steam from heater vents / heater core ?

[TeKnodriver]

Hi all and hope the new year is off to a great start!

problem:
steam from heater vents / screen vent with heater on - the steam smells funny and leaves residue on the screen that is very hard to wipe off so presumed coolant leak from core rather than rain water leaking in?

also the fuel gauge is playing up - sometimes down to zero, then up to a half, then back to correct reading.
this may not be related but just pointing-out.

heater system flushed and thermostat replaced which helped for a couple of weeks

could this problem be caused by anything other than a matrix leak?
dreading taking the dash out!!

 

[TeKnodriver]

so as the MOT is due this month I will try bypassing the heater core with some 20mm tubing or elbow between the in / out.
this should give me a working screen vent to pass MOT and buy some time to deal with heater

 

[aragorn]

very much doubt the MOT man would test the screen vent...

But yes, getting it fixed is probably a good thing, especially in this weather, isnt it a nightmare keeping the screen clear without a working heater?!

 

[TeKnodriver]

spent bits of the weekend taking out heater box and swapping core for new part…
the old core was indeed leaky and there was water in there.

putting together now, but there is a loose sensor:
it looks like a narrow finger of circuit board

BUT where does it go??
was loose under stereo but I now believe this to be a heater box temp sensor

 

[aragorn]

pic?

 

[TeKnodriver]

sensor looks like one in this thread, holder is different.

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/129427-Temp-Sensor-location

no possible spots in heater box,
eventually I looked on the vent section that stayed attached to dash on removal…

it fits into the bottom of this main vent, a hole with 2 lugs for a twist-fit.

back to the refitting of dash now!