grasshopper Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 I've just pulled it out of the garage and as I pushed it forward I noticed liquid (now confirmed as coolant) leaking into the passenger footwell, then moments after into the drivers side as well from what looked like the heater. The engine wasn't running at the time. A little while back I had an issue with brake fluid leaking from the reservoir and I've now changed to a race style cap however I think that brake fluid may well be a conributory factor in 'something' leaking after being decayed. I'm going to take it appart this afternoon, my question is has anyone had this happen before and what is it likely to be? Thanks in advance. (at least it didn't happen on my Cadence course yesterday!!) Chris S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6speedmanual Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 If the coolant is leaking into the cockpit it is almost certainly the heater matrix (I take it you have a heater?) or its pipes. All the other coolant hoses are further forward in the engine bay and any leaks would drip down to the road. Previous brake fluid leak would not damage/decay metal, plastic or rubber coolant hoses so probably unrelated. 6SpeedManual *tongue*There's no such thing as too much BHP per Ton 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team c7trp Posted November 24, 2007 Support Team Share Posted November 24, 2007 Hi Chris, I had this a couple of weeks ago. I traced the leak to the heater matrix. The pipes are fixed to the matrix by a plastic flange held on with self tappers. Mine was leaking around this flange. I removed the screws and fitted new O rings and its been OK since. I tested mine with a foot pump, cork and a bucket of water before putting it all back together. Turn the heater valve of off before removing the pipe work and you wont have to drain the cooling system. On refitting you can fill the heater matrix from the upper hose before reconnecting it..... HTH Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 Thanks chaps, will get on this tomorrow. Thanks for the 'turn off heater valve' tip! Cheers Chris S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Whenever I use the heater, I get a faint whiff of coolant in the cockpit. The water level in the expansion tank never drops, but always a faint smell. I guess I have the same problem - nice to think it could be as simple as o-rings on the inlet fittings. What sort of job it is to remove the matrix from the housing ? Not obvious how it started to come apart when I removed it from the bulkhead a few months ago to sort out sealing around it, to stop water running under it and into the footwells 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grubbster Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Yes, mine did the same a little while ago - a bit odd the design with the plastic flange but as long as there is no sideways load on it from the hoses it works fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 OK, I've taken the heater out to have a look at it. None of the pipes leading in to it are leaking. The unit itself is cracked and when I removed it there was a section that fell away altogether which fluid poured out of. It appears to be a sealed unit so there's no way to get to the source of the leak (as far as I can tell??). I think (unless I'm missing something!!) that my only option is to get a new heater. S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 By shear coincidence I discovered exactly the same problem with mine today! The heater is held in by just the 4 visible screws in the engine bay right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grubbster Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 I assume you have managed to get to the matix itself? If so you can get a new one - details are here. I spoke to these people earlier this year, very helpful - although in the end I didn't need to replace the matrix. The thread I started on this is here if you are interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Great links, thanks Grubbster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 Shad, that's right - 4 screws and the unit is out. Take a kitchen roll out with you, mine was full of coolant and it dumped the lot instantly... Thanks for the link grubster! very useful. I've not managed to get to the matrix itself, how do you get into the heater to get at the matrix? The unit I have is cracked and falling to bits and that's before I start popping the plastic rivets off so I may end up having to buy the whole unit (£250 )...unless there's a simple way to do it? Thanks again! S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Edited by - Chris Whitten on 25 Nov 2007 23:14:35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Right, just taken mine to bits to find that the pipe that is part of the matrix that is closest to the bulk head has been leaking (appologies for crap terminology!). The coolant has then been trickling over to the drivers side and dripping down. Ease the plastic rivets out with a blade and the top half of the unit (with the matrix inside) comes away from the bottom half (with the fan inside). Then you can remove the matrix. Thing is... mine has foam glued to the edges (see pics). Does anyone know (before I call the supplier tomorrow) if a new replacement matrix will come with the foam attached? Also, I can't see any o-rings to replace (unless they are behind the foam, which I don't think will come off cleanly). Matrix picture 1 Matrix picture 2 More pictures that may be useful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team c7trp Posted November 26, 2007 Support Team Share Posted November 26, 2007 Carefully remove the foam. Its stuck on with a rubbery type glue, and pulled off easily on mine. You can just see one of the screws holding the plastic flange on this pic I re-glued the foam with copydex when id fixed the leak... Edited to say the link above only works with IE. The gallery web app doesnt like firefox 😔 Edited by - Tim Pollard on 26 Nov 2007 19:59:58 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK FLASH Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Aren' t these problems a good reason to get rid of the heater ? 😬 The interior of car always stays warm (hot) enough with the heat coming from the exhaust, engine block, ... that gets trapped in the tunnel. Jack Flash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Thanks Tim! I did wonder about that lug, will have another look tomorrow O/T, which version of Firefox are you using? The gallery is working nicely for me in 2.0.0.9. It's my own software, albeit very old now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Works fine in Firefox for me too ! 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team c7trp Posted November 27, 2007 Support Team Share Posted November 27, 2007 Using Firefox 2.0.0.9. When i follow the links above i just get a niknak smiley waving his finger at me 😳 Firefox image properties are: Src http://niknak.org/g/Cars/My%20Cars/'02%20Caterham%207/07-11-26_heater-matrix-leak/DSC00879.JPG Width 100 Height 50 File Size 2 KB Alt The image “http://niknak.org/g/Cars/My%20Cars/'02%20Caterham%207/07-11-26_heater-matrix-leak/DSC00879.JPG” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors. Get same at home and work! Good luck with the heater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team c7trp Posted November 27, 2007 Support Team Share Posted November 27, 2007 Ah - found it. Change the file extension from .JPG to .jpg and it works fine Not sure why only my browser does this though - the error seems to be server side 2 me 🤔 more OT> Edited by - Tim Pollard on 27 Nov 2007 08:46:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Thanks for the photos Shad, I was just about to order a heater from CC this morning, I'll hold off until I've fully dismantled mine, which I expect will be this evening. Not sure how I'm going to dea with the fact that the heater box is falling to bits though, I'll post some photos tonight. On another note, I like the irony that yours has a sticker with "LEAK TESTED" written on it. "Yep, we've tested it, it leaks". Chris S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Tim, thanks for that, should be working now Chris, I thought that about the sticker too!! Still, to be fair if it's lasted nearly 7 years without leaking that's not bad going in my book. Let us know how you get on later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Right, popped home at lunch and took a couple of shots of my heater (still in the car, but unbolted). When I removed it, parts of the heater casing fell off. From closer inspection there are cracks all over it - photos here I've got a feeling if I start to try and dismantle it, I'll end up with a pile of broken plastic. It's worth a go though, to save £180ish. The large hole in the bottom is a bit of a worry though! No wonder it was warmer on the passenger side. S7UPL (it's a SUPerLight 7...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 oh dear - that is a bit crumbly. The talk above of plastic rivets to dismantle the housing ... are these re-usable type fasteners, or prise apart and destroy ? I had the heater out a while ago, and couldn't see an obvious way to dismantle, so didn't. Feel I want to now - is it just a case of lever head gently until it unpops ? 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I think if you're careful Chris that will come apart ok. The plastic rivets are reusable, just gently lever with something very thin (e.g. a Stanley knife blade) until they open up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Just a quick update from me, I replaced the 2 o-rings tonight and put everything back together, will re-fill and test tomorrow hopefully Flat plasticy old o-rings Top of matrix showing recesses for o-rings Bit with sticky-outy-pipey-bits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Good photos - helps to explain it nicely ! 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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