Heater Matrix - I can hear the water!

Recently I have started to hear the sound of water through the matrix, and think it may be partially blocked.

Any suggestions to the best way to flush it through? The last thing I want is a split Matrix!!!!

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Have read through some of the previous threads on flushing the matrix.

Is it as simple as putting a hose on it for 5-10 minutes per outlet?

How robust is the matrix, I read that some people have used acid etc but would that not weaken the matrix?

TBH I am not sure if it is blocked but I am getting a gurgling sound from behind the dash?

If anyone else has experienced this and knows the cause I would be grateful!

Hi mate. You may just have an air lock in the coolant system. See if you've got any air in the rad when you take the cap off. I did. Topped it up, filled the overflow up to max mark (Toyota red coolant or demineralised water may be OK). made sure that rad was full and pushed cap back on. No more running water sounds

cheers jay, will give this a check.

One of the odd things that I should have mentioned is that the rad always looks full (it was a new rad and cap about a year ago), but the overflow is always empty. It has no cracks etc, but if I fill it up whenever I remember to next look at it its empty again?

Any ideas?

Sorry mate, other than there may a leak somewhere. Check the passenger footwell. If thats wet you may have a matrix problem

Apparently running water may also be Head Gasket failure. Does the coolant smell of exhaust gas? If so then that is (most likely) HG

You may just have a leak - check the hoses from the rad to the overflow tank

hello all, i can hear a sort of rush of water behind dash in the morning when i start her up from cold, could call it gurgling i suppose, my rad in always full and my heaters are like an oven, just checking to see what you guys thinks, it is booked on for full service now shortly.

i dont think its anything to worry about, i remember my k reg mr2 used to do it years ago, and that car was a peach

I may be waaaaay off here, but that gurgling you are describing (just behind the dash), I had that on my old MKIII and it turned out to be a cracked head gasket. Do you have any foam or oil residue in your water?

hello, funny that i just popped out to check water rad level/expantion tank level, car is cold been sitting for 1 day, rad appears to be down on water a little and the expansion tank is on low mark, can see oil or anything, oil cap is good also, havint had car long mind.

It may just be an airlock. I made a mod to my system a few months back and I have never had a problem since! I fitted a t shaped piece of copper pipe into the pipework at the highest point of the system ie: at the rear of the engine above the engine block.

Mine is NA but I take it that the heater pipes follow the same route?

I can now fill the system from the highest point, rather than hoping that the water pump will force the air into the expansion tank and out to atmosphere!

The fitting is a little unsightly but it has cured my heater problem. I may get some stainless connections to make it a bit more bling!! Obviously if there is air in the system, then you have lost water somewhere!!

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2420/pict1159aa7.jpg

H.

well like i say i havint had it long, so i dont know if the previous owner had the coolent dun and didint top it up properly, i will top it up asap, car drives very smooth no prob, what level should the coolent be when cold, IE rad full and coolent tank full etc

well like i say i havint had it long, so i dont know if the previous owner had the coolent dun and didint top it up properly, i will top it up asap, car drives very smooth no prob, what level should the coolent be when cold, IE rad full and coolent tank full etc

There should be a level marker on the side of the expansion tank. Do not fill it to the top as then the expansion will have no where to go when heated.....

About 60% full is about right if memory serves!!

H.

so rad full and tank about half way yeah

so rad full and tank about half way yeah

There should be a marker on the side though. It is quite faint but it's on the radiator side of the tank on my NA!

H.

just topped up, rad looked down on water but infact took like 200/300ml and expansion tank took about a pint,its just under max on tank, so not far off a litre it took, dont know if that sounds bad to you, i do think you can look a little to much in to things sometimes tho i find, probably nothing

just topped up, rad looked down on water but infact took like 200/300ml and expansion tank took about a pint,its just under max on tank, so not far off a litre it took, dont know if that sounds bad to you, i do think you can look a little to much in to things sometimes tho i find, probably nothing

I sh!t myself when I bought my car as I forgot to check the coolant level when I viewed it..... The header tank was emptywhen I checked. I got some Toyota coolant and filled the header tank, it has lost hardly any in the year since....

You could have a small leak somewhere that evaporates when the engine is warm, very difficult to find!!

H.

cheers mate, i think probably nothing, well its all full up to the brim now so il check it in a few days time, think the last service it had was a good year ago if not more, but hasint dun the mileage mind. who knows when the coolent was last dun, there seems to the toyota red 4life stuff in there(looks a nice red colour), i will be dropping this all for new coolent anyway. the oil is good(needed 1 litre top up when i bought the car but again the service was dun a while ago now, ive read on here that they can take a little oil, i check the oil fine since, my mr2 was the same. overall the car drives like new to be honest, its a 94 JDM tt, dun bang 80,000miles now, do you or anyone on here know if headgasket failure is a problem with these cars then becasue from what i read they are boom proof, is 14 years old mind i suppose.

cheers mate, i think probably nothing, well its all full up to the brim now so il check it in a few days time, think the last service it had was a good year ago if not more, but hasint dun the mileage mind. who knows when the coolent was last dun, there seems to the toyota red 4life stuff in there(looks a nice red colour), i will be dropping this all for new coolent anyway. the oil is good(needed 1 litre top up when i bought the car but again the service was dun a while ago now, ive read on here that they can take a little oil, i check the oil fine since, my mr2 was the same. overall the car drives like new to be honest, its a 94 JDM tt, dun bang 80,000miles now, do you or anyone on here know if headgasket failure is a problem with these cars then becasue from what i read they are boom proof, is 14 years old mind i suppose.

HG failure certainly isn't common. Not something I have had much experience with tbh!!

H.

thanks for the advice havard,

WOW guys, head gaskets, cracked heads, leaking rads, stop worrying........its none of those. The gargling sound you can hear is a small air block probably in the matrix itself. I get this first thing in the morning as well when I start her up, if I blip the throttle I hear a gurgling, although it tends to disappear after a few minutes when things start to warm up, probably due to everything expanding and getting hotter.

To get rid of a air block, try jacking the front of the car up, taking the rad cap off and running the car for a bit, not until she is fully warm though otherwise you tend to end up with a geeza, trust me lol......although I have tried this many a time, I have never been able to shift that small air block but it doesnt cause any issues it seems, at WOT and through the summer my temps are always ok, just that weird little gurgle I get first thing in the morning.......

thats exactly what i get blip throttle and you can hear the water rushing/gurgling about on start up, didint think it was trouble but you never know, it is very easy to start worry over sometime which is probably nothing ,cheers suprash.

WELL ITS BEEN MONTHS SINCE I TOPPED UP AND ITS BANG ON PERFECT

thats exactly what i get blip throttle and you can hear the water rushing/gurgling about on start up, didint think it was trouble but you never know, it is very easy to start worry over sometime which is probably nothing ,cheers suprash.