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hi people, my radiator has been leaking , iv used some radweld in it. i came out to it this morning to find the footwells soaked with water out of the radiator. whats going on there? and is the best thing to do to get new rad fitted?
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coolant will be leaking from heater matrix behind the dashboard, quite a common problem on the 306. part itself is about £40 but it's a whole dashboard out job so quite expensive for labour but easy enough to diy if you have the time
chris
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well i have a very kind,handy bro in law who'd probley do it if ask nicely. would it be a weekend job? you reckon i should change rad aswell?
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can be done in a day just a case of taking time and noting where everything goes. i wouldn't change the radiator personally unless you know it is leaking or damaged
chris
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The radiators on these cars rust inwards along the bottom edge and if there is dampness along the bottom-this indicates a leaking rad when coupled with coolant loss. The rads on 306s/ZX only have a 3-4 year lifespan on average. The rad on my 1994 306TD has started leaking over the last month or so and I've bunged some Bars Leaks into the tank in order to keep it going til it's MOT in March, whereby the outcome of that will decide whether I replace the rad or replace the car in light of it's 13 years and 191k. Replacing the rad isn't exactly easy due to that bayonet bottom hose connection, but is one hell of a lot easier than replacing the heater matrix. Keep an eye on the coolant level though as any significant coolant loss will see off the head gasket, failures of which are common on these old 1.9TD engines as I along with many others have found out.
Martin
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how much am i looking at for new rad, new heater matrix plus labour? cheers dan
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For the rad, you're looking at £100 plus labour, so about £200 in total and for the heater matrix, it's about £30-40 for the part and about 7 hours to fit and so you'll easily be looking at the the thick end of £600 for both. Worth asking round a few garages to get some competitive quotes.
No chance you could do the rad yourself? It's relatively straightforward apart from that bottom hose bayonet connection which can be a P.I.T.A to remove. I ended up removing the wheel arch liner and the windscreen washer bottle and removing the hose from the water pump. Took me about two hours in total with a few scraped knuckles but was worth it to save £100 of my hard earned cash! Looks like I may be tackling this job again soon if the car gets through the MOT.
Martin
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ok than mate,cheers. ill have a look around see how much i can get it done for. my mots coming up soon aswell, it might be worth me waiting to see what happens there, then weigh up my options.
dan
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How old is your 306 and how many miles has it done? If it's anything like mine (13 years old and 192k) then it doesn't justify any major expenditure. I'm hoping to get a pre MOT look over this weekend, if any more than £250 worth of work is needed to get it through the MOT then I think I'll call it a day and Ebay it for spares. If it needs less than that, then I'll get it done and do the rad myself to keep it going for another 6 months and hence more time to save for something newer.
Therefore I'd strongly reccommend that you keep in going til the MOT, using Radweld if necessary.
Martin
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its 11 years and 111k. Mine seems to be on its last legs, i just have that feeling. mots at beginning of april, i think im going to jus keep this going (for travel to work, which is about 7 miles there, 7miles back), with radweld and reguar top up on rad. goin to look out for a reasonable priced 2.0 xsi.
dan
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at 111k get the rad and matrix done, there common 306 problems that affected all models and at that low a mileage your derv has loads of life left. both jobs are relatively simple just get yourself a haynes manual and set a weekend aside and get the job done
chris
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Agreed, 111k is low mileage for a 306TD and there should be plenty of life left in the car yet provided it is serviced and looked after. Don't leave the radiator too long if it's on its last legs as you'll end up blowing the head gasket if it loses too much coolant and the value of repairs will definitely exceed the value of the car!
Martin
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ok then, thanks for the advice, i'll try and get it pre mot'd this weekend, get everything priced up at a few garages. hopefully, all being well, i'll let you know how it goes and wot happens, cheers!
dan
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