[HannahLouise]

Have found leak on my Ford Focus 1.6 zetec 2004 reg. Water was dripping down from drivers side footwell.Think its one of two pipes that go into the back of the matrix?! Are they flexi pipes? Is this easy to get to? Any advice on the best way to get to this? Thanks!

 

[freemind]

Do you use antifreeze in your car?

Get some of the leaking fluid on your finger and smell it. Does it smell like antifreeze?

My money is on the fact that your heater core is leaking/bad

 

[sailor]

Need to confirm the fluid dripping as Vince mentioned, Fresh air intake can also let water in sometimes and you DON'T want to assume a heater core leak & tear the whole dash apart if it's just a drip from the scuttle not sealing right so water gets to the intake.

 

[HannahLouise]

Hi, pipe leaking bad. Dash off

 

[HannahLouise]

Matrix buggered. Can u divert? I know that means no heater but stuck without car with 2 kids! Arghhh!

 

[FocusKnot]

Find the two hoses going into the heater core at the firewall. And disconnect them...they may be stuck, so twist them to get them loose or cut them off.

Either connect the two hoses together using a coupling, or remove one hose entirely and connect the end of the other hose to where you took this one off. Don't kink the hoses as coolant needs to flow freely.

This just bypasses the heater core and, of course, no heating after that is done, but no leak in cabin either.

 

[HannahLouise]

Thanks for help.Take it this will be ok for car? No sensors will come on? Only doing it temporary to get me around over xmas

 

[FocusKnot]

It won't hurt car. Coolant always flows through heater core, so car won't know the difference.

 

[FocusKnot]

A short piece of 1/2" copper pipe a couple of clamps will work great for joining the two hoses together.

Don't confuse air conditioning hoses with heater hoses.

By the way, you won't have defrost/defog mode either and that may be a problem this time of year.

 

[HannahLouise]

Got buttons for heated windows will they still work? Understand defog on dials wont work. Any idea on how easiest way to change matrix? Have been quoted nearly as much as the cars worth at my local garage! Thanks for your help

 

[FocusKnot]

Got buttons for heated windows will they still work?

Yes, the electric heaters will still work.

As far as an easy or cheap way to replace heater core, well there isn't.

In this photo the large black box in front of the gear shift below the two center air ducts is what needs to be replaced. I hope you can see how difficult this is.

 

[freemind]

Hi Hanna,

It should only run 500-700(much less if you've already took the dash out for them) quid including the part. What did they quote you?

Get a few quotes.

 

[sailor]

Got buttons for heated windows will they still work? Understand defog on dials wont work. Any idea on how easiest way to change matrix? Have been quoted nearly as much as the cars worth at my local garage! Thanks for your help

Electrically heated front & rear will still work, in North America only electric rear is offered so we don't think of electric front regularly.

Never saw an answer, you DID double check that the leakage was coolant, right?

 

[HannahLouise]

Yeah leak is def coolant. Have had quote for £200 pound labour , £157 for part at local garage -( alot cheaper than ford dealer obviously). Yeah heated windows front & back in U.K.

 

[HannahLouise]

Ford dealer quoted £1200,- they are having a laugh!! - paid that for car!

 

[FocusKnot]

I had a leak in the heater core of my Escort. I wasn't able to get to it right away, so I put a bottle of Bar's Leak in it. It bought me time until I was able to schedule the repair. I ended up doing what you see in the above photo (that's not my Escort, that's a Focus).

I am not a fan of stop leak products, but for a temporary fix they do sometimes work.