Xantia 1.9TD Heater Matrix woes

[masood_ilyas]

This relates to Xantia 1.9TD Automatic, an ageing queen from 1997 with 150K miles on the clock.
I have had this car for about twelve years, lately the windscreen gets misted as soon as it is driven.
I suspect it is the infamous heater matrix, its heat output is also poor.
Having read some matrix related threads I gather it is not a quick job and certainly not if the arctic winds and snow are just round the corner.
Before tackling this job I have some questions though:
1. Is there is a temporary fix to cure the leaking matrix, say till Easter when it warms up a bit.
2. Being a mark2 I suspect the airbags are going to be a pain to remove safely, any safety tips here?
3. When removing the wind screen wipers and scuttle is there any risk of breaking the screen itself.
Any advice will be appreciated.

If it is time to scrap it, I might break it apart, I am sure it will be worth more in parts, it has a decent working engine and an AL4 automatic gearbox. Unfortunately I do not know the correct way of disposing the remains without getting into trouble with DVLA.

Thank you all,
masood

[CitroJim]

It's not such a bad job Masood. Just long and very tedious... There's plenty of tips around this forum.

The two most difficult jobs are getting the windscreen scuttle off and separating the matrix connector at the bulkhead - especially on a 1.9TD as there's not much room. Removing the turbo pipes helps enormously. I find a gentle warm of the scuttle with a heat gun and the use of a very sharp long-bladed craft knife does the job.

One product that can help and the ONLY one to use is Forte Stop Leak. I've used it to postpone the dread day.

Airbags are no worries. Disconnect the battery fr 10 minutes before you begin and they're absolutely fine. The passenger airbag stays put in the dash and comes out along with it...

If you do scrap it and I don't think a duff matrix is good grounds to do so, all you need to do is get the shell taken away by a registered bone-fide dismantler and they'll look after the legalities. Someone who's register to deal with what they call end of life vehicles. If you still have an older V5C for the car (not the maroon one) then you can still do it yourself as it'll have the 'scrapped' tick box on the document.

When you want to do the matrix - allow a good weekend - come back and we can hold your hand. I've done so many now I've lost count. MK2s in some significant ways are easier than MK1s...

[Xaccers]

For the wipers, get a suitable puller from your local motor factors.
I'd also advise getting a spare set of pipes from a scrapped vehicle and suitable means to join them onto your current pipes should the elbow that goes into the matrix from the engine bay crack.
If you search the forum there should be several threads covering how to do the job.
A digital camera/camera phone is useful to make a note of how wires go for the dash.
Removing the induction pipe that goes along the top of the engine helps, as does removing the driver's side engine mount (with the sump supported on a jack) so you can pull the engine forward and stick a large piece of wood between it and the bulk head to keep it in place.
Use a hair dryer to soften the sealant that holds the scuttle panel in place, and a long stanley knife (the sort with the break off blades) to carefully slice through the sealant. Make sure you have a tube of new sealant and make sure the LHM resevoir end of the scuttle panel is definitely sealed up as otherwise rain can get in through the blower and soak the passenger carpet.

[imperial21]

As jim says, Its not a bad job but not great this time of the year, I put the forte stuff in my xantia last year then changed the matrix in the summer !
I think the scuttle is one of the worse jobs !

As for scrapping you can do it with the new V5 but the shell must be collected by approved people who sort the v5, but dont do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[masood_ilyas]

Thanks chaps, a Forte relief sounds hopeful for now.
Any idea how long will the sealant take to be effective, is it going to be days, weeks or hours of driving.
Thanks once again for the helpful advice.

Masood

[AussieAl]

I used K Seal for mine , I had a visible leak and K Seal worked just fine . Back flushed the heater matrix thoroughly and was amazed at the muck that came out . Back flush via the bulkhead connector . The connector comes of reasonably easily if you make up a strong hook with a t handle to hold onto that is about a foot long . Place the hook centrally in the bridge between the inlet pipes and use a screwdriver to hold the locating clip open . A couple of sharp pulls on the hook should release the coupling . When replacing the coupling use new ` o ` rings and take care not to break the bleed valve if you have to use a wooden drift and mallet to relocate the coupling . You will know when it is in place because the locking clip will click into place and prevent you pulling the coupling out . Put the K Seal into the header tank ( if you choose to try it ) and it will seal pretty quickly once the heaters allow coolant through and you are driving it regularly . K Seal does not set , it stays fluid in the system and builds a copper seal over any leak point . Subaru recommend it for use after head and radiator work on their engines .

[masood_ilyas]

Thanks AussieAl,
Over the weekend I added 500ml of Forte stuff and now waiting for it to work through.
The sauna steam effect has stopped immediately but three days later there is still some low level misting taking place which I hope will decrease with time.
Fingers crossed.

Kind regards
Masood

[AussieAl]

If Forte works on the same principle as K Seal you should see a gradual improvement . The hole size is the governing factor . Good luck with it .