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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech

Antifreeze through the firewall

  • Thread starter Thread starter 5.0TailPipeHump
  • Start date Start date Apr 29, 2012

5.0TailPipeHump

Member
Dec 5, 2006
153
0
17
Apr 29, 2012
#1
  • Apr 29, 2012
  • #1
Just got back from a drive and got on it some and then i noticed white smoke out my back window , i though on sh!t head gasket but i don't think thats what going on here , i'm leaning more towards the heater core , on the passengers side there,s a small black hole with antifreeze coming out , i guess it hit the headers and poof white smoke.

If anyone can let me know what this hole is would be great , looks like there was a line attached to it at one point but im not sure . Can some one have alook at there five0 and let me know .

View attachment 150736
 

txstang84

15 Year Member
May 21, 2005
1,639
42
69
Tuscola, tx
Apr 29, 2012
#2
  • Apr 29, 2012
  • #2
It's the HVAC drain...and if you're losing coolant out of there, your heater core is leaking...BTDT...
 

5.0TailPipeHump

Member
Dec 5, 2006
153
0
17
Apr 29, 2012
#3
  • Apr 29, 2012
  • #3
Guess its better than a head gasket eh, also i kept it outta the yellow in the rps but why would this happen when going through the gears? would some stop leak help is some? If not im just going to reroute the hose so i will have to do with out heat.
 

txstang84

15 Year Member
May 21, 2005
1,639
42
69
Tuscola, tx
Apr 29, 2012
#4
  • Apr 29, 2012
  • #4
I've used the alumaseal brand stop leak, and it worked in my wife's '04 with a small intake gasket leak. But, that alumaseal is only a temp fix. You'll still need to R2 the heater core.

It happens simply because when the pump is moving and when heat is in the coolant, it expands and it's pressurized...if you have a little crack or a rotten spot in the core, it'll leak...it's not out of the ordinary-do a search on here in the tech threads-you'll very likely find everything you need in regard to pictures and advice on how to change it.
 

jdb3rd

Member
Apr 28, 2005
166
3
19
edgewater MD
Apr 30, 2012
#5
  • Apr 30, 2012
  • #5
Sounds like you need a heater core. They can be a pain in the butt to do but after doing a couple I would say patience is key when replacing it otherwise you can end up breaking things you don't want to. Maybe someone else knows but I thought I remembered reading about a kit to cut out the firewall and replace it that way that came with patch panels.
 

txstang84

15 Year Member
May 21, 2005
1,639
42
69
Tuscola, tx
Apr 30, 2012
#6
  • Apr 30, 2012
  • #6
I can't say I've ever heard of a kit to do that...even if you cut a hole in the firewall, you still have to pull screws out of the top of the HVAC box to remove the core-and it's sandwiched between the top of the HVAC unit and the bottom of the cowl panel-no room to extract it even if you did have fwd access, let alone trying to get it past the engine.

There were models that didn't come with A/C where you just pull the glove box out and remove a panel, and voila-there's the core, but that's only early fox non-A/C versions. I've never personally seen that-just recall it from my old Haynes manual.
 

Taino

Member
Nov 29, 1999
146
9
19
Apr 30, 2012
#7
  • Apr 30, 2012
  • #7
I bypassed it, problem fixed. Granted I'm in Fl and dont really need the heaters. It's just to complicated to remove dash and get new heater core
 

5.0TailPipeHump

Member
Dec 5, 2006
153
0
17
Apr 30, 2012
#8
  • Apr 30, 2012
  • #8
Thanks for the replies, i put some leak seal in it and will see what happens down the road as i know it,s just a temporary fix, if it keeps on leaking i will just by pass it for now and get it looked after in a month or 2, this is my daily driver for now and can deal with the cold cause i,m Canadian.

I,m actually looking forward to replacing the heater core just for the challenge, now would the oem piece be the 1 to go with or i was thinking napa.
 

MikeH686

Mine is only two inches though.
10 Year Member
Oct 11, 2011
2,843
1,753
184
Waldorf, MD
May 1, 2012
#9
  • May 1, 2012
  • #9
Anybody know where i can get one of these drain plugs? Ive been wondeeing what this hole was through my firewall for a long time and it didnt have this drain when i bought it
 
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