Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Posting on behalf of a friend, story of his 52 plate 1.2 C' is as follows:
Heaters stopped blowing hot about a year ago.
Few months later, the car was dropping coolant on the drive. I went to go look and turned out the waterpump was knackered, housing for a temp gauge or something on top - can't remember now.
We replaced water pump.
Few months later, water in footwell. Did the "brake servo reseal" with him, still wet footwell - driver side only.
Today we replaced the heater matrix. No obvious damage to old matrix or pipes.
Plumbed the system back together, no visible leaks from the matrix, still no heating.
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These hoses going into bulkhead are to the matrix, I think right hand side is input and left side is output. These pipes never go more than luke warm when car is well up to temp, probably just ambient engine bay temperature!
We disconnected both of these hoses from the engine block/waterpump and flushed a hosepipe through. Water came out of each end nice and clean, good flow.
I left the left hand hose attached to the waterpump and flushed hosepipe through the right hose. Water travelled through the matrix, through the waterpump and engine block then out of the housing which the right hand hose should have been plugged into.
Top and bottom rad hoses are red hot, fan cuts in and out when required and engine coolant temp is as expected. Heater matrix and metal pipes inside the car are always clap cold.
Did loads of googling, just loads of people with blocked matrix' or pipes - but doesn't seem to be the case for us. Ordered a new thermostat (£12) based on the theory that the current one is jammed open, so rad is continuously in use and the water isn't getting hot enough to back up into the matrix etc. Really loose/desperate theory as the engine temp behaves as expected.
Have I missed anything obvious before we go to swap the thermostat? Any other parts worth replacing?
Ta.
[Edited on 19-01-2014 by Kyle T]
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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After a couple of drives in the car, the heating magically started working.
Not sure how, airlock maybe - but we did run the car for a LONG time with the header cap off.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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johnhara1
Member
Registered: 19th Oct 06
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
User status: Offline
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They should bleed themselves but it does sound like it had an airlock which you've now fixed.
Let the car cool overnight and top the coolant up as needed.
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Seems to be proper sorted now, hot air on demand - even the footwell is drying out!
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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