What is this thing leaking smelly fluid in passenger footwell?

[kalajeeper]

Hello! I’ve been chasing this smell coming through my ac vents. Then I found this thing dripping onto the passenger footwell.

What is it?

It has some green stuff (mildew) on the pipe. Please advise what part it is and should it be replaced or cleaned?

Thanks!!!

 

[RMETeeJay]

Welcome! If it smells sweet, like coolant, head over here for how to repair the heater core.

Since you're in a warm climate, you could instead bypass the core. You may still want to remove the old one and clean out the old coolant to get rid of the smell.

 

[kalajeeper]

Welcome! If it smells sweet, like coolant, head over here for how to repair the heater core.

Since you're in a warm climate, you could instead bypass the core. You may still want to remove the old one and clean out the old coolant to get rid of the smell.

It doesn’t smell sweet. At first I thought it was burning rubber or plastic but now I think it’s a mildew type smell. Would it still be the heater core in this case?

 

[RMETeeJay]

The color looks like it. On the firewall in the engine compartment, there is an AC drain. Check there and feel/smell. Coolant is slick between the fingers and smells sweet.

Another thing to check is the fresh air intake under the cowling. If it gets clogged with debris, that can cause rain to flow where it shouldn't.

 

[P man]

Taste it

 

[kalajeeper]

The color looks like it. On the firewall in the engine compartment, there is an AC drain. Check there and feel/smell. Coolant is slick between the fingers and smells sweet.

Another thing to check is the fresh air intake under the cowling. If it gets clogged with debris, that can cause rain to flow where it shouldn't.

Thanks for the info! I will investigate and report back

 

[WestCoastDan]

The neighbors' cat can tell you if it is coolant in a few hours.

 

[kalajeeper]

The color looks like it. On the firewall in the engine compartment, there is an AC drain. Check there and feel/smell. Coolant is slick between the fingers and smells sweet.

Another thing to check is the fresh air intake under the cowling. If it gets clogged with debris, that can cause rain to flow where it shouldn't.

Checked under the cowl and it was relatively clean. Went ahead and bypassed the heater core. It was definitely coolant leaking into the cab. Thanks for the help!