Morning,
Can I please ask if anyone knows
For a few days now the windscreen foggy up I put the fan heating cold warm or AC I could not get the glass windscreen to clear … left side so cloudy I could write on it.
Took it to a local garage the guy said is the heating Matrix small leak.
But …
I checked myself no leak on the floor under the car I opened the bonnet lid was fine and level coolant also no sweet smell no carpets wet.
Garage told me I have two options .
I rang Mazda to confirm they wanted £2,000 to replace the heater matrix part they told me £475.00
and the rest labour for two days.
Or use K-SEAL
After I spoke to Mazda I told the local garage ok put some K-SEAL
Have i made a mistake?about this K-SEAL ?
I dont understand why the windscreen was forged up and wouldn’t clear the garage said there is a leak soon they saw the misty window but I cannot see any symptoms?
Am worried now maybe I should have not put this liquid…
What marque of MX-5 is it?
By any chance an NC?
If so check for leaking scuttle grommets, look behind the glovebox for rusty streaks! They may be historic , but if wet after a wash or rain then they desperately need sealing before lots of mysterious electrical gremlins begin to happen.
There are many threads on this forum with lots of pictures how to eliminate the “Scuttle Grommet” problem correctly.
Hi Richard,
IS 58 Plate MK3 NC
Can I ask you , you know these liquid stuff K-SEAL is already inside the coolant tub I hope would not ruin anything,
I used radiator sealant more than once in my banger owning days. Always reluctantly because if it can stop a leak it can obviously has the potential to clog parts of the circuit especially if the coolant level should drop. I can’t say for certain that it did, but overheating seemed to be a regular experience in those days.
I wouldn’t be convinced the presence of a leak had been established. Check, replace and reseal the above mentioned grommets. It is a very common cause of your car’s symptoms and I’d be very surprised if a tech familiar with the NC would suggest replacing the heater rad without eliminating the grommets.
I would then drain, flush and replace the coolant.
Just from personal experience and opinion. I’m not an expert and probably haven’t all the facts.
Wow… yes I think you maybe right but now since yesterday that K-SEAL is inside the coolant tub travelling this is what I was worried about maybe block the matrix in case is not that … will check, thank you John.
If there is water inside your car then it will be very hard to clear your screen, not necessarily heater matrix on an mx5 as it’s more likely a water leak into the car. However, if it is the matrix and you need to get around and the car is undriveable as is you could always bypass the matrix until you can get it repaired. This involves unplugging and joining the two matrix hoses together where it passes into the cabin. I’ve done this before on another car, for the price of a barbed hose fitting and 2 jubilee clips you’re up and running again, albeit with no heat until replaced.
If the car has been out in the rain, then I’d definitely consider the scuttle grommets before the heater matrix. If it’s the heater matrix, then you’d probably smell it to be fair.
K-Seal (with ground-up flax meal fibres) is not much different to old fashioned Holts Rad-Seal (with ground-up walnut shells) from half a century ago. Most of it will settle out in the header tank.
The most hazardous/irritant elements in it are the two tiny doses of MI (2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one) biocide. (A little goes on for ever, and MI should be banned).
See the Safety sheet for the list of its ingredients.
I was under the impression that k-seal uses copper these days, although maybe there still is some fibres in there, but I think not. Most of the other brands use some sort of silicate that forms its own crystals/fibres, some with added fibres, some without. Most brands moved away from fibrous ingredients because of the risks of blocking parts of the system.
I would never put that stuff (bars leaks, k seal etc) in any car. If there is a leak, best to find and fix it.
If you have a new or nearly new car then tough - the motor manufacturers put it in from new.
It’s so they don’t have to tighten all the hose clamps so tight they risk cracking the plastic rad etc but still avoid the sale-killing embarrassment of puddles under brand new cars!
Really?
Morning All,
Well problem solved windscreen is all clear took around two days to see results, so hopefully would be it.
Even so I ve read some things that may happen to the car …but to be honest is a 58 plate MK3 is not a new car.
Mazda wanted £2000 can you believe
Matrix leak or grommet leak fixed?
Matrix Leak
Because of the age of the car Mazda advised to put K-SEAL