turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

Never had to ask before, but I have noticed that I can smell coolant while inside my 95SE. I have the auto climate control & when I increased the temp from 65 to 68 degrees, smoke started to enter the cabin. I am looking for leaks, but would appreciate any advice, help or insight. Thanks.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Uh-oh, sounds like a heator core! Take a look under the dash area, right above where the ecu would sit or right behind the radio area. Look for coolant on the carpets.

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

Found the carpet & it was damp on the passenger side. What is the function of the heater core, and is it a DIY job, or should I be shocked at the cost of replacement? Thanks for the response.

Eric L.

Well, if Daniel Martin (the DIY guru) answered this, he would tell you how to replace the heater core using a paper clip and duct tape.

But seriously, the heater core is a pretty big job since it requires that you literally take entire dash apart to access the core. You will also have to drain out the cooling system too. I would say take it to a shop and get this fixed (replaced) ASAP. Another option would be for your mechanic to bypass the heater core. That would stop the leak, but then you would have no more heat.

If you are lucky, all it will turn out to be is a cracked coolant tube on the heater core.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Man, it's not looking good for you bro. The heater core is what brings in heat for your heater. You know for heat? It's actually a real small radiator looking thing. And I can tell you this, it's one of the biggest pains in the butt you can do repair-wise. The entire(I MEAN ENTIRE) dash must come out to access the core. Even the metal support bracket must come off. I have done this repair and it was not my idea of a good time. It basicly took the whole weekend to do. Cost from a dealer is about $1000 but parts only cost less than $200. So it's about $800 worth of labor. That's how hard it is. Good luck. Try a trusted mecanic to see if you can get it done for cheaper.

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

Oh... heater core=heater, but coolant on carpet = . Seriously, thanks for the help. The car was taken to the shop today, so I am crossing my fingers.

humaras

You mentioned that the smoke comes into your car when you increase the auto temp from 65-68. Pardon my ignorance, but isn't that still kicking on the Air Conditioning? I have seen this in a few of my cars (except for the max)is that when you turn on the AC and there is a lot of moisture in the air, you can see the "smoke" come into the cabin via the vents.
I am not sure if this is the case that you are experiencing, but if you have moisture leaking onto your carpets, it could be that one of your tubes (where excess water from the AC leaks out) is stuck. This has happened to me before in another car.

I am not sure if this helps--but as for the smell--what type of smell are you getting?

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

The smoke is not condensation, at least not water based. It is burning coolant & that condensation is not easily removed from the inside of the windshield.

Johnny

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jeff92se
[I]Man, it's not looking good for you bro. The heater core is what brings in heat for your heater. You know for heat? It's actually a real small radiator looking thing. And I can tell you this, it's one of the biggest pains in the butt you can do repair-wise. The entire(I MEAN ENTIRE) dash must come out to access the core. Even the metal support bracket must come off. I have done this repair and it was not my idea of a good time. It basicly took the whole weekend to do. Cost from a dealer is about $1000 but parts only cost less than $200. So it's about $800 worth of labor. That's how hard it is. Good luck. Try a trusted mecanic to see if you can get it done for cheaper.

I figured Maxima woulda been relatively cheap considering it's a Japanese car. Volvo and Saabs were always notorious for being nearly $1000 for the heater core and/or blower. I never did the core but took care of the heater control valve and even that took several hours and was impossible to restore the cable to the controls. What's ridiculous is you expect to pay a grand to have something as important as a tranny rebuilt. But just to have heat, in my mind I hope it doesn't fail on everyone else's car at that price. Once something like the dash comes apart, it never goes back together properly. And then it squeaks and rattles too. I mean as silly as it sounds, once the dealer replaced my seat cover, the back of it constantly falls off. Short of double-stick taping it it will not stay on with the fasterners.

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

Well the car is finally reassembled, the heater core has been replaced (big OEM parts thanks to Dave Burnette at South Point), and now the car has difficulty running at idle and will not accelerate. I wonder if my car was preprogrammed for system failure after my 84K mile warranty ran out. Sadly, my Maxima sits at 85.5K miles, still at a repair facility.