DJ19895.0

I just took my car out of winter storage and after letting it idle for a little while I turned on the heat and a little steam came from the vents. The drive home, however was fine, with no steam or fog on the windows. I checked the coolant lines at the heater core and they were bone dry. The system also holds pressure well and is not loosing a noticeable ammount of coolant. The passenger carpet is also dry. The next time I drove the car the windshield started to fog up and it did smell like coolant, yet cleared up shortly after. The next drive I had with the car was fog and coolant smell free, WTF?? I just replaced the heater core last year, so if the new one has developed a slow leak, how is that possable? And why would the leak be intermitant? Is it possable that this strange problem is not the heater core and water is somehow getting in the car and smelling like coolant because the hvac box was recently saturated in coolant from the last heater core? I guess I will give it time and if it gets worse, I will have the pleasure of replacing it again, yay[:'(].

If I end up having to do the heater core again - what is a good brand to get, is the autozone one a bad choice (current one that could be leaking). And because I have already done the job once and cut a hole in the hvac box, is there any shortcuts that can now be taken - like somehow getting it out through the glove box with the center console removed or something creative.

Thanks again!!

PRO50SC

What is the climate like where you live. It could be humidity. I know sometimes depending on the weather, I have had the same thing happen. The difference in temp will cause the fog until it equalizes and clears the fog.

DJ19895.0

I live in MI, That would be a nice.

mustang86cars

Wow Dude that would be a drag to have to do it again! You know, you may have done the damage while you were installing the new one, either putting it into the heater box or when you were connecting the the hoses on the firewall.

I pulled some posts down on the correct installation and they said to be real careful not to push and pull on the in/outlet while installing the hoses. I have a thought, you can bypass the heatercore and see if your windows fog.

After I did mine, I had that odor in car for the whole summer until it eventually dried up.

There is a shortcut but from what I've heard you need to cut into the heater box, slide the unit out and then glue the box back together.

My advice, do it the right way and dont be a hack!

By the way, whats the stang doing out already, I'm in Commerce Twp and we just got 6inches of snow!

DJ19895.0

Well, I took It out because we had a real nice week where the roads were dry, today its is in the garage because of the snow, but at least its home. I will probably test it by doing a bypass if this keeps up.

4slice

Leaves a knot in your stomach to smellcoolant in the passenger compartment, don't it? My 88 LX (42,000 orig. miles) is on its third core--someone must make one that is stronger! Mine kept breaking where the inlet/outlet tubes are soldered to the body of the core. Good luck....

bighungrymatt

I hate changing heater cores...

absolutbspec

What actually causes the heater core to fail....i havnt had to change mine yet

MustangBlondie

Consider yourself lucky...it's a bitch & it sucks, that all I know... [:'(]

PRO50SC

Age, corrosion, lack of maintenence, luck!!!