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Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

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Old Mar 25, 2002 | 12:01 AM
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Default Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

Disclaimer: This is not on my car, I post a lot of stuff for friends that don't get online a bunch, so the mods in my sig have nothing to do with this question, thanks!

A friend of mine has an LT1 H/C M6 car and lately when he turns the heater on or the defrost, he smells a strong coolant odor.

What does this mean? A crack in the heater core or something maybe?
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Old Mar 25, 2002 | 12:12 AM
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Default Re: Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

Have him feel his carpet on the passenger side under the dash/under the floor mat... is it wet? Does it smell like anti freeze down there?

If so it is a cracked heater core.

Bummer... those LT1's when they get air up in there... are a biatch to get pruged. The good news? Changing out the heater core is pretty easy.

Are ya sure the car is not over heating? Has he purged the air out of the cooling system?
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Old Mar 25, 2002 | 12:31 AM
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Default Re: Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Raughammer:
<strong>

Are ya sure the car is not over heating? Has he purged the air out of the cooling system?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'll have him check that stuff, he's been keeping an eye on the temp I think, not sure about purging air out of the cooling system though, I'll have him check that too.
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Old Mar 25, 2002 | 11:32 AM
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Default Re: Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

Ever since I installed my headers I get a coolant smell every now and then. But that has been about 7 months ago and nothing is out of the ordinary so I figure nothings wrong.
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Old Mar 25, 2002 | 01:15 PM
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Default Re: Coolant Smell When Heater Is On???

FWIW, every time I've had heater core problems in the past (although I've never run into it with an LS1) I've noticed that my windshield wouldn't defog like normal. In both cases you could crank the fan and it would fog the windshield. I assume this was due to additional moisture in the system from the leaking heater core. Don't know if that helps, but at least it gives you something else to look for <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
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