Steam coming out of air vents

RugbyPete · Unread post by **RugbyPete** » 14 Apr 2008, 13:02

this mornign i couldnt de-mist the windows.

It was so cold, i put the heaters on and blew then to the floorpan... well, the car just filled full of steam! all the way to work.

Im worried either pressure has built up int he system and blown something on the heater matrix or something else.

One thing i did do is splash then engine with water as i needed to take the air out of the system, opened the bleed valve and coolant came out, so simply washed it off. Im hoping some water got in somewhere and its not a leak...

ideas?

chest hurt when i got in, breathing in coolant steam!

Penguin · Unread post by **Penguin** » 14 Apr 2008, 13:06

My ZX used to do this. Don't know what caused it, but it used to stop after about 10 minutes. Never got to the bottom of it as I killed the car earlier in the year (much to my wife's delight!).

Sorry, this hasn't helped you much has it.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 14 Apr 2008, 13:27

See the several other related posts - your heater matrix has developed a pinhole. You should be able to demist on cold but it will be slow and uncomfortable.

Try some leakfix of some description (Barrs Leaks) but eventually you will need to replace the heater matrix.

oscarloco · Unread post by **oscarloco** » 15 Apr 2008, 00:16

Heater matrix. I had the same problem twice, fixed with Barr's Stop Leak. But as someone said before, the only complete cure is to replace it.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 15 Apr 2008, 08:04

Barrs will certainly do the job for a while. It is in my 2.1TD. I still get an occasional whiff from it but water consumption is nil.

I have a new problem with the Activa though. When the blower is running very fast, I get fine white dust coming out of the vents

No idea what it is. I've put a new pollen filter in and it is still happening. Methinks the matrix is corroding externally and it's aluminium dust coming out...

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 15 Apr 2008, 08:49

citrojim wrote:I get fine white dust coming out of the vents No idea what it is. I've put a new pollen filter in and it is still happening. Methinks the matrix is corroding externally and it's aluminium dust coming out...

Oh, please no

My latest xantia had a lot of dust around the dash and when I ran the blower full speed yesterday, a mini dust storm of fine white particles blew out of the vents.

oscarloco · Unread post by **oscarloco** » 15 Apr 2008, 18:03

MikeT wrote:
citrojim wrote:I get fine white dust coming out of the vents No idea what it is. I've put a new pollen filter in and it is still happening. Methinks the matrix is corroding externally and it's aluminium dust coming out...
Oh, please no My latest xantia had a lot of dust around the dash and when I ran the blower full speed yesterday, a mini dust storm of fine white particles blew out of the vents.

This could be caused by mineral buildup around the leak in the heater matrix.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 15 Apr 2008, 20:50

oscarloco wrote: This could be caused by mineral buildup around the leak in the heater matrix.

Thanks Oscar, I think you've got it spot on

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 15 Apr 2008, 21:01

I was hoping there'd been some sort of atmospheric fallout in the Bedfordshire area