can someone help my heaters are shit on the hot setting they only blow warm and not for long temp gauge runs cool 2.changed thermostat.any ideas?

 

whats the condition of the water pump ?? sounds like it could be starting to fail to me

 

no its the heater matrix mate.....very common.

needs a new one easy job thankfully

 

yeh, once you've removed the dash, i've still got scares from the last one i changed.

 

i just flushed my matrix out

 

cheers guys i thought it was cos i changed the pump about a year ago so should still be ok.any idea how much they are cos times are hard as always

 

I paid Ł50 for a new one couple of weeks ago!

 

was that from ford mate or an aftermarket one?

 

I was told ford dont make them no more so it was a pattern part one! Only gota take center consol out so pretty easy really

 

Chances are its your matrix, check and see if the pipes going to it are nice and hot (both in and out), if they are, it could be gone, or it could even be something as simple as the flap in the box isnt closing properly, but more than likely the matrix, i would expect the out pipe to be colder.

I got a new one for my MK3 cabby and that cost me Ł20 new i think, or maybe Ł28, i forget now but it was aftermarket, heaters are almost too hot now lol

 

howdoes the dash come out as i have to do this and some othewr work? ive taken 2 screws from either side of the dash one behind the ash tray the ones along the top of the dash any more other than disconnecting clocks?

 

both pipes are hot in and out.if i let my car warm up without heaters on then switch them on they will be hot for a bit and then go cold so i switch them off to let them warm up again etc as its brass monkeys at the moment.and my temp gauge stays so low i never have to switch the cooling fan on(manual)unless im stuck in traffic.do i have to take the dash or can i get the matrix out with the centre console out of the way?its a frst and cheers for any help guys

 

Hang on, hang on, what does the temperature gauge read when you have the heaters on, does it go right back down to cold? and do the heaters go cold when you start driving?

 

Yep you only have to take out center consol done mine couple of weeks ago, I took the front seats outa mine for more room but thats far easier than havin dash out!

 

i'll bet its your thermostat

 

the temp gauge reads about a quarter when driving with heaters on or not.they dont go cold id say luke warm but it defo aint hot and they get colder when at a standstill.changed the stat couple of weeks ago still the same.also heaters aint very powerfull.

 

Hmmm if you've changed the stat then i'd guess its not that, to be honest the heaters should get hotter when you start driving even in this cold weather, because the coolant is flowing around faster, mine almost burns when you drive lol.

Check the flap is closing properly in the heater box (sorry i dont know how easy this is i dont own a fiesta ), and presumably if you say you did the pump about a year ago, and a stat recently the coolant should be nice and clean (not all sludgy)

 

I found that my cars engine temps was running hot all the time coz I suppose the matrix being blocked stops your water flowing round properly! When I had the matrix out I did flush it with a hose but not alot of crap came out but I still changed it anyway as I had bought the new one and hey presto had heaters again and car ran cooler! Only other thing I suppose is your water pump getting bit lazy?

 

I doubt the pipes are blocked as he said both the pipes are nice and hot, and i believe he said the car had a new pump about a year ago??

 

ive had a think about it and if my pump was failing my car would overheat.if my matrix was blocked slightly it would explain why the heaters get cooler when you leave them on cos whatever shit amount of coolant that its carrying due to poor flow would be cooled by the fan inside the car,also explaining why they go warm if you turn the heaters off for a while then back on which is allowing time for more hot coolant to enter the matrix.what do u reckon does it make sense

 

Possibly, i'd check the flap was opening and closing properly, otherwise you might end up struggling over the matrix and find its no better. The coolant flow through it should be continuous, if it was blocked usually the out pipe would be cooler/cold (depending of course on how blocked it is).

Whats the cooling system like condition wise, any signs of over heating/negligence (like orange stained bottles, orange stains on the engine bay around the bottle, and brown sludge in the bottle)

 

If I put me heaters on luke warm air would come out for bout 10 secs then go cold so I think ya best bet is to change the matrix, there not that expensive so I would use it as a starting point, if that doesnt work then you know the problem lies somewhere else!

 

cheers for your help guys im gonna see if the flaps shutting fully if it is then im gonna flush matrix out on weekend.im gonna try and do it in place cos i aint got time and hopefully it will cure it.cheers again ill keep you posted and hopefully get some photos up soon piper285t2,hybrid turbo technics t2,pace intercooler,chip,samcos,full stainless longlife,ap 4 paddle clutch,cts stage 1 lsd,15 psi 175bhp,180lbft.

 

Let us know how u get on

Silly you've done it now you've mentioned pictures you know how mad for them we all are