There is enough info on cyberspace about this so I wont go through it in detail.
My dash has been producing a little bit of steam since ive had the car... never been a worry as I knew the lack of any real leaks meant it was still very early days... today the steam got a little worse so decided to tackle it.
Im pretty sure my matrix is actually ok, it was just the pipe seals but while ive got it all out ill change the matrix.
It wasnt quite as bad as I thought it would be, started around 2pm and had it out in my hand at 3.45.
This is something I loosely followed from another forum
Steering Wheel
1. Set the front wheels strait disconnect the cable form the negative terminal of the battery. 2. On later models remove the air bag and unbolt the steering wheel. On early models Use a small screw driver and remove the trim motif from the center of the of the steering wheel. 3. Use an Allen wrench socket and extension and remove the wheel retaining bolt. 4. Remove the wheel from the shaft.
Instrument Panel
5. Remove the cover under the dash on the drivers side. Looking under the dash find and remove the left hand air duct. 6. Reach up behind the dash and unscrew the speedometer retaining nut on the back of the instrument panel and detach the cable from the speedometer head. 7. Push out the instrument panel from the rear to release the five retaining clips. 8. Remove the electrical connectors form the instrument panel mark them so u know where they go for reassembly 9. Remove the panel from the car.
Glove Box
10. Pry out the glove box lamp and disconnect it. 11. Remove the 2 screws holding the latch bracket. 12.Remove the plastic clips by prying up on the top to release it and then remove it. 13. Remove the glove box make sure to feed the light wires thru.
Center Dash Console
14. Remove the center vents using a needle nose pliers surrounded by a rag, they just pull out. 15. Locate the bolt located in the slot of the center vent lever with the vents closed remove it. 16. Remove the two screws holding it up to the dash. 17. Remove the two screws holding it to the transmission tunnel on either side this is on the older models only. The later models, slide out the ashtray and removel the two screws this will let the tray come out then there is two more screws attaching it to the rest of the console. 18. Pull the whole unit forward. Unplug the connectors to the rocker switch, the fan switch, the two pushbutton unit connectors, the two ashtray connectors, and anything else you see in the way, including the radio.
Dash
19. Remove the passenger side cover located under the dash it will be held by three screws remove the plastic caps covering the screws to gain access remove the screws then remove panel. 20. Pull back the weather striping on the front pillar on both sides. Remove both front pillar trim panels by prying the clips loose. 21. Remove the retaining screw and remove both speaker grilles. 22. Remove both upper retaining bolt on both sides of the dash adjacent to the speakers. 23. Uses pliers and a cloth pull off the headlight switch knob remove the nut unplug and remove switch. 24. If equipped pry out the headlight beam adjustment switch disconnect and remove making note of connections 25. Pry out rear dome light switch unplug and remove. 26. Remove the 2 side retaining bolt located on each side of the dash at the bottom. 27. Pull the air duct for the passenger side outlet. 28. Disconnect the glove box lamp switch wires. 29. Remove the bolt on the underside of the dash securing it to the body stiffener. 30. Pull the hose off the rear of the center vents. 31. Carefully pry off the ignition trim ring, 32. Remove the retaining bolt form behind the glove box cover and the inner nut at the bottom right hand side. 33. Pull out the demister nozzles on the heater box and remove dash from car slowly making sure that nothing was missed.
Heater Unit
34. Drain the coolant 35. Release the cable retaining tie on the left of the unit and remove the screw on the wiring terminal. 36. Disconnect the blower motor switch connector. 37. Disconnect the vacuum lines and illumination bulb wiring at the rear of the heater controls. 38. Place a drain pan beneath the engine at the rear of the head. 39. Disconnect the heater feed hose at the rear of the cylinder head drivers side. 40. Disconnect the heater return hose at the thermostat housing. 41. Use compressed air to slowly push remaining coolant out of the heater core (matrix). 42. Inside remove the two bolts and separate the return flow pipe at the matrix flange joint. 43. Pull off the right hand air duct at the heater unit below thee feed floe pipe. 44. Remove the two bolts and separate the feed flow pipe from the matrix. 45. Pull off the Left hand air duct at the heater. 46. Force off the feed flow pipe holder at the firewall on the left hand side. 47. Unscrew the mounting bracket nut below the feed floe pipe. 48. Unscrew the right hand mounting bracket nut below the return flow pipe. 49. Unscrew the two mounting nuts at the top of the heater unit. 50. Disconnect the cable at the blower motor slide switch and main air flap. 51. Separate the unit from the mounting studs and remove it. 52. Remove the screws on the heater unit air intake. 53. Carefully pry off the retaining clips along the top, bottom and sides of the unit. 54. Force the connecting linkage out of the left and right hand defogger flap arm. 55. Push back the lock on the left hand defogger flap, while at the same time pulling off the connector linkage lever. 56. Pull off the gaskets on the left and right hand defogger nozzle connections. 57. Push off the connecting levers of the mixed air flaps on the left and right hand levers. 58. Pry the left and right hand mixed air flap connecting lever ball heads off the ball socket. 59. Separate the two halves of the heater unit and remove the mixed air flaps. 60. Remove the heater core frame retaining screws, remove the frame and take out the heater core.
