Xantia steaming up

PaulW · Post by **PaulW** » 04 Mar 2004, 00:46

Hi, I changed the coolant on my 95 Xantia 1.6i, followed the Haines manual to the letter.
My only problem is when the coolant heats up to about 75*c the windows start to steam up not only on cold days, all the time.
As far as I can tell there are no leaks as there is no coolant loss, so can anyone shed any light on this annoying problem ??
One other thing there was no thermostat in it when I bought it, it has one fitted now. The normal running temp is 82-85*c is this the normal temp ?
Thanks,
Paul.

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 04 Mar 2004, 00:58

Could be a slight leak in the heater matrix, it doesn't take much water to make a lot of steam or maybe the air vent is stuck on recirculate.

PaulW · Post by **PaulW** » 04 Mar 2004, 01:58

Thanks Stempy, I'm pretty sure it's not stuck on recirculate as I can hear the flap opening and closing.
Would it be worth chucking some Barr's rad sealer in it as a precaution ??

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 04 Mar 2004, 04:23

What you might find is that without the stat in place the pressure of the water through the heater matrix may have been lower. Now you have fitted a stat and things are how they should be it may be that any extra pressure is enough to cause a small leak.
I suppose if it's only a small leak then radseal might at least prove a point. If you put some in and it stops steaming you will have found the fault. It might be wise though to plan to fit a new matrix as soon as you can if this does turn out to be the problem.

Russell · Post by **Russell** » 04 Mar 2004, 05:55

Hi,
I have used Bars Leaks succesfully on some cars, but my experience with Citroen and Peugeot is that it can block or partially block the heater matrix, leaving a car that doesn't get all that warm inside, so I would be prepared to flush the stuff out quick if there is any sign of this happening
Which windows steam up, all of them?
In which case I would also check your carpets and seats for damp.
Someone on this forum once made a suggestion which sounded interesting to me, of putting some plastic sheet down for a day or two, and see if that gets condensation under it.
Russell [:)]

rabenson · Post by **rabenson** » 04 Mar 2004, 16:01

Forte Rad sealer is excellent, if a tad expensive at around 15 quid a bottle - but it won't block up yr waterways and seems to last indefinitely!

Post by **RichardW** » 04 Mar 2004, 16:26

I have exactly this problem (see http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... erms=uh-oh ) and have put in the Forte stuff, and am 'observing' it. It has certainly reduced the leak, but I had a drip or two this morning. New matrix is only £35 from GSF - pity about the 12+ hours required to fit it!

PaulW · Post by **PaulW** » 05 Mar 2004, 01:08

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Russell</i>

Which windows steam up, all of them?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yep, all the windows steam up.
I had the thermostat in for about a week before I did a coolant change, only after the coolant change did the windows start steaming up.

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 05 Mar 2004, 03:34

Don't know if you've got a pollen filter, but it might be worth changing that too if you have.

Russell · Post by **Russell** » 05 Mar 2004, 05:42

Um, I can't quite work it out, but here goes..
If your heater matrix leaks a bit, I would expect the front windscreen to end up with condensation over it. The same should be true if there is water in your ventilation system, and the warm air picks up moisture and deposits it on cold glass. There may be dampish carpets in the front footwells. But you would expect to lose coolant.
But for all your windows to steam up, I think the water has to be in the air every where inside the car to condense on the windows, which is why I think maybe your carpets or headlining are damp throughout the car, and I think that I think you have a leak.[:(]
That's what I think.[:I]
Russell [:)]

HaydnR · Post by **HaydnR** » 05 Mar 2004, 20:21

I wish my windows in my xantia would steam up, but unfortunately I think those days are over.
[;)]