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1

Omega General Help / Re: heater matrix - how difficult to replace?

« on: 19 June 2008, 20:03:35 »

Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry it's taken a couple of days to get back on here - such are the joys of working in the IT industry.

I'll take a look at cutting away the dash to make the job easier. I'm thinking that doing the job properly would take more time than I can spare just now.

I had one other thought. The heater matrix isn't fundamental to the cooling system so why not disconnect the feed and return pipe in the engine bay and then connect them together with a suitable U tube. Obviously I'd have no heater, but I could live with that in a car that's only used to shift big stuff. Does this sound reasonable or a recipie for disaster?

Cheers,
SW

2

Omega General Help / heater matrix - how difficult to replace?

« on: 16 June 2008, 22:24:06 »

Hi,

First off, this is a great forum. I never thought so many people would be into the Omega!

I've found some posts about water in the cabin where the culprit is most likely the heater matrix or connecting pipes. People have said that replacing the heater matrix is a "massive" or "very big" job, but does anyone know what is involved and how long it's likely to take?

Also can anyone suggest how to clean antifreeze out of the carpets and sound insulation without taking them out?

Here's the back story. I went to fill up this evening at the local Sainsbury's and there was a bit of a queue. Just as I pull up to the pump I hear a soft pop followed by a hissing sound. The next thing I know there's steam coming out of the vents and from under the dash, and the driver's footwell is filling with water. I retire to the car park and switch her off, which is not as easy as it sounds because by now the windscreen is well and truly misted up.

I pop the bonnet but it's dry as a bone in there, even round the pipes that go through the bulkhead. Meanwhile the steam is playing havoc with the electronics and the air con controls are lighting up like a Christmas tree (with the ignition off!). Then the air con fan starts up and runs off and on for about fifteen minutes, blowing more steam out of the vents. The plastic window over the speedo / tacho is misted up on the inside too.

Fortunately I'm only a few miles from home so I call my better half to come and pick me up. I left it a few hours to cool down then went back, filled up the header tank, and managed to get her home before the engine warmed up.

The motor itself is a pre-facelift (1999 model) 2.5 V6 CDX auto estate (cloth trim) registered in Jan 2000 with 150k on the clock. Parkers puts the value at around £1500, maybe less because of some surface rust around the seams on most doors. It's not my main motor but it's a handy workhorse. To complicate matters, the tax is due at the end of the month (£185) and I'm wondering if it's worth the effort to repair.

Over the years I've had some expensive bills (oil leaks, perforated oil cooler, perished plug leads, poisoned cat, 2 cooling hose failures, split radiator, cam belt changes at 40k intervals), and I'm wondering what will break next.

I had a heater matrix fail on a Sierra and that was bad enough to fix. If the Omega is going to be much worse then I think I'll drive it to the local breakers yard.

Cheers,
SW