Water on passenger floor board, heater core maybe?

[Bosko5.0]

I think my heater core is leaking into my car since it drizzled for like 15 minute and when i pulled my carpet up It was damp and smells like mildew this has happened before about a year ago i got out of my car went to put something in the pass side and the floor had a puddle of water,


1)Is there a way to check if its leaking?
2)How hard is it to replace, and how long?
3)Is there a writeup around here or anywere?

 

[bill302]

are you loosing coolant and having to add to the reservoir...and i have used a white cloth to dry up carpet and if its colored like coolant its coolant....its an all day job to replace..not the best instructions below but maybe it will help...

 

[ProKiller]

is it water or coolant? if its water you have a leak somewhere, check your door seals, window, windshield, etc. if its coolant i would say its the heater core

 

[Engel]

I had the same problem and eventually the heater core went out. Its not an easy job thats why I have not fixed it yet. The part is only like 50$ , but its almost as if the whole car is built around it. Dash would have to come out at minimum.

if you were to take it in and have somone else do the labor it would be a hefty sum

 

[mo_dingo]

alumaseal will work if the leak is small enough. i would try that first before resorting to r/r the core.
Scott

 

[bill302]

alumaseal will work if the leak is small enough. i would try that first before resorting to r/r the core.
Scott

dont know about that the alumaseal will fail the first time you get 100 miles from home i would not take the chance i would replace it...

 

[Bosko5.0]

i was planning on replacing it if it is to blame and while i do that i going to put in my new radiator, new hoses, and carpet.

 

[mo_dingo]

dont know about that the alumaseal will fail the first time you get 100 miles from home i would not take the chance i would replace it...

From personal experience, my radiator has a leak in one of the tubes and my heater core leaks. Alumaseal fixed both, and this is going on 2+ years now. I have even drained and refilled the system once and the alumaseal is still there. I did not "flush" the system though, which sometimes removes the alumaseal.

My uncle's head gasket was leaking coolant onto the side of his 22R toyota block, and alumaseal fixed it as well (going on 5 years now).

I have many others to tell but I think you get the point. Plus, if it works and fails later, all he needs to do is bypass the heater core, which is easy enough to do.

I would recommend filling the system with just water first and alumaseal and trying it out. If it holds, add antifreeze later.
Scott

 

[bill302]

From personal experience, my radiator has a leak in one of the tubes and my heater core leaks. Alumaseal fixed both, and this is going on 2+ years now. I have even drained and refilled the system once and the alumaseal is still there. I did not "flush" the system though, which sometimes removes the alumaseal.

My uncle's head gasket was leaking coolant onto the side of his 22R toyota block, and alumaseal fixed it as well (going on 5 years now).

I have many others to tell but I think you get the point. Plus, if it works and fails later, all he needs to do is bypass the heater core, which is easy enough to do.

I would recommend filling the system with just water first and alumaseal and trying it out. If it holds, add antifreeze later.
Scott

i get the point mo_dingo. its prolly a good product, people do things differently i would replace the core. someone else might not. i would use a product like this as a temporary fix and some will use it as a permanent fix. its all up the the owner i just stated my opinion not trying to disrespect you i learn from your posts and everyone elses posts.but its good to know that product works that good....now that we talked about it ,it will prolly start leaking...LOL....

 

[mo_dingo]

i get the point mo_dingo. its prolly a good product, people do things differently i would replace the core. someone else might not. i would use a product like this as a temporary fix and some will use it as a permanent fix. its all up the the owner i just stated my opinion not trying to disrespect you i learn from your posts and everyone elses posts.but its good to know that product works that good....now that we talked about it ,it will prolly start leaking...LOL....

No doubt!!!

And you are right. I wasn't trying to say you were wrong; sorry for the impression I gave you. Replacing them is the 100% correct and final fix. I dread the day I have to take apart my dash to replace mine. I still have one from Ford sitting in a box, waiting until the day comes. Soon I am sure.

Scott