The last couple of days, when my ac is on (live in se Fl.) I've been smelling anti-freeze. Today, I noticed a leak, coming from the driver's side wheel well, dripping fromm the shroud, can this be the heater hose, or maybe the heater core? Any advice is appreciated, as I don't like to go into a repair shop w/o any knowledge.
2007-03-18 16:18:05 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Dodge
your heater core is blown, it has holes in it.. i've replaced a heater core in a dodge caravan before and its a really tough job, but you should attempt it yourself since it will cost you about 2-300 bucks to have it done by a mechanic. basically, your going to have to completely remove the dash plastic to get at the heater core. the core is a 40 dollar part to replace, but the money you save by doing it yourself is well worth the headaches of doing it, yourself. and get a hayes manual at your local autoparts store, it will tell you how to remove the dash. also, with the leak, you might just be seeing condensation coming off the AC core. it will drip like that onto the ground, just like your house AC the water has to go somewhere. but i suspect that you have a coolant leak in the core as well.. try turning the heat on and see if you get any leaks inside the van onto your floor.
hope this helps.
2007-03-19 02:47:25 · answer #1 · answered by crotchrocketj 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Drivers side wheel well... dripping from the shroud? That is strange... there shouldn't be much over there except the transmission. Have you checked that side of the radiator? The gaskets they use in the ends of the radiators now can deteriorate and begin to leak.
If it were your heater core the smell would be very strong inside the car, and with the heater on you may even be able to see steam come out of the vents when you first turn on the fan. It may drip out from the firewall somewhere, or from under the dash. On our 95 Caravan the heater core was close to the center of the heater box. I had to completely pull the dash to get the heater box out and change it... it was an all weekend job. I would inspect all of the hoses under the hood first, a tiny pin hole can spray coolant far from where the leak really is... sometimes they are really tricky to find.
We also had a head gasket go bad on the Caravan but the leak wasn't noticable on the exterior. We noticed water in the oil and traced it to the bad gasket.
2007-03-18 23:26:55 · answer #2 · answered by John Boy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i own a repair shop,and it could be a hose on it from where you described it coming from,but then it can also be a heater core,id look real close at it and you might be able to narrow it down a little,before you take it in,if its just a hose on it,that's a fairly cheap repair to do,but a heater core that's a different thing,they can be pretty expensive to replace,good luck with it i hope this helps.
2007-03-18 23:27:42 · answer #3 · answered by dodge man 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maybe the overflow bottle or hose going to it. if it was the radiator, it wouldnt come from the wheel well area, and if it was the engine or hose, it would be more on the passenger side,
2007-03-18 23:23:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
check the head gasket
2007-03-18 23:23:58 · answer #5 · answered by Ryan V 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