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Re: General Heater Core Questions Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:15:58
In Reply to: General Heater Core Questions, Michael O'Brien, Mon, 27 Aug 2001 08:58:41 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The failure mode is small pinhole leaks forming in the core. Over time those leaks get bigger and bigger.
You will smell a leak long before you get any measureable leakage (dripping). Coolant has quite an odor, and it doesn't take much, nice and warm, and dropped into the air blowing on your face, for you to smell it. You can get the odor long before (months, possibly years) before you get actual dripping. Usually the last straw isn't coolant on the floor - before that, there will be enough moisture in the airstream that it will condense on the inside of the windshield when you go to defrost.
Replacing the heater core is a bit of labor, but the good news is that it's easier in your '93 than in earlier (say 90 and earlier) cars. A dealer will probably charge around $500 parts & labor, and an indy may be less - $300?
Again, the failure mode is a slow leak that gets worse over time. And 'over time' can be quite a long time. For example, if you notice the smell only when you first turn on the heat, then it seems to go away, the leak is very minor.
If the leak is minor (no fogging of windows, for example), I recommend using some Bars Leaks. You pour it into the coolant reservoir and go for a drive. No, this isn't the usual snake oil that fixes radiator leaks and clogs everything up in the process. This will help with very small leaks, and won't clog up passages (boy, I'm sounding like an ad here). Do an archive search on Bars Leaks and see the various discussions.
The heater core in my '92 would give a whiff of hot anti-freeze when I first turned on the heat, and at a low level with the heat on. I put in a bottle of Bars Leaks, and after about a week or two the odor was gone (it doesn't work instantly). I put in a small bottle about once a year, and of course after I've flushed the system. It's been over three years now, and the odor is banished, and the cooling system is still working quite nicely. So I believe in it. It won't harm your car, and it can't hurt. If your heater core is badly gone, it won't help, but it's a cheap solution. It's not a permanent solution, but if you can put off replacing the heater core for a few years, that's all to the good.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157....
, Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:15:58 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 27 Aug 2001 15:13:56, Tue, 28 Aug 2001 11:52:41, Mon, 27 Aug 2001 15:08:14
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