Thats a good suggestion. I can easily bypass the heater core for that
experiment.

Thanks

On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 11:26:53 -0500, Lee Ayrton <layrton@panix.com>
wrote:

>
>Decades ago my then-(now ex-)wife had a Mitsubishi Sapporo that was leaking
>coolant from someplace high at the back of the engine. I figured it was a
>freeze plug in the head. When I got the head off (in the dark, without
>cover, in the snow) it turned out to be the head gasket. A tiny section
>by a water passage had failed towards the outside. No water in the oil,
>no water into the cylinder, no bubbles in the radiator tank, just a leak
>down the back of the engine.
>
>Without running out to look at my 96 XJ to see, is there a way you can
>isolate the heater core from the coolant flow, pull the hoses and bridge
>the gap with hose somehow? That way you could run the Cherokee up to temp
>and see if you still get the coolant smell. It would suck big time for you
>to pull the dash apart only to find that the problem _isn't_ the core but
>is really the water pump dribbling just enough coolant into the wind to
>make it smell.
>
>
>On Thu, 2 Dec 2004, Matt Mika wrote:
>
>> Wouldn't I have a head gasket leak or something if the head warped?
>> There's no water in my oil, no funny exhaust or anything out of the
>> ordinary except I loose coolant and can smell it in the cab once its
>> heated up.
>>
>> I figure the problems with the heating system and I need to rip into
>> the dash find the core and any visible coolant lines and try to find
>> the leak. Sound like a plan of action?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 11:54:39 -0500, FrankW <fworm@mxznorpak.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> Hopefully you didn't warp the head after it overheated
>>>
>>> Matt Mika wrote:
>>>
>>>> Late last winter I had a freeze plug blow and the Jeep overheated a
>>>> bit. Since it was very hard to get to I just replaced it with a rubber
>>>> freeze plug. I dont know if that has anything to do with it, but it
>>>> seems it might.
>>>>
>>>> I now loose coolant and can smell it in the cab when the heat is on
>>>> but the core still puts out good heat.
>>>>
>>>> I'm not familiar with the heating system and am wondering if there is
>>>> anything besides the core that could leak. Anyone have any suggestions
>>>> or guesses?
>>
>>

 

i would pressure test the cooling system to locate any leaks and look at the
ac drain for any coolant seeping out if the core is bad
coolant smell can come in from the outside sincxe the system has a fresh air
source

Mike Romain wrote:

> Ouch!
>
> I would first look really closely where the heater hoses go into the
> firewall on the passenger side for a loose clamp or pinhole in the hose.
>
> Otherwise, smelling it inside means the heater core has gone bad. This
> isn't a fun job to change...... The console and whole lower dash have
> to come off to get at it. It is a 'full' days work usually.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Matt Mika wrote:
> >
> > Late last winter I had a freeze plug blow and the Jeep overheated a
> > bit. Since it was very hard to get to I just replaced it with a rubber
> > freeze plug. I dont know if that has anything to do with it, but it
> > seems it might.
> >
> > I now loose coolant and can smell it in the cab when the heat is on
> > but the core still puts out good heat.
> >
> > I'm not familiar with the heating system and am wondering if there is
> > anything besides the core that could leak. Anyone have any suggestions
> > or guesses?

 

i would pressure test the cooling system to locate any leaks and look at the
ac drain for any coolant seeping out if the core is bad
coolant smell can come in from the outside sincxe the system has a fresh air
source

Mike Romain wrote:

> Ouch!
>
> I would first look really closely where the heater hoses go into the
> firewall on the passenger side for a loose clamp or pinhole in the hose.
>
> Otherwise, smelling it inside means the heater core has gone bad. This
> isn't a fun job to change...... The console and whole lower dash have
> to come off to get at it. It is a 'full' days work usually.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Matt Mika wrote:
> >
> > Late last winter I had a freeze plug blow and the Jeep overheated a
> > bit. Since it was very hard to get to I just replaced it with a rubber
> > freeze plug. I dont know if that has anything to do with it, but it
> > seems it might.
> >
> > I now loose coolant and can smell it in the cab when the heat is on
> > but the core still puts out good heat.
> >
> > I'm not familiar with the heating system and am wondering if there is
> > anything besides the core that could leak. Anyone have any suggestions
> > or guesses?

 

i would pressure test the cooling system to locate any leaks and look at the
ac drain for any coolant seeping out if the core is bad
coolant smell can come in from the outside sincxe the system has a fresh air
source

Mike Romain wrote:

> Ouch!
>
> I would first look really closely where the heater hoses go into the
> firewall on the passenger side for a loose clamp or pinhole in the hose.
>
> Otherwise, smelling it inside means the heater core has gone bad. This
> isn't a fun job to change...... The console and whole lower dash have
> to come off to get at it. It is a 'full' days work usually.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Matt Mika wrote:
> >
> > Late last winter I had a freeze plug blow and the Jeep overheated a
> > bit. Since it was very hard to get to I just replaced it with a rubber
> > freeze plug. I dont know if that has anything to do with it, but it
> > seems it might.
> >
> > I now loose coolant and can smell it in the cab when the heat is on
> > but the core still puts out good heat.
> >
> > I'm not familiar with the heating system and am wondering if there is
> > anything besides the core that could leak. Anyone have any suggestions
> > or guesses?