My heat in my Honda keeps smelling like oil. It heats up, but smells, so its useless. What can it be?

Question

I have a 2000 honda civic and the heat works, but smells like oil really bad, especially when I turn the vent/fan on. It is cold and weather is snowy. I turn it on, but roll my windows down for the smell. What can this be? car does not overheat, enough fluids everywhere else, and no leaks in the car.

Answer 1

If it smells kinda sweet like coolant it probably the heater core, if it smells more like oil you might have a leak on the engine and the smell is coming in through the fresh air vents.

Answer 2

If it is an oil smell you likely have an oil leak under the hood . Even though you don't see a leak right off you may none the less still have one . Start by checking the valve covers , this is a predominant location for a hidden leak as the intake manifold covers a large portion of it . This kind of oil leak can be slow enough not to cause a noticeable drop in fluid however it will leave oil on the surface of the engine allowing the smell to travel to the passenger compartment through the vents and heating system .

Answer 3

the heater core is located under the dashboard near the firewall in your vehicle. Antifreeze liquid passes through a series of copper coils when you turn on the heat and the hot liquid heats up the coils and then forced air (fans) blow across the coils and into the passenger compartment through floor vents. Most likely, there has been a lubricant of some kind spilled or oozed onto the heater coil (core) and when the coils heat up, it's burning off that substance and is getting blown into the compartment when the fan is turned on. Any number of things could cause this. In fact, if you have a micro leak on the core, it could be the antifreeze that is burning off and evaporating causing this smell. If you say it's really oily smell I doubt it is antifreeze though because that will smell bitter but a little sweet. Find your heater core and make sure it's clean by using alcohol or another natural spirit.

Answer 4

Sounds like the you have an oil leak. Oil is leaking into your coolant, that is why it smells like oil. Head gasket, head, engine block cracked. Once the the cat car has been sitting for a few hours slowly and carefully (coolant under pressure) remove the radiator cap. If you see oil floating on the coolant then one of the before mentioned parts may be an issue. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

last time your oil got changed someone probably spilled some on the motor

Answer 6

that what You are going to discover in the summer time.
A/C not cooling. bad air compressor .it run without oil and stuck.

COME BACK IN SUMMER AND GIVE ME MY POINTS.