Hey everyone, just a question. When using the heater sometimes I get scent of coolant coming into the cabin even passengers have noticed it in the back. Its just on occasion though. Im just wondering if others have experienced this or could I have a possible coolant leak in or around the heater core?

 

uh...coolant has a smell to it?

 

yes especially when it vaporizes.

 

ah ok, i didn't think about the vaporized form.

hm...i don't see how you can get it occasionally if you have a constant leak, since coolant's always flowing around. maybe you had some over-spill?

 

Dr. Evo, did you ever find the cause of yours? I'm worried officially now.

In my past, this sort of smell (I DO know what ethylene glycol smells like, it definitely has a scent) that was in the interior came from the one place were interior and antifreeze come together -- the heater core.

Mine does not always have that smell. Only after I have run it like I stole it and not always then either. I wonder if the heater cores have some sort of pressure release feature. Never ever heard of such, but I just don't know why it's not consistent.

On the older cars I did have a bum heater core, one great test was to turn on the A/C on and see if I could get it to produce a steam like visible vapor. Haven't yet, but would love to know what you eventually found.

Sorry for diggin up old thread. This is a new problem of mine that your's was identical to.