[kheadgy]

i have water coming in footwell in car and know what the problem is but cant find air con drain valves vectra 2000 2litre 16v hopeless with cars any help would be great

[Leeky]

Hello and welcome to VVON matey.

Are you losing coolant?

The problem is most likely the heater matrix having sprung a leak.

You shouldn't be needing to drain the AC system, that is a sealed circuit and should not be touched unless you have the correct evacuation equipment to remove the refrigerant.

I'm 90% certain your problem is the heater matrix. The best way to sort this is the following:

1. Remove the coolant bottle cap, and remove the lowest rad hose - Collect the coolant, as its toxic for the environment.
2. Working from the passenger front footwell, remove the screws holding the centre lower surround in the footwell.
3. Remove the two bolts holding the two coolant pipes to the matrix - Have something handy to collect the escaping coolant.
4. Move the two coolant pipes out of the way.
5. Remove the screws holding the heater matrix in place.
6. Gently pull the heater matrix out.
7. Replace with new heater matrix and rebuild in reverse of removal.
8. Re-fill the coolant up using fresh coolant (50/50 mix of coolant/water)
9. Start engine, turn heaters on full and hot, and warm the car up until the fan kicks in - Checking the coolant level and topping up as required. Squeezing the rad pipes helps to work out air locks.
10. Replace coolant bottle cap
11. Check for signs of leakage from the new heater matrix
12. If all OK, then take for a gentle test drive (take coolant with you just in case)
13. Upon return, check your coolant level again - Top up is neccessary.

The Haynes Manual available through VVON can be downloaded for free from the Vectra B how-to listing here

If you download the manual, I highly recommend you right click the 'here' link above, and select 'Save as' instead of just clicking it, as its 100mb size will kill your web browser on all but the fastest of internet connections.

If you have any other Q's please feel free to ask away.

[matt-m]

as leeky said sounds like ure heater matrix

[kheadgy]

cheers i'm not losing any coolant and the carpet in the footwell doesn't smell apart from stale water the leak only happens when the air con is on

[matt-m]

when the aircon is on and stale water hmmmm aircon fluid has a distinct smell and is green iirc so there may be a block in the water drainage points under the bulkhead where the wiper motor sits and the pollen filter too

[Leeky]

The AC escapes moisture in the form of fluid through the bulkhead on the engine side. You'll see it dripping from under the rear of the engine bay.

It really shouldnt be leaking through the footwell.

I would remove the window cowling in the engine bay, or at the very least remove the pollen filter housing and have a look under there. Maybe one of the pipe feeds has broken off connecting to the heater unit.

[kheadgy]

where exactly is the water drainage points cant find them grrrrrrr

[Leeky]

I'm not entirely sure to be honest with you.

Are all the hoses in the top of the heater unit (and those underneath the pollen filter) all connected?

[kheadgy]

everything is connected it seems to be blocked drain valves but just cant find them