heater matrix by-pass??

[andrewcrofts]

hello all, i need a little help here. i think my heater matrix is leaking -wet carpet under centre console, fluid tastes sweet (anti freeze) windows misting up ect.. ect.. what i need to know is can the heater matrix be by-passed so i can still run the car until i can get a replacement sorted? and if so how? will affect the cylinder head in any way? i need the car for work every day so cant have it stood for any period of time.i think i should be able to link the hoses together which run through the bulkhead to keep continuity of the coolant flow whilst i remove the heater matrix for inspection/repair/replacement. if this is possible could someone point me towards which hoses need linking and any other pitfalls i may come accross, as i dont want to airlock the cooling system and wreck the head!
if the heater matrix is knackerd, what sort of cost is a new/recon unit? i have tried doing a search on the forum but cant find anything direct which answers my questions.
many thanks.
andy

[andrewcrofts]

soryy, should of added it's a 1991 2.4 gen 2 ssrg ln130.
thanks!

[jotto]

hello all, i need a little help here. i think my heater matrix is leaking -wet carpet under centre console, fluid tastes sweet (anti freeze) windows misting up ect.. ect.. what i need to know is can the heater matrix be by-passed so i can still run the car until i can get a replacement sorted? and if so how? will affect the cylinder head in any way? i need the car for work every day so cant have it stood for any period of time.i think i should be able to link the hoses together which run through the bulkhead to keep continuity of the coolant flow whilst i remove the heater matrix for inspection/repair/replacement. if this is possible could someone point me towards which hoses need linking and any other pitfalls i may come accross, as i dont want to airlock the cooling system and wreck the head!
if the heater matrix is knackerd, what sort of cost is a new/recon unit? i have tried doing a search on the forum but cant find anything direct which answers my questions.
many thanks.
andy

By linking the hoses you will cause no problems at all. To get the heater matrix out is quite a big job as most of the dash has to come out.

The hoses to link together are the one that goes onto the heater control valve on the right hand side of bulk head(as your looking at it from the front ) and the return pipe that comes out of the bulk head about 12" to the left.

[NiftyNev]

Easiest way to bypass is disconnect and remove inlet hose from valve and firewall completely. Then disconnect and remove the other from firewall and metal return line alongside engine. Find a suitable size and length of heater hose and then join the valve and tube. This avoids joining existing hoses with all the awkward bends and also the possibility of things blowing apart if a piece of tube is used to join the two hoses.

Neville

[andrewcrofts]

thanks for the response so far. can the job be done from under the bonet, or does the dash need to come out? in which case i will try to get hold of a matrix and swap it. in the mean time i will just have to keep topping up the water and hope it holds out! what about radweld type repairs......any good?

andy.

[da SLUG man]

thanks for the response so far. can the job be done from under the bonet, or does the dash need to come out? in which case i will try to get hold of a matrix and swap it. in the mean time i will just have to keep topping up the water and hope it holds out! what about radweld type repairs......any good?

andy.

a) yes
b) no, wouldn't use egg white either... remember you gota get it back out!

[NiftyNev]

Yep. Can be done under bonnet and the heater matrix can stay in place for now.Job should only take about half an hour so do ASAP and do not use any additives.

Neville

[dirtydog]

ive by-passed mine for almost 6months!
i took the long hose that runs across the firewall with a sharp bend in it and cut the end off to do the return on the pipes from the engine without any kinks. It works really well but a new hose is about £25 (as i found out!) from Toyota so you might want to use a longer length of standard pipe from a motor factors.

[NiftyNev]

It works really well but a new hose is about £25 (as i found out!) from Toyota so you might want to use a longer length of standard pipe from a motor factors.

It's all those extra kinks in the hose that you pay for. Better not to cut them if you can avoid it and as you say just by a piece of standard heater hose and keep the original in a safe place to reinstall later.

Neville

[dirtydog]

It's all those extra kinks in the hose that you pay for. Better not to cut them if you can avoid it and as you say just by a piece of standard heater hose and keep the original in a safe place to reinstall later.

Neville

I know that now

[andrewcrofts]

cheers for that folk's!! been down to my mates s**** yard this afternoon and begged a selection of 'u' shaped hoses from various cars which look about the same bore as the one fitted. i'm gonna remove the two hoses from the steel water pipes which come from the engine and make (hopefully!) a return pipe whhich i will fix in place with jubilee clips.(also borrowed from s****py's)
then i will remove the hose to the matrix and save till i need them again for re-fit.
does the cooling system get highly pressurised when at normal temp. and would it be wise to fit 'double clips' to the hoses as a belt and bracers measure?
also i'm not going to remove the matrix till next week (as i'm at work) is there any way i can remove the remaining coolant inside before it drains all over the inside of the car?
will i have to get the air out of the system once i have removed the hoses or is it high enough up not to draw air in to the system?
sorry for so many questions, but i dont want to fry the head as you will understand, and i find it far more wallet friendly to ask other peoples valued advice than to go into the un-known with a multi-tool and a flexible friend and hope for the best!!
i will keep you posted on my progress, and weather permitting, i will take some pic's and try and post them on the site for future surfers to refere to.
many thanks again.

andy crofts

[NiftyNev]

After you remove the original hoses and replace with the joiner (use new clips) remove the rad cap and run the engine for a while and top up just to be sure you get any air out.There should be very little in there.As for getting the coolant out I'm not sure.Maybe you can hook up some sort of pump and suck it out.Applying pressure to force it out may just pump it into the vehicle interior.

Neville