P38 heater matrix

good morning, I've not long bought a 99 p38 4.0. The temperature gauge went to red whilst I was on the motorway before I had chance to get over into the hard shoulder it seemed as though a pipe burst behind the dash and filled and decided to dump all the coolant on my foot, (it wasn't very cool though) !!! I've had my local mechanic look at it, he's usually pretty good but he's said the matrix has gone and will require a specialist to do it? Can be bypassed but ill have no heater? Any help would be great and he's estimated somewhere in the £800-£1000 range to get it sorted.

thanks Luke

Yes you can bypass it. Look in the engine bay near the steering shaft, and you will see two pipes (about 20mm diameter) going through to the cabin. These are the heater feed & return, and can simply be connected to gather to bypass the heater matrix. You feet will be cold for a while.

Next search & read through this forum a bit, and you will find lots of info about various way to replace the heater matrix & o-rings. Then take the time to do the job properly yourself. You don't need to the a skilled mechanic for this one. . . . . but patience & taking the dash upper out is the easy way to sort the heater without nasty cutting through the frame.

thanks for the reply, collecting it later on so ill have a look. Glad to know I can have a go myself, taking my time! Cheers again

lukecrf said:

good morning, I've not long bought a 99 p38 4.0. The temperature gauge went to red whilst I was on the motorway before I had chance to get over into the hard shoulder it seemed as though a pipe burst behind the dash and filled and decided to dump all the coolant on my foot, (it wasn't very cool though) !!! I've had my local mechanic look at it, he's usually pretty good but he's said the matrix has gone and will require a specialist to do it? Can be bypassed but ill have no heater? Any help would be great and he's estimated somewhere in the £800-£1000 range to get it sorted.

thanks Luke

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I don't think he means a specialist. He means it is too expensive to bother with (if you have to pay a garage). To do it by the book is a bit of an expensive job. There are shortcuts and you can get a Nissens heater core that with a bit of fettling fits. There's a site called PaulsP38A or similar that shows how to take the dash out and do it using an Audi core. You'll need a whole weekend though.

or can be done in a couple of hours if you cut the bracket

So it looks like the head gasket has gone now after him taking another look at it. Exhaust fumes in the water when it warms up. Not sure what to do with it now. It's got quite alot of off road gear on it and it seems a shame to let it go but is it worth it? I'm guessing its going to cost around £1500 to do the head gasket? Really gutted as I've only had it a couple of weeks!

that's a real shame mate...
the real question?
how much you want to keep the car.
if your not attached to it, way up the costs against the money you paid for it...or
if you are already smitten. Repair the bugger!!
not a nice decision!!

Smitten id say . I don't think i could bring myself to break it or sell it on to somebody who would. Looks like im going to have a nice ornament on my drive for a while then! In the back of my mind though I think I could buy another one for what its going to cost to sort it out but then there's no guarantee on that either. I'm sure I'm not the first and won't be the last with one of these buggers.

and there it is, welcome to the club.. May the force be with you! time and patience.

lukecrf said:

So it looks like the head gasket has gone now after him taking another look at it. Exhaust fumes in the water when it warms up. Not sure what to do with it now. It's got quite alot of off road gear on it and it seems a shame to let it go but is it worth it? I'm guessing its going to cost around £1500 to do the head gasket? Really gutted as I've only had it a couple of weeks!

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If you bought it off a dealer then you're covered and it is their problem. If sold off a member of the public who genuinely had no idea ...

Head gaskets are not difficult but there are a LOT of nuts and bolts to get to them. Parts are not that expensive. Alternatively, break it to recover your funds but it seems a real shame for the sake of a couple of hundred quid on bolts and gaskets.

I've managed to agree with the previous owner for abit of money back, which is good of him I think he didn't have to as it was sold as seen. Looking forward to getting it sorted and getting out with it

Big box of spanners and rave will sort it. Lots of help here if you get stuck. Go for it, its a win win and at least thats one of the hundreds of jobs sorted and some shiny new tools

lukecrf said:

I've managed to agree with the previous owner for abit of money back, which is good of him I think he didn't have to as it was sold as seen. Looking forward to getting it sorted and getting out with it

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Now the question is what else to do while you're down there?! Timing chain and sprocket? You'll need a new valley gasket, obviously. Maybe do the water-pump and stat as preventative maintenance?

Is yours the GEMS or THOR engine? Guessing the Thor as 99.

Yes its the THOR type engine. I think it would be false economy to not bother other parts whilst its apart. I think ill leave it to someone who knows what they're doing though! Could anyone recommend anybody in the Cheshire/Liverpool area to carry out the work?

If you buy a P38 and can't do the work yourself, you will become a poor man very quickly indeed.

wammers said:

If you buy a P38 and can't do the work yourself, you will become a poor man very quickly indeed.

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I agree completely but now mines sorted for now I bought a disco 2 td5, so far rear chassis needs doing, new brakes and service done engine mil light and limp home hopefully sorted just the hearted seat and leaky sunroof to fix.......

biketeacherdave said:

I agree completely but now mines sorted for now I bought a disco 2 td5, so far rear chassis needs doing, new brakes and service done engine mil light and limp home hopefully sorted just the hearted seat and leaky sunroof to fix.......

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WTF?!!! Tell you what, just lie on the ground with your legs akimbo and we'll all have a kick!

Grrrrrr said:

WTF?!!! Tell you what, just lie on the ground with your legs akimbo and we'll all have a kick!

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Its for the wife to run around in.....land rovers keep you busy kick here.....

ill have a go at what I can but I think a head gasket is best being done properly and pay the labour

lukecrf said:

ill have a go at what I can but I think a head gasket is best being done properly and pay the labour

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You'll know your abilities best. It isn't hard if you follow RAVE but getting the exhaust off can be a PITA. Sometimes you need someone to wiggle the steering wheel to get the column apart too.