General Heater matrix.. help needed urgently

[thugusher]

Hi all! i recently bought a punto and only pick it up lastweek for tyne and wear on a very cold day and guess what?? u said ... i was freezing so bad i couldn't feel my feel or hands....... the car just blows cold air.... :shrug:

i had a look around the engine and discovered there are no pipes connected to the heater matrix (in engine bay behind the engine)... how do i trace the pipe or replace it if its missing... car just had an engine fitted so dont know if the garage removed these and forgot to connect it back... Pics of what the pipes look like will be much appreciated.

 

[teulk]

Do you live in tyne and wear ? I have a heater matrix which i got for my 1995 1.155sx that i never got around to fitting which i could sell you if you live near me. If you live close enough i would be willing to give you a hand fitting it too. If they just forgot to reconnect them then there should be two hoses pretty close to the pipes that have been joined together - unjoin them and reconnect them to the pipes. If my memory serves me right the left pipe will have a bleed screw on it. If once youve connected them up water starts coming out of the vents or the windows steam up with the hot air on then chances are the matrix is leaking and will need replacing

 

[dannyw]

my guess would be the matrix leaking caused engine to over heat ,,resulting in damage to engine..is there any sign of water staining in footwells,,dan

 

[thugusher]

my guess would be the matrix leaking caused engine to over heat ,,resulting in damage to engine..is there any sign of water staining in footwells,,dan

no stains on carpets... will try looking for pipes... can anyone supply pictures???

 

[thugusher]

Hi! i have checked the engine and i can see the pipes are tied together.. does anyone know how i can reconnect the pipes (does each pipe need to go in a particular place or it doesn't matter)...
i can also see what looks like a bleeding valve do i need to open this...???

 

[Moose_UK]

Heater Matrix could be fooked and previous probably couldn't be arsed to take dash out so disconnected hoses and connected them together to bypass matrix..

 

[thugusher]

Heater Matrix could be fooked and previous probably couldn't be arsed to take dash out so disconnected hoses and connected them together to bypass matrix..

your right indeed... connected the pipes and opened the bleed valves, switched on the heater and water was gushing out... i connected the pipe with the bleed valves on the left is this correct... what can i do now

 

[LIGHTNIN]

Sorry to thread hijack but I have a similar problem. My car kinda blows warm air but its nothing special. I did just notice a small bit of damp in the drivers side footwell. So does this mean the heater matrix is toast? Anything I can do to test it?

 

[teulk]

Change your heater matrix. I think the pipe with the bleed screw goes on the left but either way the fact that water was coming out of your vents indicates the matrix is leaking. Like ive already said if you live in Tyne and Wear and close to me i would be willing to help you and i also have a matrix spare which i got for my 1995 1.155 sx. You could of course leave them disconnected and bypass the matrix as before or put some barsleak in your radiator - this however is not is not a long term fix and doesnt always work.

 

[Moose_UK]

Sorry to thread hijack but I have a similar problem. My car kinda blows warm air but its nothing special. I did just notice a small bit of damp in the drivers side footwell. So does this mean the heater matrix is toast? Anything I can do to test it?

How often are you topping up your coolent? That's how I found out about mine..

your right indeed... connected the pipes and opened the bleed valves, switched on the heater and water was gushing out... i connected the pipe with the bleed valves on the left is this correct... what can i do now

I got my replacement matrix from eBay, £50ish posted!! Put a weekend aside, took out dash, replaced matrix, much swearing and cursing at the poor Haynes guidlines later and it was done!! Punto gets nice and toasty now

If you live near Reading I'll see if I can lend a hand

 

[LIGHTNIN]

How often are you topping up your coolent? That's how I found out about mine..

Well I checked the levels the other day and they were ok so I just topped it up a small bit. I also saw the two pipes that go through the bulkhead to the matrix. The little screw on one of them was a little tight so I loosened it a bit, now I seem to be getting much hotter air from the vents. Hurrah! So I`m keeping an eye on coolant levels and checking the floor for dampness.

 

[thugusher]

Change your heater matrix. I think the pipe with the bleed screw goes on the left but either way the fact that water was coming out of your vents indicates the matrix is leaking. Like ive already said if you live in Tyne and Wear and close to me i would be willing to help you and i also have a matrix spare which i got for my 1995 1.155 sx. You could of course leave them disconnected and bypass the matrix as before or put some barsleak in your radiator - this however is not is not a long term fix and doesnt always work.

thanks for the offer but im down in london.....

 

[film77]

I had a problem with my heater Matrix last year on my Mk1 Punto. The Fiat dealer and a friend who owns a garage said a time consuming job, approx £300-£400.
They recommended Radwell. 2 containers of this, and the problem was solved. Add it to your water reservoir, get the engine warm (preferably a good drive) and wallah fixed.
That was 10,000 miles ago and still blows lovely warm air.
Heater matrix pipes have a habit of splitting hence the leak onto the footwell.
Radwell provides a resin that will fill the split and stop the problem.
stu.