My dash has been producing a little bit of steam since ive had the car... never been a worry as I knew the lack of any real leaks meant it was still very early days... today the steam got a little worse so decided to tackle it.
Im pretty sure my matrix is actually ok, it was just the pipe seals but while ive got it all out ill change the matrix.
It wasnt quite as bad as I thought it would be, started around 2pm and had it out in my hand at 3.45.
This is something I loosely followed from another forum
Steering Wheel
1. Set the front wheels strait disconnect the cable form the negative terminal of the battery. 2. On later models remove the air bag and unbolt the steering wheel. On early models Use a small screw driver and remove the trim motif from the center of the of the steering wheel. 3. Use an Allen wrench socket and extension and remove the wheel retaining bolt. 4. Remove the wheel from the shaft.
Instrument Panel
5. Remove the cover under the dash on the drivers side. Looking under the dash find and remove the left hand air duct. 6. Reach up behind the dash and unscrew the speedometer retaining nut on the back of the instrument panel and detach the cable from the speedometer head. 7. Push out the instrument panel from the rear to release the five retaining clips. 8. Remove the electrical connectors form the instrument panel mark them so u know where they go for reassembly 9. Remove the panel from the car.
Glove Box
10. Pry out the glove box lamp and disconnect it. 11. Remove the 2 screws holding the latch bracket. 12.Remove the plastic clips by prying up on the top to release it and then remove it. 13. Remove the glove box make sure to feed the light wires thru.
Center Dash Console
14. Remove the center vents using a needle nose pliers surrounded by a rag, they just pull out. 15. Locate the bolt located in the slot of the center vent lever with the vents closed remove it. 16. Remove the two screws holding it up to the dash. 17. Remove the two screws holding it to the transmission tunnel on either side this is on the older models only. The later models, slide out the ashtray and removel the two screws this will let the tray come out then there is two more screws attaching it to the rest of the console. 18. Pull the whole unit forward. Unplug the connectors to the rocker switch, the fan switch, the two pushbutton unit connectors, the two ashtray connectors, and anything else you see in the way, including the radio.
Dash
19. Remove the passenger side cover located under the dash it will be held by three screws remove the plastic caps covering the screws to gain access remove the screws then remove panel. 20. Pull back the weather striping on the front pillar on both sides. Remove both front pillar trim panels by prying the clips loose. 21. Remove the retaining screw and remove both speaker grilles. 22. Remove both upper retaining bolt on both sides of the dash adjacent to the speakers. 23. Uses pliers and a cloth pull off the headlight switch knob remove the nut unplug and remove switch. 24. If equipped pry out the headlight beam adjustment switch disconnect and remove making note of connections 25. Pry out rear dome light switch unplug and remove. 26. Remove the 2 side retaining bolt located on each side of the dash at the bottom. 27. Pull the air duct for the passenger side outlet. 28. Disconnect the glove box lamp switch wires. 29. Remove the bolt on the underside of the dash securing it to the body stiffener. 30. Pull the hose off the rear of the center vents. 31. Carefully pry off the ignition trim ring, 32. Remove the retaining bolt form behind the glove box cover and the inner nut at the bottom right hand side. 33. Pull out the demister nozzles on the heater box and remove dash from car slowly making sure that nothing was missed.
Heater Unit
34. Drain the coolant 35. Release the cable retaining tie on the left of the unit and remove the screw on the wiring terminal. 36. Disconnect the blower motor switch connector. 37. Disconnect the vacuum lines and illumination bulb wiring at the rear of the heater controls. 38. Place a drain pan beneath the engine at the rear of the head. 39. Disconnect the heater feed hose at the rear of the cylinder head drivers side. 40. Disconnect the heater return hose at the thermostat housing. 41. Use compressed air to slowly push remaining coolant out of the heater core (matrix). 42. Inside remove the two bolts and separate the return flow pipe at the matrix flange joint. 43. Pull off the right hand air duct at the heater unit below thee feed floe pipe. 44. Remove the two bolts and separate the feed flow pipe from the matrix. 45. Pull off the Left hand air duct at the heater. 46. Force off the feed flow pipe holder at the firewall on the left hand side. 47. Unscrew the mounting bracket nut below the feed floe pipe. 48. Unscrew the right hand mounting bracket nut below the return flow pipe. 49. Unscrew the two mounting nuts at the top of the heater unit. 50. Disconnect the cable at the blower motor slide switch and main air flap. 51. Separate the unit from the mounting studs and remove it. 52. Remove the screws on the heater unit air intake. 53. Carefully pry off the retaining clips along the top, bottom and sides of the unit. 54. Force the connecting linkage out of the left and right hand defogger flap arm. 55. Push back the lock on the left hand defogger flap, while at the same time pulling off the connector linkage lever. 56. Pull off the gaskets on the left and right hand defogger nozzle connections. 57. Push off the connecting levers of the mixed air flaps on the left and right hand levers. 58. Pry the left and right hand mixed air flap connecting lever ball heads off the ball socket. 59. Separate the two halves of the heater unit and remove the mixed air flaps. 60. Remove the heater core frame retaining screws, remove the frame and take out the heater core.
