Leaking heater-core? Anyone?

2951 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by TerryY, Feb 26, 2010

Olav

Discussion Starter · Feb 25, 2010

Some time ago I posted a topic about coolant loss and the sweet smell of it inside the car.
The ones that replied were both convinced of the leaking heater o-rings being the cause despite the fact that there was no trace of water in the footwell or anywhere else.

So I removed the glovebox and with a small mirror and a torch you can very well see the spot where the o-rings sit but no evidence of any residue there. I placed some paper towel under the connection point of the 2 pipes going in and out of the heater, just where the temp sensor is wrapped around it. If there was any leak, it would certainly show on the towels.

After a day of short distance driving with multiple cool downs and warm-ups (when the smell is most noticable) I lost about 200cc of coolant and when removing the fillercap on the reservoir there was a hissing noise. So some pressure was in the system. While doing so the level did rise. But the paper towels were still dry, no trace of a leak there.

Apart from the smell I cannot find where the coolant goes. Has anyone got experience with a leaking heater core and does anyone know where the coolant leaks on or into if the leak would be in the core? Or any other suggestions are greatly apreciated.

Regards, Olav

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paul.adshead

· #4 · Feb 26, 2010

Olav said:
Apart from the smell I cannot find where the coolant goes. Has anyone got experience with a leaking heater core and does anyone know where the coolant leaks on or into if the leak would be in the core? Or any other suggestions are greatly apreciated.

There's a new heater matrix going in mine in a couple of days.

For me, I have slow coolant loss from the header tank and a smell of coolant, after about 10+ mins of running. If I have the HEVAC on "LO" (- where the flaps block air going through the matrix), then there is no smell. But if, after having it on "LO" for a while, then increase the temp settings, then there is a horrible smell of coolant. The matrix is leaking coolant vapour into the HEVAC box, then when the temp flaps are opened, all that coolant vapour is injected into the cabin. Nice. I've now lost soo much coolant (due to top-ups every few days,) that my "coolant" is now water - it's not green any more.....

Does anyone know if ethylene-glycol can be ingested from the vapour? If so my liver is screwed. Should this happen, is the body capable of removing the ethylene glycol crystals over time, or do they just stay there forever?

I don't think you'll find any trace of your coolant loss. The stored heat in the heater matrix will just evaporate it off into the HEVAC box - especially if it is a super-slow pin-hole leak.

The part number is STC3261, it's about 200 quid to buy ,and a pain in the rear to change.

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