Heater Matrixes

[Ron Miel]

Hi David
Sounds good...maybe that's what's called hindsight on Mazda's part...If I remember , I'll take some pictures of the problem...but it's gratifying to know that Mazda might have changed their minds on the later ones.
To be honest, I loathe plasticy bits in cooling systems....what on earth posessed someone to fit a plastic moulding on top of a well-made radiator matrix, sealed on with goodness only knows what.....
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Looks like they did sort it, Helen. No plastic bits found on our 12/2000 SG5W V6. Here's the exposed pipe spigots below the rear heater matrix. Will now cover them with a short hose length and jubilee clips, to prevent road crud ingress - in case the heater matrix is salvageable:




Here's the bypass, tucked out of the way, using B & Q bendy pipe, as recommended by Haydn Callow:

[helen&tony]

Hi
Looks like it , then, David.
Cheers
Helen

[helen&tony]

Hi
I have some news on how to replace/ repair the heater matrix at the front. Whilst replacing some hoses, I put the hoses on the stubs on the heater matrix, and, as stated, one disintegrated, and I got a leak just as I got home.
One stub was O.K. and the other had just crumbled inside the hose, so I pushed the hose onto the remaining stub, and tightened it down....but with the small length that was sticking through from the passenger compartment, it needed replacing.
E-bygum had a matrix , and posted it to me....Excellent !!!...and thanks to Chris
I drained the coolant again, and loosened the hoses...guess what...the other stub broke!. The matrix itself is a bit tricky to remove, as , ideally, you need to loosen the heater ducting from above the heater box, to allow it to move. No worries, you can loosen the heater control box nuts inside...one either side of the box halfway up, and one at the top right, up behind the dash on the drivers side. Once the 2 on the right are almost removed, and the passenger side is completely removed, you can take off the matrix cover on the left hand side (passenger), and with a bit of leverage, pull the heater box towards you , and the heater box will move enough to bring the stubs into the cab, so then the matrix can be pulled out of the heater control box and the new one slipped in.
This is the old unit, and you can see that the matrix is O.K. but the stubs are snapped off.
Looking at this, I am wondering if an in-situ repair can be effected.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/ ... 001-17.jpg
If both heater stubs were squared up with a file, and the inside was scored with a file, I reckon a tight- fitting alloy tube (or copper), could be bonded in , and using a reducer hose, a piece of the heater hose could be cut off, a tube inserted to join a reducer on to mate to the new alloy stub, and after curing, the swarf could be blown out of the heater matrix with a garden hose....Leave it with me, and I'll try it out on the old matrix in the yard.
Hope the above helps.
Now...connect up the new matrix, and bleed
Cheers
Helen