Does a leaky heater core ALWAYS leak into passenger compartment?
06-20-2008, 04:21 AM
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Does a leaky heater core ALWAYS leak into passenger compartment?
I'm loosing coolant, and I get absolutely NO dripage, or smell inside the car. However, I do see some in the plenum area, which then runs out the rubber drip vent at the bottom. I have to clean things up so I can try to see where the coolant is coming from. (valve, hose, Hopefully NOT heater core, etc.) Also, it doesant leak all the time. My commute is 32 miles one way. Some days I don't loose a drop, other days I could loose a quart. I intentionally ran the heater on high temperature trying to notice any typical antifreeze smell, and had none. So, I'm asking do you think this can be a heater core leak?
06-20-2008, 05:59 AM
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Yep, they can leak there under the plenum area.
This happened to Bmthorn. You may also have a bad heater valve which allows coolant to go into the heater core when the heat is called for. They tend to leak sometimes.
06-20-2008, 06:00 AM
#3
It could be leaking from around the plastic fittings where the hoses connect.
Or maybe just a loose hose clamp... though that may be wishful thinking.
Step 1 of any coolant leak investigation: pressurize the cooling system to 10-20 PSI and look for leaks.
Step 1 of any coolant leak investigation: pressurize the cooling system to 10-20 PSI and look for leaks.
06-20-2008, 10:55 AM
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Help me understand, as I've never disassembled one of these
If the core is leaking (inside the heater box), then the only way the coolant could be leaking into the cowl area, would be that the heater bos would have a drain hole. Is this so?
06-20-2008, 10:58 AM
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If this turns out to be a leaking core, and I have to remove the heater box...
Do I really have to remove the entire center console, etc. Or, can this approach work :<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4s6/msgs/78079.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/s4s6/msgs/78079.phtml</a</li></ul>
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06-23-2008, 08:01 PM
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I have done four without moving the center console....
the key is to loosen and partially remove the heater assembly from the engine side.... this then gives your hand room to go in from the glove-box side (glove box removed, of course) and unhook the two multi-wire connectors in there. The actual air ducts are "close-fit", that is, there is nothing to unhook other than two slip-over foot-well plastic wings(one to the right that you removed just before removing the glove box; and one to the left that you probably removed along with the under-dash panel on the driver's side)... and the soft-rubber flat-wide connector for air going low to the rear seating area. I even stopped pulling the radio after the second heater core job. Regards.
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