K seal and heater matrix ?

Vince70 · 03-01-13, 11:25 PM

I wonder if someone could give me some advice I'm not to sure but I think I may have a leak on my heater matrix on my Audi 80 cabriolet 2.3.

When I put my heater on hot I get a smell of antifreeze from my heater and what looks like smoke coming out the vents for a split second, also the car doesn't seem to use water but it has had some air locks which when I take the cap off the expansion tank the gauge goes back down to zero and wont go back up again and the anti freeze level seems to also go up a tad.

Also I've noticed that the vent knob which directs air from the screen and footwell doesn't go all the way round and wondered if this was related.

I was thinking if it has a small leak on the matrix could I use k seal without damaging the car.

I'm hoping that its more to do with the car being standing for months that's caused this but maybe I'm being to optimistic.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Tonks4x4 · 03-01-13, 11:31 PM

Cut your losses and just put a new matrix in. A new matrix is only circa £40
And you can clean all the debris out of the heater box and free up the selector cable while you are in there.

There is a few write ups of how to do it on here.

K seal is good but it's not for use on a car you want to keep in my opinion.

fourringsrus · 04-01-13, 09:49 PM

Ditto, as Brian says, your matrix is shot hence the steaming vents and stench of coolant etc.
A new matrix can even be found as cheap as £15, clean the box and vent ducting in one job.
In the past I have sold 3 coupes to just get rid of the problem but recently my sons' coupe needed a matrix so I did the job and though the write ups may seem daunting, it is not that bad a job if you can drive a spanner.
Dont muck about with second hand matrix, and don't run sealers through the system, I read somewhere that the microbore pipework or that inside the matrix core, is so fine that sealers will just clog it all up anyway.

Stuart

Vince70 · 04-01-13, 10:28 PM

Thanks very much for the replies and advice,
I think your right, I should just bite the bullet and change the matrix, any ideas on where I should get a new one from.

I only will be using the car in the summer so it's going to either get a new one before spring or next autumn.

Being a cabriolet at least I can put the roof down to do the job so I guess it should give me a bit more room to take the dash out .
I've just had a look at a fanatic guide which someone has done for the s2 would that be the same as my 2.3.

I've got to clear my garage out first before I do the job as i will need somewhere to store the dash before I start the job, I think there's more work involved in doing that than repairing the car lol

Also should I use some hylormar blue or sealant on the joints when I reconnect the pipe work back up to the matrix to make sure it's leak free when doing the job.
Regards Vince

Tonks4x4 · 05-01-13, 12:44 AM

No sealant required
Also for a temporary measure to stop the coolant leaking into the car and carpet you can join the 2 hoses in the engine bay to bypass the matrix however you will have no heat in the car obviously

fourringsrus · 05-01-13, 03:19 PM

Afternoon Vince, we got the brand new matrix for my sons' 1990 coupe 2.3, 5 pot coupe for around £15/20 on e-bay.
If you buy the new unit before you start pulling the car apart(not like us ) you can do the whole job easily in a day so long as you are averagely competent on the tools.
The " how to" link from the s2forum is spot on, covering all variants throughout the range, I took the front seats out which gave tons of room and then laid the dash on the back seat, but if you have the roof down the sky is literally the limit.
Most of the time taken is probably just looking back at the notes for reference, the removal of the heater box/cleaning out/replacing the matrix takes just a few minutes, and then re-fit the assembly in reverse.
Like I said above, and surely Brian would agree, the idea is quite daunting but once you have done the job you would probably be happy enough to do another in the future, and probably in half the time.
No sealers required for the plumbing , just good clean fitting.
If you wanted to set aside a weekend for the job, take your time and be thorough, jobs a good 'un

Stuart

msh · 05-01-13, 05:13 PM

If you take out front seats and you're doing it alone, you have removed place where to put dashboard before taking it out of the car, besides, it's more comfortable to sit while you're working.

