steams up almost instantly after, my warm air smells a bit funny (But you get use to it after a few min) and my car does not have a pollen filter.
What would the verdict be about bgetting a heater matrix from a car at a scrappy?
As the whole dash has to come of, how easy it it to fit/change once the dash has been taken out?
Does the system need to be drained in any way?
Regards
Werner

people who think radweld and similar products are a real fix want shooting.

these products can block the waterwatys in the engine causing more problems, ive seen it myself.

cowboy, i guess you work in a garage?? its no wonder garages like yours get a name for themselves! why not just fix the real problem rather than bunging some crap in the coolant.

Any one know of someone in Portsmouth area who might be able to help me remove my dash to get to heater matrix?
I tried it today and manage to get the dash loose, but it would not come of completely, was like something was holding it back in the centre of the dash. I checked but did not find any bolts or anything. I managed to pull the dash about 2 to 3 cm out and then got stuck.

thanks
Werner

Werner said:

Any one know of someone in Portsmouth area who might be able to help me remove my dash to get to heater matrix?
I tried it today and manage to get the dash loose, but it would not come of completely, was like something was holding it back in the centre of the dash. I checked but did not find any bolts or anything. I managed to pull the dash about 2 to 3 cm out and then got stuck.

thanks
Werner

Click to expand...

I bought a replacement matrix a few months ago, but I am still trying to find a way to get the old matrix out !!

The car goes (just) so I do not feel confident enough to rip everything out and then get stuck without any transport.

I have discovered there are two small studs that go through the bulkhead and into the engine bay, not sure if these nuts need are associated and need removing. One stud/nut is quite accessible but the other is amongst the brakepipes behind the heater bleed valve and looks extremely difficult to get to.

I am still looking for help, so if anyone can shed some light I will be also be very grateful.

Managed a bit more today, took whole dash of (finally) but then discovered another problem, the heater matrix is encased in the heater unit which need to be removed. There are 2 bolts in engine bay, 1 easyish to get to, the other one took me about 10min and cut up hands to get to. I also removed 2 bolts from the inside that was under the dash but I cant pull the heater unit out to open it up and replace my heater matrix.
The fact that all my cooling fluid now ends up in my footwell, does that mean my old matrix is completely F**ked?
I put the dash back again now but dont wanna drive long distances as when i top my coolant up, its empty soon after, all into my footwell.
Can anyone help me or know of someone who can give me a hand in the portsmouth area. Willing to pay.
Thanks

Hi there,
i need to remove the dashboard from my punto mk1 75 sx as the heater matrix is leaking.
can anybody tell me if it's easy to do it, and if anyone knows the procedure?
thanks.
Chris.

steering wheel off
clocks out
remove center vents and bit below it, there is a hidden bolt behind middle heater knob
remove speakers and a cover on the dash in center near screen there are bolts uner all them 3
remove fuse box cover there is a bolt(s) indide there.
unbolt and lower steering column not essential but makes job easier.
loom is cable tied to back of dash

thats all i can remember atm its years since i last did one

Disconnect the battery at least 30 minutes before you touch the wiring or at the very least you will generate air bag faults. At worst the bag(s) will go off.
Make 100% sure ALL airbag connections are good before the battery is reconnected.

Punto glovebox has sliding pins in the hinges that you push with a flat screwdriver. Be careful - the little lugs can snap off making it a biatch to put back (or ever remove another time).

Sounds like its a pain in the backside!
But would love to get in there

Would be a ideal time to run some extra 15Amp cables through for Extra such as lights and Alarms

Ziggy

The Barrs stuff does work; there is a small risk of blocking the waterways in the engine but I have used this on several cars successfully without a problem