13 replies to this topic

[reallybig]

removed my heater matrix and now left with these pipes

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what shall i use to connect these pipes together as i don't want the matrix bk on there

the matrix looked crapped up
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And what the hell is this white stuff on my thermostat housing it's on the matrix aswell
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[reallybig]

1993 1.3i Rover cooper by the way

[brad-the-bear]

the white stuff means you have a leek , its the zink oxide that makes it go into a white powder (i think its zinc oxide lol)

brad.

[chrisandsarah]

the white stuff means you have a leek , its the zink oxide that makes it go into a white powder (i think its zinc oxide lol)

brad.

If reallybig was to replace his matrix - would this do the job http://cgi.ebay.co.u...em=280821938996

Where does the zinc come from?

Edited by chrisandsarah, 25 February 2012 - 01:16 PM.

[Spherix]

Do you want to replace the matrix or get rid of it? If getting rid of it, simple use a piece of copper tube between the two hoses and tighten it up.

[AVV IT]

what shall i use to connect these pipes together as i don't want the matrix bk on there

You can use a 5/8" hose connector http://www.minispare...id=42345&title=, or you can even get away with using a short off cut of 15mm copper central heating pipe, so long as you do the jubillee clips up tight enough.

This is okay as a temporary measure for a short time, whilst you get a replacement matrix, but if you want rid of it permanently then it's not an ideal solution. By joining the heater pipes you will be creating a coolant circuit that bypasses the radiator, thereby creating a cooling issue. If you want to remove the matrix/heater permanently, then you would be better to remove the pipes that make up the heater circuit completely.

Edited by AVV IT, 25 February 2012 - 02:32 PM.

[reallybig]

ugh sounds easier just to replace with with a £30 ebay one.

if theres a leak at the thermostat housing in the engine bay i have absoloutly no sodding idea where it is as theres no evidence of one. the white stuff is jelly like.

[Dan]

It will only be a tiny weep that leaves a trace of coolant on the surface, or maybe just the residue of a spill from the past. The water evaporates off and leaves the salts and compounds of the coolant behind which form the white powder. You really are better off with a heater in the car, they are useful for heating! You must have a demister anyway.

[coopdog]

ugh sounds easier just to replace with with a £30 ebay one.

if theres a leak at the thermostat housing in the engine bay i have absoloutly no sodding idea where it is as theres no evidence of one. the white stuff is jelly like.

i bought a cheap heater matrix off ebay and it is POO, its smaller than my original, go and spend the full price for a proper one thats what im going to do soon :)

[Blatherskite]

Had the same issue a while ago, when the nozzle broke off the matrix & filled my shoe with boiing hot coolant. Temporary solution until new matrix arrived by post from Minisport was to poke a cork in the pipes & clamp with a jubilee clip. (edit due to typos)

Edited by Blatherskite, 25 February 2012 - 08:46 PM.

[reallybig]

thanks all for your replies think i'm going to buy a new matrix

[AVV IT]

think i'm going to buy a new matrix

Be warned the matrix in the later models is different to the standard item, that you tend to be able to get a cheap non genuine version of on Ebay. Yours will have plastic outlets at 90 degrees that exit into the passenger foot well and is therefore more expensive. http://www.minispare...id=33539&title=

It also has separate brass take off pipes fitted to the outlets, that are often corroded and need to be replaced as well, which cost a further £20.

http://www.minispare...id=42458&title=

Edited by AVV IT, 25 February 2012 - 10:40 PM.

[reallybig]

the take off pipes are still attached to the pipes in the car, been unable to get them off at the moment.

[AVV IT]

the take off pipes are still attached to the pipes in the car, been unable to get them off at the moment.

So they are!!

..... I'm guessing that the reason for this may well be that they have become so corroded & swollen inside the hoses, that you now can't get them out!! Which either means a new set of take off pipes and a couple of new lengths of heater hose, or bolting the existing take off pipes back onto your new matrix and pretending it never happened...

As tempting as the second option may be, I really wouldn't recommend it as those take off pipes tend to break up when they get corroded, until there's hardly anything left of them..... and you really don't want little bits of metal flying around your cooling system, as they'll only end up creating a blockage somewhere in your radiator or in your new matrix.

Edited by AVV IT, 26 February 2012 - 08:30 PM.