Could it be anything besides the heater core?

Aloha Joe

Aloha Joe

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
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139
Location
Honolulu, HI, USA
(05 Rubicon, M/T)

Lately my heat's been smelling like coolant. I just checked my reservoir and it's empty. I also remember wondering once why my passenger carpet was wet, but not certain it was coolant (I keep the doors off, so....) I know this points to heater core, but is there anything else it could be, or anything else I should check before bypassing and eventually replacing the heater core?
 
CodaMan said:
You may not see it, but if you smell coolant there's a leak.

In the morning, does your windshield fog up with the heater on?
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Well, I live in Hawaii, so no :)

Yeah I get that it's leaking, just want to be sure it's the heater core (which it sounds like it is) and not something else. It's a big job to tackle without being 100% certain!
 
Aloha Joe said:
Well, I live in Hawaii, so no :)

Yeah I get that it's leaking, just want to be sure it's the heater core (which it sounds like it is) and not something else. It's a big job to tackle without being 100% certain!
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It is a big job. Even in Hawaii, in the morning, turn the heat up, defroster on and see if it fogs up. A leaking core will put coolant residue in the HVAC ystem and then on the windshield causing a film like fog that smells like coolant.
 
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Well it was easy enough to pull the passenger carpet back, remove the heater hoses and run some water through it. I got plenty of water in the passenger tub so I guess I know what I have to do. At least I’m glad to know the leak is bypassed and coolant is getting where it needs to.
 
If you have AC, you may want to consider a new evaporator while you are in there for one shot one kill. Don't pinch pennies on these components. A return journey to the innards of your dash is usually more dreaded than the first foray to the inner sanctum.
 
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Thanks. I’m planning on getting the heater core from Performance Radiator. The cores are made by a Texas company (APC or something like that). I agree about getting a quality component but paying $250 or whatever for Mopar seems a bit extreme? I’m not sure what evaporator I’m going to get yet - Mopar looks like $275 from Rock Auto. I have to do my whole cooling system too so while I don’t want to skimp on quality, I also don’t want to over spend.
 
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You can always pressure test the new components for leaks as well. (don't blow it up however) I cheaped out on an evaporator and it arrived with gaps you could drive a Buick through. Learned my lesson the hard way. At my age, I am not used to crappy knock-off parts. When I spun a wrench for money, almost all of the parts were high quality. Failures were rare. Funny, back then, aftermarket was often the best option, OEM was considered average. Names like BlueStreak or Raybestos meant something.
 
Shop around all the mopar online parts stores. Some are cheaper than others I ordered my mopar one off amazon from avondale automotive which is a jeep dealership in AZ. They were the cheapest I could find.
When you tear into your dash take lots of pics and bag and label your bolts. Sucks to get done then find that one bolt. Cut the foam that goes around the tubes through the firewall right down the middle and glue it back together with rubber cement.
I didnt pull the steering column just loosened everything up enough that the dash could be pulled back to get the heater box out. Lots of youtube videos out there plus the FSM helps alot.
 
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I will keep looking and haven’t fully decided on anything yet. But I just reached out to a friend who owns a great repair shop that’s been growing exponentially for the past 15 or so years - which now also includes a body shop. He said they use Spectra or GPD and haven’t had any problems or return calls. I known there’s plenty of negative stuff about brands like that online if you look for it, but most people don’t come online 5 years after an install to write about how great their replacement radiator is working.

All that said, if you can find and afford Mopar, it’s the safest and probably the best decision. OEMs will lose contracts and even face legal issues if a high enough percentage of their parts fail within a vehicle warranty period. If 15% of Jeep radiators went bad, owners would go nuts and fight for resolution. If 15% of Spectra’s cheap replacement radiators went bad it would get a lot less attention. So I believe there is a valid reason to use OEM. I used to design engines for GE Aviation, and we guarantee (through a lot of engineering and experience) that OEM parts will work for the duration we say they will. Customers can find cheaper parts elsewhere but then they have no idea what they’re really getting.
 
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For the sake starting another thread, looks like you guys already have the answer to this solution. Experiencing the same problem. Heater works really well but smells bad (like antifreeze) and I get a film on the inside of the window by the vent. Definitely a heater core and not something else?

@Aloha Joe, did you end up taking the whole dash off and fixing it?
 
It sounds like it certainly is the core. Pulling the dash is not as bad as it sounds. My advice, replace the AC evaporator while you are in there. Use only top quality parts. Good time to thoroughly flush your cooling system and inspect/replace hoses, belt, pulleys, pump, Fan clutch, T-stat & radiator if questionable. BTW, I like Thermocure for flushing. You will need to flush that stuff out about 10 times. Also use distilled water mixed with your coolant.
 
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Flivver250 said:
It sounds like it certainly is the core. Pulling the dash is not as bad as it sounds. My advice, replace the AC evaporator while you are in there. Use only top quality parts. Good time to thoroughly flush your cooling system and inspect/replace hoses, belt, pulleys, pump, Fan clutch, T-stat & radiator if questionable. BTW, I like Thermocure for flushing. You will need to flush that stuff out about 10 times. Also use distilled water mixed with your coolant.
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Thank you for the reply! There seems to be no shortage of videos on how to do this. Just stay organized and remember where shit goes and it’s doable. Lol. The horn stopped working (fuses are GTG) so I guess that and the AC evap like you mentioned will get done at the same time too.
 
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Worthy of note, when checking the cooling system, go ahead and install a new Hayden 2771 fan clutch if you haven't already done so. Simple job and it really makes a difference. Test the power at the horn and work backwards from there. If you have power there, the horn is kaput.

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