And finally ( Leak)

[fred_raven]

As all of you regulars will know - have had several faults recently now only a leak to sort

Have had the water pump changed ( by mechanic) , I changed the Duovalve ( easy enough) . BUT now have a leak, losing around 1 litre per day ( around 200 mls)

Am pretty sure its not from duovalve area , no signs. Cant see anything around water pump, but could be coming out from underneath ( hidden by lower cover ) or maybe the heater matrix ( did make LOUD gurgling noises when lost water when pump went .

But even with this amount of loss i cant see anysigns of a leak - any ideas how i can track it down. I read that leak sealers ( barr's ) arnt good to use - any that are ok if i cant find it ?

 

[Pietre]

Can you put any pressure in the system to see where the water bubbles/spurts out from? If you are replacing the fluid try using a dye of some sort, even a food dye should help to track the location of a leak.

 

[fred_raven]

tried the dye - didnt help - eventually saw small puddles under middle of car. could find the leak - had to go to friendly mechanic - removed the under cover and pressurised - fluid was coming out of either side of the bell housing - so we assume the heater matrix has a leak. EEEEKK

15 hours ( £550 + vat to replace ) plus parts - only £70 ish .

have tried Radweld for now and crossing my fingers.

Should i contemplate doing ity myself - think the whole dash has to come out !!!

 

[glojo]

My personal opinion is to bite the bullet and get it repaired by someone you know that has the expertise to do a professional job. Radweld, or any other temporary repair will eventually let you down at precisely the wrong place and precisely the wrong time. If you breakdown on the road then it will perhaps cost far more than taking it to someone of your choice!

Good luck with the decision,
John

 

[Pietre]

Is the quote from your local stealer, as your age of car gets labour and parts discount supported from Mercedes. I had to remind my dealer of the discount and saved quite a few quid on my new shocks. Always worth asking the question. I think Tony Purslow is 40% discount or somewhere near there.

 

[fred_raven]

so - with no heating the leak is minimal - turn heater on and it becomes a torrent, BUT all the leakage is underneath - i thought if matrix had leak it usually got into the cabin.

Is there anything else that could be leaking - and importantly is t here any way of getting a clear view of the heater from the engine bay - without removing it ( and the dash)