Common Cooling System
Heater core leaks
Symptoms
Coolant smell in the cabin, damp carpet on the passenger side, steamed-up windscreen, coolant loss.
Cause
The heater core is a tiny radiator tucked up behind the dashboard. They corrode and leak, especially if the coolant is old or the system has been run on plain water.
Fix
Pull the dashboard.
Yes, the entire dashboard.
It's a bastard of a job.
Budget a full weekend and some swearing.
Replace the core, flush the system, refill with fresh coolant.
Some people bypass the core if the heater isn't essential, run a loop of hose and forget about it.
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