Help Removing W124 Matrix

[rumelk]

Hey Peeps,

Im on the process of removing my heater matrix on the W124, im doing ok got the entire dashboard out, just cant get the matrix out?! i no that the heater unit needs to come out to access the matrix, but i cant seem to get it out.

Do the pipes need to come out with it? ive been going through the haynes manual, but for some reaosn what it says is not really working here?

Any help will be gladly apprciated

My Progress so far:

 

[bolide]

The entire heater box needs to come off the bulkhead. You end up with a hole about a foot square in the bulkhead

You'll need to disconnect the heater pipes in the engine bay to pull the heater box & aluminium pipework through. You need to remove the whole tray for the heater fan and break the mastic sealing the heater box to the bulkhead before the heater will budge

You have to split the heater unit to get at an aircon evaporator and I assume the same is true for a heater matrix

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

 

[rumelk]

The entire heater box needs to come off the bulkhead. You end up with a hole about a foot square in the bulkhead

You'll need to disconnect the heater pipes in the engine bay to pull the heater box & aluminium pipework through. You need to remove the whole tray for the heater fan and break the mastic sealing the heater box to the bulkhead before the heater will budge

You have to split the heater unit to get at an aircon evaporator and I assume the same is true for a heater matrix

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

ive disconnected the pipes from the engine bay. There are four bolts at the back, there is a rubber like backing behind the pipes attached underneath the windscreen, is this the mastic sealing you are talking about? (do i replace it with a new one, or carefully rip it off as its pretty tight).

How do i split the heater unit, as ive taken off as many clips and screws possible, or isit something that splits upon removal of the enitre unit?

Thanks for the help

 

[The Boss]

bloody hell..

wow.. this puts Marcano to shame! hope it works out for you.. but.. wow..

 

[BillyW124]

OMG! Carnage

Good luck!

i was watching the 'garage' the other day english mechs working in spain and were doing a similar job to an r129 i think. They mentioned what a nightmare it was as there is so many nuts and bolts to hold everything together.

..they also go on to mention about the super build quality with this in mind which they quote 'this is why u dont get any rattle noise over bumps etc' compared with a ford (or somthing like that)!

 

[mr. shr]

OMG! Carnage

Good luck!

i was watching the 'garage' the other day english mechs working in spain and were doing a similar job to an r129 i think. They mentioned what a nightmare it was as there is so many nuts and bolts to hold everything together.

..they also go on to mention about the super build quality with this in mind which they quote 'this is why u dont get any rattle noise over bumps etc' compared with a ford (or somthing like that)!

I remember seeing that episode. Didn't the lad say something like, "why use one bolt to secure a panel when you can use ten!!??"

Or something like that.

 

[BillyW124]

yea..something along these lines

 

[Classic_car]

Looks like it's progressing well, you are certainly brave attempting this. I am still repeatedly flushing my matrix to try to improve the heat, but will watch this thread with interest.

Did you get you new matrix from that link I gave you? Would you recommend them?

 

[rumelk]

hey guys, just to let you know i fineally have heating. Its not that bad, all in all took about 4 hours to remove the dashboard, its the actual bulkhead which was a knightmare, the Haynes manual decided to go blank on me once the dash was off, but with a little trial and error and some much needed guidance from a friend, manage to take it out. The matrix was completly knackered. It had developed sever rust. So replaced it and honestly the car heats up within a minute.

to classic_car i brought the matrix direct from MB, i thought if im going to go to the length of ripping the dash out might aswell put OEM parts in.

 

[rumelk]

 

[rumelk]

Just a few snaps while undergoing the job

 

[Classic_car]

Congratulations, i'm glad that fixed your problem. Was the matrix expensive from Merc?

 

[kth286]

any chance of picture of old matrix and arrows to indicate where the faults were on it.

When you say rusty, do you mean internal water corrosion/blockage or was the body rusting.

I guess what I am after is knowledge for preventative maintenance.

Do you feel the coolant and it's rust inhibitors, was not of a proper standard ?

 

[rumelk]

Congratulations, i'm glad that fixed your problem. Was the matrix expensive from Merc?

Wasnt too bad, cost £110 inc VAT, came with new o rings and bolts. I saved atleast £500-600 doing this.:bannana:

 

[rumelk]

any chance of picture of old matrix and arrows to indicate where the faults were on it.

When you say rusty, do you mean internal water corrosion/blockage or was the body rusting.

I guess what I am after is knowledge for preventative maintenance.

Do you feel the coolant and it's rust inhibitors, was not of a proper standard ?

The matrix had rust and heavy gunk build up, one corner was so bad it was actually leaking coolant (very slightly), i shot 1 end with the the air hose and it was just clogged up completly on the other end as i could barely feel any air coming out (and this is with 8 bar pressure!!).

My advice for maintenance would be to do an citric acid flush every 10-15k miles. renew the coolant after every acid flush and you should be fine. Im not too sure what could have caused the matrix to clog up the way it did.

Some pics as requested of the matrix.

This is what the steel pipes connecting to the matrix looked like when taken apart

The end result :bannana: