Heater problems

[Fuseman]

ok so I just bought a 1999 Berlingo and now discovering all the little problems. I think I know the answer to this one but was looking for some second opinions. When I turn the heater to hot I get mist/steam/smoke whatever it is coming out the vents and misting the windscreen more or less instantly, at first I thought it was dust (silly me) I’m now thinking it may be a pin hole in the matrix, what do you guys think? anyone had a go at changing a matrix? Looking for a few pointers.

[Gravity]

Have you cleared out any crud (leaves, twigs, muddy deposits) under the scuttle grille? That's one area that can cause trouble. I took my grille off - two wiper arms and a few plastic turn screws and off it pops. The amount of stuff in there amazed me.

The second possibility is as you've suggested - a leaking matrix. That's a pain in the butt dashboard off job. I used K-seal in the cooling system and it's fixed my leaking matrix with no bad side effects so far. Some on here don't like such products, but they have their place. A new matrix would double the value of my Berlingo! A no brainer on an old car.

As you've just bought yours, why not keep the heater on full blast for a few days and see if it clears up? It could have just collected water in the heater pipework while standing idle over a period.

[Fuseman]

Thanks for the suggestions I’ll have a look to see what crap is in there tomorrow, strange thing is the carpets dry so hopefully it’s as you suggested a collection of water, the van had been standing since last November.