Coolant smell with heater on

[Mark0573]

Gday guys,

It has recently turned cold in Oz and the heater is now being used in the S2.2.

The heater works great, the only issue is a coolant smell while it is being used. As soon as I turn off the heater it goes away. Any suggestions?

Regards Mark

[Mark0573]

Thanks MC, will purchase one.

Sooooo wish it's just a hose, but I have s feeling it's going to be something tragic!

[Mark0573]

Well I removed the fan plenum today, could see the water pipes etc with no evidence of any leaks. Looked under the dash but could not see any evidence of leaks there either. So I guess it is the Matrix! I'm not going do anything at the moment as the leak must be very small. Hopefully make it last till next year when the car will be of the road, as it will need timing belt and fitment of stainless fuel tanks.

Regards Mark.

[mc21.8]

could try bit of radweld in maybe

[lotus4s]

I'm not a big fan of using sealants, but in this case I think I'd have to give it a shot before tackling the heater matrix...

[Mark0573]

Gday guys,

Thanks for the advise.

What does the radweld do? How does it effect the rest of the cooling system?

Regards Mark.

[Mark0573]

Did a fair bit of reading about these additives, I think I will stay clear of them and just replace the Matrix.

Regards Mark.

[mc21.8]

Well was standard with new build at factory 88 on?only problems is if you let it react with air ie empty for long periods.

[Mark0573]

Hi Neil,

Would you be able to post a few photos and maybe some steps for the dash removal and heater remove please.

Many thanks.

Regards Mark.

[Nelly]

Yes will do when I get home from work.

[Mark0573]

Thanks Neil. much appreciated,

Regards Mark

[Nelly]

OK, here we go. First thing I would say is this is for an S2. Later cars with the vacuum operation may be different but this should give you a good idea.

Firstly, this is what the heater box looks like:

As I mentioned, it is a metal casing which is riveted together. Below is a photo of it taken apart after refurbishment:

The side shown in the photo is actually screwed on, this is the side that is accessible from the drivers footwell. Depending on access, you may be able to get to the screws and removed the side panel and if you do you will then be looking end on to the heater matrix. I don't have a photo of the matrix but it is a small radiator.

Don't forget that the levers which move the flaps inside the box will need to be prised off as well before the side will come off. There are two, and if yours is like mine one (or both) of them will have snapped.

The other side panel (facing the passenger footwell) has two holes and the heater matrix simply pushes through these holes with the pipes angled inward to hold it in place - it is not secured in any other way inside the unit. Below is a photo and the two holes are arrowed:

You will need to remove the two hoses which come through the bodywork from the radiator first before you pull the matrix out - don't forget to put a bucket underneath to catch the coolant which will flow out the once disconnected!

If that does not work you will need to remove the dashboard. This is a long winded but simple job. I have not documented the whole proceedure but essentially:

- Remove the dials from the binacle, disconnect the wires (label each wire as you go) so that you can remove the binacle. This is held down by two hex bolts onto a metal support frame which holds it above the dashboard.

- There are two ventilation pipes in situ - one to the vent in the top of the binacle, one to the face vent in the left of the binacle. These go into the heater assembly but you can leave these in situ, may have to push them down into the dash a bit.

- Remove the metal binacle support (four bolts) and the piece of trim which sits underneath (2-4 screws)

- Remove your stereo if applicable

The dash is held onto a metal support rail by four bolts which look like this:

and are located at four points along the dash, roughly as below:

You will need to get underneath and undo the nuts holding them on. Get your hand underneath and have a feel around, the middle two can be accessed through the stereo hole.

Once undone the dash should lift off and up. You will also need to pull off the A pillar trims, these simply lift off and are held on by pipe clips on copper pipe! I removed the centre transmission tunnel trim as well but you may be lucky and lift the dash up withough having to touch it.

Once the dsah is off, you can see the heater assembly. It is certainly well hidden underneath the support rail and bulkhead!

This MAY now give you sufficient access to remove the side panel as detailed earlier.

IF however you do need to remove the whole box from the car you will need to do the following:

First, remove the cover in the front compartment

Then remove the blower unit. This is held on with four bolts as shown below:

Once undone you can then pull the blower gently off to reveal the back of the heater assembly:

The heater assembly is held on by four bolts which are undone from the front compartment - two are hidden by the drip tray under the windscreen but the arrows show the position:

Once undone the unit is free and can be removed. However it is a total pig as its a really tight fit. I removed it via the passnger side but I also had to remove the vent tubing to the dash face vent in order to get it out. Remove the ventilation pipes from the box - there are two on each side, for the windscreen and the face vents.

Also, it is a total bastard to get back in the car - I only did this last week and it was by far the worst job I have had to do and it took two of us, on inside and one outside so if you can get the side panel off then you should do that!

I hope that is of help, good luck!

Edited July 11, 2011 by Nelly9000

[Mark0573]

That's awesome mate.

Thanks so much.

not looking forward to it.

I will post my progress.

Regards Mark

[Nelly]

No problems, if you get stuck just shout.

[Mesprit87]

Good luck Mark,

Just did the job on mine last fall, let me tell you that later cars are not better (maybe worse).

I was surprised to see how different the installation and airbox were compared to my '87...

I won't be of any help...

I had mine re-cored and tested.

I also agree about the fume in the windshield... no way around it, anti-freeze.

Luc

[Don Tate]

Hi Mark,

I had exactly the same problem as you and it was a small leak in the heater core. The car never lost coolant level nor was there ever any coolant visible in or out of the car. The smell came only when the heater was on and would film the windows. Luc is a generous member who supplied me with photos and valuable info to get the core out for repair. Yes it is a SOB of a job so save it for the winter when you might put the car up for a bit and can spend some time on the job. Look under the interior category and you will see recent posts regarding the core repair.

Don

[2many cars]

I just completed the heater matrix replacement chore for the same reason, antifreeze smell and windscreen fogging. Thank you to Luc as well as his photos were really helpful in getting this nasty job done. I can't say it was hard exactly, just long, frustrating and at times maddening. Thanks Luc and good luck to those who do this in the future. With enough time and patience it is do-able!

[drdoom]

Hey Mark,

Mine is an S2 with A/C and the photos posted in this thread don't correlate with my components. My HVAC main case, which does not look like that posted, is assembled from blown plastic mouldings riveted together, not steel. Also, the pics of boot area plenum cover and blower look to be of the Stevens series. If you want further pics I can post a number which reveal the parts and their locations in the unit, and placement in the dash area.

Agree you're very likely looking at a heater core leak, and yes, it will be found to be the point around which all other parts of the car were constructed. A trusted pro mechanic, when offering advice on how to remove the core on my wife's Mustang many years ago, told me to start in the back seat. He wasn't kidding, as I confirmed once all of the console and dash pieces needing removal had been dealt with. It's a long time since I tore out my Esprit kit but it's a large lump tucked well up under the dash and there is NO way you'll get to the core by way of the boot area if your set-up is like mine.

Condolences

Steve

[2many cars]

Steve, your setup looks very similar to the one on my '86 Turbo so I'd expect the procedure is much the same. I will say that in later years Lotus got much more generous with the silicone sealant as the joints and seems around my box were slathered with the stuff - and it all looked to be original!