ZX with sauna!!

Rich · Post by **Rich** » 06 Nov 2004, 17:39

Hello everyone,
My brother has a ZX Reflex 1.9 diesel, and earlier this week the heater matrix failed, oh yes, steam, misted windows, coolant in the passenger footwell, ahh, the joys of owning a Citroen![xx(] Anyway, i don't think it's a major leak so i could probably bodge it with leak sealer but i don't want to do that as it will just go pop again at some point. A new matrix is £29.50+VAT from our friends at GSF so i thought i might arm myself with the workshop manual and have a go at it myself as Citroen dealers will charge me a fortune to do it. What i want to know is, has anyone on here ever done the job? I know i'll have to remove the dash and such, but i just wondered if anyone has done it and whether or not they found the whole thing easy or a complete nightmare. I'm not afraid to get stuck into a job so i'll have go if it's possible!! Thanks for reading this, take care.
Rich.
Xantia Exclusive HDi.[^]
'88 Kawasaki GT750.[:D](For the despatch rider in a hurry!)

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 06 Nov 2004, 21:09

Haven't done a zx before but a BX is pretty similar in most respects. Not the worst job in the world. Work methodicaly, don't force anything and you should have the dash out in about an hour and a half. Just make sure that you can detach the hoses before going in too deep. They can go brittle with age which can make the job a pain.

AthlonZX · Post by **AthlonZX** » 06 Nov 2004, 21:11

Hi there Rich
I've litrally just-about finished the same job on my ZX TD. It was the first time I've ever attempted something of this scale. The job isnt particularly difficult, but it is very time-consuming (it's taken me two weekends, but I've had to put my studies ahead of working on my car). The most important thing is to be methodical. Label eveything as you take the dashboard out, and take reference photographs as you go. The main good news is that most of the electrical connectors can't be connected to the wrong switches etc.
Some items are difficult to access (such as the heater housing mounting bolts in the rear of the engine compartment). I recommend removing the air-housing and/or intercooler to get better access to everything back there. Also dont forget to take the heater assembly housing from the car...and empty the water out of it [:)]
I would recommend that you investigate what has caused the failure of the heater matrix. A Flow restricted Radiator was causing over-pressure in the cooling system in my case (I have replaced both the rad and the matrix). Equally it could have been caused by corrosion, or by exhaust gases leaking into the cooling system and causing overpressure. Do a search on this forum...you will find pleanty of material on the dreaded heatermatrix/radiator/headgasket triangle.
For everyone's reference, I will be putting pictures up on my website next week (I will post a URL then).
Good Luck [:)]
AthlonZX (Dave)
Citroen ZX TD Aura K-1993 135035 miles [:)]
Citroen BX 16 Valve H-1991 (The project is underway)

wilkobob · Post by **wilkobob** » 06 Nov 2004, 23:58

Ive done a ZX heater matrix before. It wasnt a difficult job and took arounf 4 - 5 hours on my own. I can remember going to a scrap yard and practising on a scrap car (I was tight and went for a second hand matrix). You have to remove the steering wheel (book said steering column as well, but it got around this and didnt need to), then the stereo, clocks and the dash (this is bolted rom the engine compartment, also the bolts can be a bit rusty. When you remove the dash, use masking tape or sticky labels to label all the wires from switches, when you unplug them, otherwise you may get confused as to what wire does what job. Careful removing the heater housing as it can be brittle (mine was, needed a few tie wraps to fix some controls). I found it an easy job, and found the haynes helpful (it looks alot of work, it is but its nothing difficult).
Im considering a similar job soon (not matrix, but a dash board replacement - its blistering!) and dont have any worries about it. Have fun

Rich · Post by **Rich** » 14 Nov 2004, 01:25

Hello everyone, and a big thanks to everyone on the forum![:D][:)][^] Last weekend i bought the workshop manual and tackled the above job. I started it last Saturday and as i only have weekends i'm finishing it this weekend. The heater unit and matrix are back in the car (cheers for the matrix GSF online shop!!) Hopefully the rest will be rebuilt tomorrow. By reading the manual and taking the great advice from yourselves, i have actually gained alot of confidence in tackling a job i really did not want to do! It is not as bad a job as i thought it would be. Anyway, big yourselves up and thanks again for the brilliant advice.[:D][^]
Cheers, Rich.
Xantia Exclusive HDi.
'88 Kawasaki GT750 (For the despatch rider in a hurry!)