Matrix.....

Post by **RichardW** » 08 Dec 2008, 07:53

Dunno what I do to them, but the matrix has let go in my Xantia this morning

This is the third Xantia and all have given trouble in this department - and this one is only 8 years / 78k old in a car filled with long life coolant

No previous warnings, noticed the coolant smell this morning, and on arriving at work, the dash is wet underneath. I absolutely have not got time to be ripping the dash out just now, so it will have to get Forted for now - and added to the ever lengthening list of jobs "I will do" next summer....

Joy!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 08 Dec 2008, 08:04

has this and previous XANTS you have owned had any over heatting isuse, i bewlive this is 1 of the reasons a matrix will fail, as the ones i have seen the ends have come away from the tubes, or partly come away and no corrosion in sight

regards malcolm

Post by **CitroJim** » 08 Dec 2008, 08:04

Oh Richard, so sorry to hear that

Hopefully Forte will work it's magic but do just check the matrix water elbow in the engine compartment. They do sometimes come adrift and give the same symptoms...

Do you live in a hard water area? I ask as I got through 3 matrixes (matrices?) in my 205GTi due to scale in the cooling system acting as a fine abrasive. The scale wore pinholes in the matrix "U" bends, presumably as the coolant flowing through carrying the particles cavitated a bit in the bends and wore them away!

All you need is a fine settled day and get stuck in. Matrix repair is not difficult, just incredibly time consuming and tedious. And you need help too, for company doing the job (otherwise it's a lonely old day) and to help with the unbelievably heavy dash.

Post by **CitroJim** » 08 Dec 2008, 08:06

citronut wrote: as the ones i have seen the ends have come away from the tubes, or partly come away and no corrosion in sight

Indeed Malcolm, all the ones I've seen have leaked on the top where the manifold joins the core proper.

Post by **RichardW** » 08 Dec 2008, 08:28

Nope no signs of overheating on any of my cars. I'm just perennially unlucky

As it happens we live in a soft water area, but I have never put any water in this car (only had it 15 months / 30k miles

) and I'm pretty sure it is on the original long life OAT based coolant (no change specified) - the stuff with barely any colour.

Thanks for the tip about the elbow Jim - I'll check it later when it gets light. But see my point above about luck - it's BOUND to be the matrix!

As I am planning on keeping this one I will Forte for now, and change out in the summer.

My previous one (1.9TD) was Forted about 2 years and 30k miles ago - the friend I gave it to has just got it re-moted at 127k and the Forte is still holding.

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 08 Dec 2008, 10:34

Hi Richard & Jim, I was told that Citroen recommended a heater matrix was good for about 100K miles, and after that you are on borrowed time. All the duff ones I have removed from both Citroen and Peugeot cars have always suffered corrosion.

I suppose the blessing is that the updated Valeo replacement units are now supplied in copper and they seem to be a thicker gauge of material. Still makes it a real dog of a job though.

Handyman

KP · Post by KP » 08 Dec 2008, 12:07

The main problem is that the coolant has never been changed on most before.
I would always reccomend at most 5 years on coolant and then flush it out as well.

The last time i did a coolant refresh i used the de-ionised water from asda in it and it worked just a treat. Better than tap water as its pure water without any gubbins in it. The amount of chemicals in normal water would astound most people, and only a few are actually added by the water companies and all those things float around the cooling system..

deian · Post by **deian** » 08 Dec 2008, 17:00

Do you or do you know if the previous owners have used de-ionised water along side the coolant?

I would never use water from the tap. Just my little tip. Good luck.

KP · Post by KP » 08 Dec 2008, 17:08

I'd be surprised if a previous owner or even a garage would use anything but tap water....

Post by **RichardW** » 09 Dec 2008, 07:55

I checked the elbow under the bonnet all nice and dry

Since there is no coolant change interval specified on this car, and it only had 47k on it when I bought it, I very much doubt it has anything other than the factory fill coolant in it. I can't see tap water or otherwise making a big difference - you wouldn't drink distilled water as it sucks the minerals out of your teeth and body, so it might have the same effect when you put it in your car.... in any case the water round here is really soft (no scale at all in our kettle even after 7 years) so I will fill with tap water and OAT coolant when the time comes.