So far I've done that around dozen times, seats are only helping and roof doesn't obstruct anything, only minor obstacle is gear shifter, but it's nothing anyway.

As for sealants - I recently bought new heater matrix and it comes with sticky foam strip for dashboard vent duct, if the one which is currently on that duct is fine, it's not needed.

03-01-13, 11:31 PM	#2
Tonks4x4 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire Posts: 2,607	Cut your losses and just put a new matrix in. A new matrix is only circa £40 And you can clean all the debris out of the heater box and free up the selector cable while you are in there. There is a few write ups of how to do it on here. K seal is good but it's not for use on a car you want to keep in my opinion. __________________ http://www.tonks4x4.com

05-01-13, 12:44 AM	#5
Tonks4x4 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire Posts: 2,607	No sealant required Also for a temporary measure to stop the coolant leaking into the car and carpet you can join the 2 hoses in the engine bay to bypass the matrix however you will have no heat in the car obviously __________________ http://www.tonks4x4.com

04-01-13, 09:49 PM	#3
fourringsrus Grown up member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ashford Kent Posts: 468	Ditto, as Brian says, your matrix is shot hence the steaming vents and stench of coolant etc. A new matrix can even be found as cheap as £15, clean the box and vent ducting in one job. In the past I have sold 3 coupes to just get rid of the problem but recently my sons' coupe needed a matrix so I did the job and though the write ups may seem daunting, it is not that bad a job if you can drive a spanner. Dont muck about with second hand matrix, and don't run sealers through the system, I read somewhere that the microbore pipework or that inside the matrix core, is so fine that sealers will just clog it all up anyway. Stuart

04-01-13, 10:28 PM	#4
Vince70 Grown up member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: East Sussex Posts: 66	Thanks very much for the replies and advice, I think your right, I should just bite the bullet and change the matrix, any ideas on where I should get a new one from. I only will be using the car in the summer so it's going to either get a new one before spring or next autumn. Being a cabriolet at least I can put the roof down to do the job so I guess it should give me a bit more room to take the dash out . I've just had a look at a fanatic guide which someone has done for the s2 would that be the same as my 2.3. I've got to clear my garage out first before I do the job as i will need somewhere to store the dash before I start the job, I think there's more work involved in doing that than repairing the car lol Also should I use some hylormar blue or sealant on the joints when I reconnect the pipe work back up to the matrix to make sure it's leak free when doing the job. Regards Vince

05-01-13, 03:19 PM	#6
fourringsrus Grown up member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ashford Kent Posts: 468	Afternoon Vince, we got the brand new matrix for my sons' 1990 coupe 2.3, 5 pot coupe for around £15/20 on e-bay. If you buy the new unit before you start pulling the car apart(not like us ) you can do the whole job easily in a day so long as you are averagely competent on the tools. The " how to" link from the s2forum is spot on, covering all variants throughout the range, I took the front seats out which gave tons of room and then laid the dash on the back seat, but if you have the roof down the sky is literally the limit. Most of the time taken is probably just looking back at the notes for reference, the removal of the heater box/cleaning out/replacing the matrix takes just a few minutes, and then re-fit the assembly in reverse. Like I said above, and surely Brian would agree, the idea is quite daunting but once you have done the job you would probably be happy enough to do another in the future, and probably in half the time. No sealers required for the plumbing , just good clean fitting. If you wanted to set aside a weekend for the job, take your time and be thorough, jobs a good 'un Stuart

05-01-13, 05:13 PM	#7
msh 4 ring whore! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rucava, Latvija Posts: 3,816	If you take out front seats and you're doing it alone, you have removed place where to put dashboard before taking it out of the car, besides, it's more comfortable to sit while you're working. So far I've done that around dozen times, seats are only helping and roof doesn't obstruct anything, only minor obstacle is gear shifter, but it's nothing anyway. As for sealants - I recently bought new heater matrix and it comes with sticky foam strip for dashboard vent duct, if the one which is currently on that duct is fine, it's not needed.