Cliffy Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I have a 2.0ltr 2004 Ducato I am getting slight water leak from the casing of the cab heater. It is definitely water/antifreeze mixture so not water ingress from outside. I have taken the glove box off and it looks like I need to take the whole of the dashboard off to get anywhere near getting the the heatercasing off to see where the leak is coming from. Has anyone else had a similar problem and if so is am I going to find any nasties when I take the remainder of the dashboard off? The leak is only a few drips every now and then and if I switch the heater off it stops after a while. I am concerned about the corrosive affect on the internals of the heater over the longer term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Oh dear. You do not want to know what a devil of a job it is to replace the heater matrix in yoru ducato, I did this end sof last summer and posted pics on a thread somwhere. It really is a nightmare to replace as the whole dash has to come out. I would certainly find it easier now I have done once. You could use a coolant system sealer but they can cause other problems and to be honest I favour replacing the matrix. It is a days work for a garage and i would say longer if they where to do a careful job of replacing everything and it is not beyond the capabilities of a good DIYer as long as you take photos and makes notes. The water just collects in teh bottom of the plastic heater case mpulding and the leaks out where you see it. It wil not corrode anything inside by diorect contact. The only worry would be any steam produced affecting the motor but mote stil looked clean and bright....justdusty dirt as normal. If replaceing teh matrx, do not do what I did and forget to rinse all the fins. Aftermarket ones have an oil film coating to keep them looking shiny new in possible long term storage, if it is not rinsed of it stinks quite a lot when you use for the 1st few months. (just plunge in and out, the whole thing into a bowl of washing up liquid and then rinse and shake ecess out carefully - place in front of a fan heater and takes a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 As I expected just looking at it, it looks like it was made not to be easy. I am not going to rush in to it as we dont use the van in Winter. I was hoping it might have been a perished pipe. How much was the new matrix? Are there any tips other than taking photos hidden screws and the like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 From memory I paid around £50 to £60. You have to really shop around as the exact same part can from particular suppliers vary enormously. Just looked out my receipt..Boston Radiators Services Ltd £54.50 all in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 There are loads of tips I can probably give you. To many to list just now but send me a PM if you decide to replace yourself.. Fortunately there is plenty of room in Motorhome rear to lay everything out neatly, but I will repeat, not for the faint hearted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 As a first step I would try a sealer.The one that I have found very effective at protecting the cooling system and stopping leaks is" Bar's leaks". Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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