chris_bramley Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 Hi Life was fine till it rained a few days ago, as it does often. My car is fine in rain, up until now, when it now steams up inside unbelievably... in fact, with the heaters on full blast on the windscreen it clears perhaps a centimeter at the bottom. I drove carefulyl home tonight, and when I opened the car a huge gush of mist came out with me. The blower itself seems to be pumping incredibly moist air intot he car, from whence it cannot escape! :O Can anyone help? My mechanic friend said sometimes it happens on most any car when a rain channel is blocked by something and moisture pools, and mists into the blower system, but I don't know where these are on the car or how to fix it! Help! Thx C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted December 26, 2004 Author Share Posted December 26, 2004 Managed to find other posts (search didn't find them first time ?! Hence the post). It happened suddenly, could it be ANYTHING except the heater matrix? And can someone give me a rough quote/somewhere good in Surrey that would do it? It was fine until a coupla days ago, it rained, I went to bed, got up, got in the car lunchtime and bam... started misting. I assumed it was as per, stuck heat on, no change... COULD this be down to leaves or something? My aforementioned friend said his mum had this issue, he cleared leaves out of the rain channels around the air intake and it worked, or something. Argh! NOT now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 This could be well off-track but ... I've had this problem - but that was because I had the blower on recirculating - recycling the moisture and misting up the windscreen. As soon as I stuck it on the other mode .. it was fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 Over the past month mine always seems to have condensation inside the car too. It clears after about 1 minute with the blower on full speed. You do have your air-con switched on don't you? Could be your air-con needs looking at or at worst you may have a leaking heater matrix. Check for damp carpets in the footwells and check the level of coolant in the expansion tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 Almost certainly the heater matrix is leaking, see if the rad or overflow bottle have lost coolant. There's a slight possinbility the A/C evaporator matrix box in the heater has a blocked drain. It can be accessed from under the car a,d the hose pulled off inside the passenger footwell to se if it's choked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted December 26, 2004 Author Share Posted December 26, 2004 Thanks for the swift info guys. Just to further pinpoint things, I have tried A/C (which works fine but doesn't really clear it), Full hot air, and every stage in between, on both recirculating and atmospheric settings. Nothing seems to work. It's weird, the windscreen steams up literally 10-20 seconds after I wipe it clear. Hazardous and bloody annoying, nothing seems to have changed; it worked, it rained, it didn't work all of a sudden. Arent' these things meant to start going wrong and get worse?! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted December 26, 2004 Author Share Posted December 26, 2004 Oh and re the A/C drainage hose/heater matrix and other stuff that can be checked over, does ANYONE in the UK know of a Haynes-type manual for this car? For to know what the hell I dost look at, kind of fing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 Oh and re the A/C drainage hose/heater matrix and other stuff that can be checked over, does ANYONE in the UK know of a Haynes-type manual for this car? For to know what the hell I dost look at, kind of fing. The only manuals are Toyoto, Any news on coolant level in your rad and overflow bottle. If they are OK then given the sudden change and circumstances, a bloked drain would be your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeT Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 i had a similar thing happen to me a few weeks back. definitely has to be moisture and i wasnt losing any coolant. i noticed rain had been getting past the door rubbers so a bit of vasoline later and havent had any condensation since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovatt Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 after doing my own heater matrix i hope for your sake it isnt that, but it sounds very much like it :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 a bit of vasoline later. Doesn't that rot the rubber? Silicon lubricant is probably a wiser choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted December 26, 2004 Author Share Posted December 26, 2004 Any news on coolant level in your rad and overflow bottle . no idea on checking these, I have a weird range of knowledge about the car. I know some stuff really well but I've not had it too long and the layout is different from my mkiii so I don't know where the overflow is... anyone got hints on checking the above? It is unlikely to be a rubber fit, the car was full of MIST - not just condensation but honest to God flowing damn FOG! if I can work out checking the above I'll do it tomorrow and hope to God the suddenness after rain means a blocked drain. Someone MUST know a mechanic in Surrey who can do this at short notice... and for how much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovatt Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 its so easy to check, just take your rad cap off (silver cap with yellow sticker on the top at the front of the engine bay, ontop off the big black radiator) see if the level has droped from the top, you can do it now with a torch its easy, takes about 5 seconds, not many people will want to do this job as it very involved, its not a cheap fix either, im sure my boss would take it on if you get stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hy-Performance Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Mine has done this and its the heater mat Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 its so easy to check, just take your rad cap off (silver cap with yellow sticker on the top at the front of the engine bay, ontop off the big black radiator) see if the level has droped from the top, you can do it now with a torch its easy, takes about 5 seconds, not many people will want to do this job as it very involved, its not a cheap fix either, im sure my boss would take it on if you get stuck Did it, bugger, bout 1cm of water left in it. Damndamndamn. I guess that gives it 99% definite that it's the bloody matrix. It was so sudden too, i was hoping it was a blocked ac channel Whereabouts is your boss and what's his availability... and price for it? I stopped working just b4 xmas, bad time to be out of a job, so I'm very tight on money at the moment. Last thing I needed If anyone knows any other places around surrey that can do this, and soon, PLEASE let me know! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 opps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 Thanks for everyone's suggestions, unfortunately everything I have tried has not worked - I think the system leaks under pressuer so unless I want to drive the car at a stately 40mph top I think the matrix needs doing. anyone willing to quote around Surrey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatmerecat Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Sorry to hear about the matrix fella, It's going to cost over £500 as the whole dash has to be pulled out (Leon at JPS just quoted me a ball park figure for my own car). I'm going to book mine in as soon as I get back from hols Alternatively, you can Bypass the matrix (mine has also been like this for nearly a year now) with a bit of 15-18mm pipe and two elbows, get chilly but won't break the bank, it's debatable if you need a restriction in the bypass (which is mentioned somewhere in these forums), but I've not got a restriction in. I can do you some photo's of what you need to do if you'd like. Not ideal but it gets you mobile and after 150 odd miles the tranny tunnel warms up the car just enough. (invest in some top quality gloves as well) Here's the result of my adventures in the matrix HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bramley Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 Holy shit! £500!! I take it that without this you have no hot air.... does anyone have a guide to DIY so I can see where the matrix is and a list of what I/a mechanic friend would need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatmerecat Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 To quote Leon's email... "I can get a second hand matrix for approx £100, labour is around £300 + drain a/c and refill approx £100." Chris Wilson says there's a lot of stuff back there to break, such as clips etc. I'll try to help with as much as I know about it (which 'aint much) but I do know how you feel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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