davyd8899 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 hi all i come seeking wisdom once again!!! the blowers in my 300tdi disco is blowing stone old when fully warmed up. it has always done this so after a new head, gasket, bolts etc (it needed his anyways!) am assuming the heater matrix is shot. there are no air locks etc. so how easy is it to replace the matrix?? look forwards to all your responces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffernutter Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I did mine a couple of years ago. Think of it this way, when they build a Disco, you start with a bare shell and the next thing they put in is the heater matrix! It took me a day and a half to replace the matrix on mine. The instruction in the manual are very good, there's just a lot of stuff to take out! Cheers Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 sounds like it could be blocked, have you tried some cooling system flush first? or maybe try back flushing it with a hose? it's not a major hassle, dash has to come out, but the heater unit itself can be left in place, very fiddly getting the pipes to reseal afterwards though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimaquinas Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 hi as above its the dash board out easy but time consuming but i would make sure the flaps are moving first before taking the plunge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyd8899 Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 flaps are moving, there is a definate and noticable change of air flow when turning the heater control from hot to cold. would this happen even if it was blocked?? if i took the pipes off the head and the metal pipe and blew through with a hose would this clear any blockage?? all thoughts greatfully recieved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyd8899 Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 have just blew through the heater with a hose, flushed the system and............................................ Stone cold air!!! so guessing the matrix is shot??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimaquinas Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 hi i did a audi 80 a few weeks ago with the same problem and with both the pipes on the same header tank of the rad it was a pain to clear but the owner had a tin of halfords rad flush so i blocked 1 pipe and filled the heater through the other pipe and left it for a hour or so and it did the job worth a try before taking the dash out hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teabag Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 have just blew through the heater with a hose, flushed the system and............................................ Stone cold air!!! so guessing the matrix is shot??? Only two thing to go wrong with a heater matrix, it is leaking or the water flow is blocked, so are the flow and return hoses hot indicating there is a flow through the matrix, if so then is must be the airflow/blending controls or dampers not working which has been known according to the forums.. As diesel run cool is the engine reaching it proper running tempreture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyd8899 Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 if so then is must be the airflow/blending controls or dampers not working which has been known according to the forums... flaps are moving, there is a definate and noticable change of air flow when turning the heater control from hot to cold. the pipes are geting warm but wouldnt describe them as hot. temperature guage reads smack in the middle. sticking thermostat maybe?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teabag Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 the pipes are geting warm but wouldnt describe them as hot. temperature guage reads smack in the middle. sticking thermostat maybe?? The pipes should be as near hot as the top hose. The heater temp is not reliant on the thermostat being open or closed but only on the engine/coolent temp you should have some warmth even before the thermostate has even opened. Have you removed the fan or blanked off the lower half of the rad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Take the hoses and steel pipes of the engine for inspection first - they're easy enough to do, but he matrix is harder to get at. The steel pipe that runs along the top of the head rusts up and the hoses may have collapsed internally. I'd second the idea of back-flushing the matrix and soaking it in rad flush for a while to dissolve deposits before stripping it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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