bugger Water Leak!!

[jjb-w116-hu]

so is the top of this drain just a catchment area for moisture or do those pipes lead somewhere i can't see.
as much as i like aircon i am happy to not have the added complication (although the talk of aircon upgrades intrigue me)

James

[calvin streeting]

helpfull photos. i am hopeing to get under it the weekend, and will report back if i have drains there, bearing in mind i have no AC. I also have a spare heater core, so will check that as well.

calvin

[oscar]

I hope it's something else Calvin, like a hose that's easier to get to because if these or one of those hoses (if you have them) is wet with coolant.... well I'd hate to have get the heater core out.  I just hate having to do anything with the dash or anything behind it and I take my hat off to anyone that does any of that work successfully.  I just finished loading that particular car on a trailer to be dumped and I was going to try and get at the core but got fed up with undoing things.  Anyway, just to confirm jjb, the upper end of that drain does open up to a catchment area, though the hole is tiny compared to the width of the hose.

[koan]

I've always thought and been told the coolant is constantly running through the heater and it's the internal air vents that control hot/cool air mix that makes it to the cabin.

If both the heat levers are fully down vacuum is applied to the heater tap and no water flows through the core. If one or both levers are moved just away from down no vacuum goes to the tap and it opens fully. The temperature of the air is controlled by the distance the lever is moved from the down position, the volume of air is controlled by the adjacent lever.

In a 30 year old heater box with decayed foam, it's just about all or nothing heat wise.

It makes no difference if the heater is on or off, there is radiator cap pressure in the heater core even if there is no water flow.

koan

[s class]

It makes no difference if the heater is on or off, there is radiator cap pressure in the heater core even if there is no water flow.

koan

Correct, even if the heater tap does close completely (many of them allow a trickle flow even when 'closed'), the return side of the heater core is connected directly to the car's cooling system, and has the same pressure in it. 

[oscar]

Ah I see.  Thanks koan and sclass, that makes sense now.

[calvin streeting]

ok update time. looked under car and it seams that the leek was coming from the drain point on the heater matric (as per photos above), so I put some sealent into the system, and it (fingers crosed) seems to have worked. all seams well apart from my temp now gose higher when stuck in trafic (neadle covers top of 175), but this soon goes down when costing, maybe i should have flushed with citric acid first, but my rad is looking a bit long in the tooth. so might try and get a new one or recore this one.

calvin

many thanks for the photo guys, very helpfull

[TJ 450]

Sealant is generally not a good idea IMO, as it can easily clog up the system so I have heard, and it is a band-aid approach, not resolving the issue.

I would check the hose connections on the heater matrix first, just in case there is a loose connection or similar.

The cooling system would have to be in bad shape for the heater matrix to leak, as they are constructed entirely of copper/solder, even the input/output pipes.

Tim

[calvin streeting]

thats what i thought, but as i was getting misty windows when i turned the heater on, and then combined with this water leak. I also have to bear in mind the car sat for many years (with no water in it), I did check the pipes even looked under wiper grill (and found nothing wrong, not even rust (yay)..

It must of only been a small leak as i never lost loads of water 9slight top up every now and then (but also heater control valve thing is driping to. And when the formentioned leak ocured, the water level never droped. so i reakon the drain was blocked and water just built up over time. and sudlenly let lose

but the misting of windows only went away after putting in the sealent which i did leave it for 2 weeks before putting it in and i did run the  heater lots (to try and dry out inside of heater box).

lets see over time, especially in winter when moistor is up and its cold out side.

calvin

[Gerard]

Oscar.

I recently got a book called Greys Anatomy for students, and I get a bit squeamish at some of the photos!  The human body is amazing, but scary to think sometimes of what goes on underneath!!
Well, that pic of the bare dash arises the same feelings in me!!  And the gas-axed A pillar!!  A W116 on the slab!!
Gerard
Beats any X ray! thanks!





[/quote]

[oscar]

Oscar.

I recently got a book called Greys Anatomy for students, and I get a bit squeamish at some of the photos!  The human body is amazing, but scary to think sometimes of what goes on underneath!!
Well, that pic of the bare dash arises the same feelings in me!!  And the gas-axed A pillar!!  A W116 on the slab!!
Gerard
Beats any X ray! thanks!

LOL.  Reminds me of the first time I saw a W116 with bumpers removed.  It looked so odd, like seeing someone's broken limb for the first time. It's just not right.