Hi everyone,

My heater core was leaking (behind the dash) and the garage performed a bypass under the bonnet disabling the heating option in the cabin.... I'd like to restore that, but it seems the entire dash needs to come out....

so a few questions;
1. Where can I find a proper heater core (what is the part nr and possible resellers)
2. given the entire dash goes out, someone suggested also replacing the evaporator core for the AC, is this indeed recommended ?
3. can we test the heater core first? - I never noticed flooding in the footwell or anything like that.. so if it was leaking where did the coolant go?

any other tips?

 

If there was no sign of dampness or smell of coolant in the footwell / cabin, how did you arrive at the conclusion that the heater matrix is leaking?

Richard

 

yeah.. its what the garage said.. they bypassed it . and then it didnt loose coolant anymore.. so either it evaporated or was leaking somewhere outside of the footwell.. not quite sure.. its been a while.. in our region we almost never use the heater anyway..

 

In my opinion, it is very unlikely that the heater matrix has failed as that would be an extremely unlikely event unless the system has been running without sufficient antifreeze / anticorrosion additive. If it had failed, the coolant would certainly end up on the footwell carpets as it has nowhere else to go. Even if it evaporated quickly, you would certainly smell the sweet smell of antifreeze unless there is none in the coolant which would probably prove to be a very expensive mistake.

It might well be that one of the heater hoses in the engine bay was leaking and the bypass arrangement has cured that.

I would certainly not be approving the removal of the heater matrix without a lot more evidence that it has failed. The first thing needed is a pressure test of the entire system by someone who knows what they are looking for.

Richard

 

I agree with @RichardS @Parzival . The heater core leaking would be extremely rare. They do clog. Yes you need to pull the dash. If it were me, I would rig up a pressure test in the engine bay. Plug the heater hose outlet, apply 14 psi to the inlet and see if it holds. Also of course, confirm after that that there is flow. Since they bypassed it, air should suffice to test.

 

This has nothing to do with anything helpful, but I had a 1979 Ford Thunderbird years ago. The heater core was accessible at the firewall in the engine compartment, held in place by one bolt and a tab on the cover. It lifted out, the hoses could be removed afterwards, and reinstallation took about a minute. Best system ever.

 

the garage is saying the excess coolant is leaking through the AC drain itself.... give the new parts are suuuper expensive here (The AC Evaporator is quoted at 2500USD, the heater core 600USD - parts only), I'm looking to import them.. any recommendations on original parts shops?

 

I've looked at the manual and I do not believe that any coolant leakage from the heater core, which is mounted low-down and rearwards in the chamber, could find its way forwards and upwards into the section of the chamber which contains the evaporator and has the duckbill in the bottom. However, I could visualise that if one of the metal coolant pipes in the chamber sprung a leak, then that might be able to find its way out of duckbill, although one of those pipes leaking seems very unusual.

I would want to reach down and up into the hole above the bellhousing with my fingers or, ideally, a borescope and confirm that pink coolant was actually coming out of the duckbill. If coolant is being seen on top of the bellhousing, that does not necessarily mean that it is coming from the duckbill.

If your garage is 100% certain that the coolant is coming from the duckbill (I would ask for a borescope photo or similar of the duckbill), then I agree that the dashboard has to come out although I don't think the problem will be with the heater core. Whilst they are doing the work, make sure that they snip the end off the duckbill.

Richard

 

The heater pipes maybe but not the core. Aluminum apart. I still suggest (as you asked) the pressure test the heater core. Here is a pic. # 1 is the evaporator, # 5 is the heater core, # 2 are the heating core pipes:


I’ll look around for a replacement core but it will be used. FWIW, I wouldn’t replace the Evaporator core, but that’s me. They aren’t prone to failure. Neither is the heater core but it can clog, especially when coolants are mixed (though this isn’t your issue at all.)

 

@Parzival , which model year is having the issue? Need that info for a parts search.

 

I have a 2013 convertible…left hand drive

 

Ok I thought I saw two different models in your signature. You can get complete used sets for about $400 US. Go to eBay US and look for NOMA Auto after you search. Good resellers and the ship internationally. Used heater cores are about $90

 

if the pipes are leaking (or showing corrosion for example) - wouldn't I be able to easily access those by removing the glove box at least for viewing?

 

As I said above, from the diagram, I think that the pipes run inside the heater chamber but I have never dismantled one on an X150 so I might be wrong. If they do, there might be an inspection hatch of some kind or something you can remove to get a look inside perhaps with a borescope. It's a good idea and I would remove the glove box as it's not difficult and have a good look around.

Richard

 

I went in with a scope.. and I think I indeed found it.. while I could not get a full clear picture (go in with a scope under the glove box to the left - you feel / see the pipes immediately - dont do this with a hot engine!) ..

The pipes seem all okay, although I could not see everything.. but they "look" clean and healthy.. the top connector seems good too.. until I searched for the lower connection.. while the connection seems okay, I did notice residue on the floor and brown smudginess below the lower connector..

Once the glovebox is removed, you can actually see the pipes and heater core (I didnt remove it yet.. but this is a picture from my audio install):

 

That does look like a leak but, as I said originally, if it were still leaking a reasonable volume of coolant, depending upon how high the leak is, the carpets would be damp and you would smell antifreeze. If that dark patch is on the bottom of the chamber, it cannot find its way out of the condensate drain.

Richard

 

to close off this one..

indeed the heater core was leaking.. they removed the entire dash and also inspected the AC evaporator.. and guess what.. however, rather than putting in the 2000+USD Jaguar Branded one, they matched the AC evaporator core to the actual manufacturer one at only 200USD.. so that was replaced as well.. - I can sing along with Katy Perry again.. Hot n Cold

 

I have never seen a heater core/matrix in such poor condition. I find it very difficult to believe that it can have degraded to such an extent inside the dashboard. It looks like an external a/c condenser or radiator rather than an internal heater matrix?

Please could you post up a photo of the entire heater core as I would be very interested to see whether the corrosion has extended to the entire matrix or just that corner as that is an incredible deterioration of an internal component and, frankly, I am suspicious that there is something else going on here.

Richard

 

Only a quick video of both

I think it must be the weather here.. I live in Dubai where it's often VERY hot.. and super humid, blasting the AC at full power where the condensation even appears on the vents themselves..

 

Many thanks. I can see that the photo you posted up of the corroded component is, in fact, the evaporator rather than the heater core. The heater core itself is, as expected, in good condition, albeit that it does appear to have a coolant leak in it although I'm still surprised that any leaking coolant could ever find its way out of the condensate drain.

The evaporator is more prone to surface corrosion forming on the aluminium because it is wet with condensate, particularly in humid climates, although they usually last the life of the car. However, there is no coolant running through the evaporator so that has nothing to do with your coolant leak but would result in the a/c system losing R134A and ceasing to operate.

Anyway, I'm pleased that the coolant leak is fixed.

Richard