So when I put on my heater and its on the hot side, I smell coolant. That's not good. Does that mean my heater will go out soon?

 

You have a heater core that's on its last leg...you probably will start to get some leakage in the car near the floorboard under the dash too...if you already haven't, you will soon. They are a pain in the *** to change but it can be done w/some patience...and I so that ever so lightly...cause you will be tempted to use the F word many times if you have never done it before...trust me, been there done that...lol.

I don't think you would smell any coolant thru your vents if you had an intake cracked or leaking. I am sure if that was the case you most likely would smell it all the time...but saying only when you turn the heat on...leads me to believe that would be the heater core since you are routing the air thru the heater core before it gets to the inside of your car.

 

Breathing coolant fumes is not good if its not the eco friend kind, your breathing poison vapors. Just like exhaust leaks, it builds in your system over time, till you hit a crtical ammount, and then only a tiny tiny bit can kill you.

A classic sign of a bad core is the windows will fog up on the inside allot and only in your car.

Never changed one on a ford though, it can be easy to insane.

 

I blew my last one on the dyno.... Screw it i only drive in the summer anyway, lol.