Passanger Footwell Leak

[Jimmy H]

I have a very wet passenger foot well. At first I thought it was something that had been spilt and tried to dry it with a hairdryer but the fluid seems to be more oily. On closer inspection under the glove box the unit to the right (im assuming air con pump) seems to have a sticky oily liquid coming from there. Is this likely to be a leak of oil from the air conditioning unit? Or is it more likely to be power steering fluid? What's the best place to go from here, would prefer to sort myself if possible as cant really afford a trip to the garage.
Apologies for naivety.

2003 1.4 berlingo multispace forte

Thanks very much

[Jimmy H]

I believe it to be a similar issue to the one posted a few days ago titled 'Heater Matrix'. But what is a heater matrix? Is that the whole AC system?

[Kokain]

Heater matrix is leaking, coolant is kinda oily basically

[Jimmy H]

Thanks for the reply. I just popped the bonnet and noticed that the water level is low (which it wasn't a week ago) so if I get some K-seal and put it into the water coolant tank at the same time as filling is that likely to solve the issue? Will I need to take the heater system out to dry it or will it dry itself over time? Thanks for your help,

J

[polar]

K-seal is your best bet there is a good chance it will do the job.

[ddb]

I always recommend Bar's Leaks instead of K-seal. K-seal is something like sodium metasylicate (as are most other radiator fix compounds) which is basically a very hard sharp crystalline SAND when it sets - if it gets near any bearings then they will die, it is an approved decommissioning method of engines in America, basically they shove it in the oil and run the engine, the amount of damage makes the engine uneconomical to be repaired.

I have lost a few water pumps after using it, admittedly they were old but I think their deaths were speeded up, if your headgasket lets any water into the oil then the whole engine could be written off.

While Bar's Leaks is also hard when it sets, I believe it not to have quite the same abrasive properties.

I should say this is my own hypotheses and may not be true - I just try not to risk it.

[taos87]

I had a leaking heater matrix a while ago, it takes ages for the carpets to dry out, I ended up stripping the seats out, squeezing out as much water as i could and putting a little heater under carpet for a few days, I replaced the matrix, it's a full dashboard out job

[JCBDRIVER]

Replacing the heater matrix is quite a big job, although a new matrix isnt particulary expensive i replaced it in my first berlingo because i am not a fan of putting sealants in cooling systems, i had to pull the dash out completely if you decide to go down this route be prepared with plenty of patience