It's happened again!

Post by **chilly** » Tue May 13, 2008 8:38 am

Every time I get our van out of winter storage I get the same problem and cant suss out what's causing it.
For the first 3 or 4 runs of the year we get a hot mist (not steam) coming out of the windscreen heater vent as soon as the van get slightly warm. The mist, which steams up the windows around the vents, is accompanied by a 'metallic' smell.
I changed the thermostat and the heater matrix doesn't appear to be leaking (no drips).
Has anybody any idea what can be causing this annoying problem.

Cheers
Chris

Post by **rayofleamington** » Tue May 13, 2008 4:52 pm

I can only guess that it is damp in the heater matrix causing the mist. Either the matrix has a slight leak, or the damp has got in there some other way.
I had one that did the same, and it didn't get a lot worse in the 18 months i had it, although I don't know how long it lasted since then.

Post by **wibble_puppy** » Tue May 13, 2008 5:33 pm

hi chris,

I wonder if your heater matrix could have got furred up, making it retain moisture at the end of the season? Might be worth flushing it out, perhaps?

wibble xx

Post by **DaveC** » Wed May 14, 2008 1:04 pm

Hi Chris
The metallic smell could be antifreeze, and if so as Ray and Wibble say you could have a leak in the matrix, or the jubilee clips may be loose: I guess it would be most likely to leak as the engine heats up and pressure builds. Just another thought though, I don't suppose there is a dip in the air inlet pipe in the engine bay causing water to lay in it?

Dave

Post by **Peetee** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:06 pm

I would imagine it is caused by the heater system retaining heat and attracting condensation.