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Re: Help! Syrup smell in the cabin! Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Thu, 15 Nov 2001 11:12:12
In Reply to: Help! Syrup smell in the cabin!, Nate, Thu, 15 Nov 2001 02:53:38 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Maple syrup, baking bread, all pretty much the same. As Shahn says, it's probably your heater core. 9000 heater cores tend to develop pinhole leaks over time. You notice it when the heat is on, and most notibly with defrost, mostly because the air is being blown into your face. The problem only gets worse with time. Replacing the heater core isn't cheap, but at least it's less expensive and easier in the newer cars (your '93 counts as newer).
Warm up the engine, open the hood and take a nice, deep breath through your nose. Do you smell it in the engine compartment? Then check the engine compartment. A good rule of thumb is that if you smell 'syrup' in the cabin with the heat on while the car is cruising down the highway, think heater core. If you ONLY smell it when the car isn't moving (sitting in traffic, etc.) or when the heat is off, look under the hood. A clamp may have loosened up from the recent work, and you're leaking coolant onto something hot.
I have had good luck with Bars Leaks in holding off replacing the heater core. If the leak is really bad, it won't help. But if it's a minor weep, it can delay core replacement. I've delayed core replacement in one car a couple of years now, and I'm hoping for a few more.
Shake up the Bars Leaks, and pour it into your expansion tank (cold car). Then drive for 20 minutes or more. It comes in two sizes - small and large bottles. I'd guess the small bottle is about 4-8 oz. I start with a small bottle (or half a large one). Give it a week to work. Running the heat won't make the Bars Leaks work any faster - the heater core always has coolant flow through it. But running the heat does push air through the heater core, and that helps evaporate and dissipate any coolant and associated smell.
I've had good luck with Bars Leaks, but I only use it in cars with good cooling systems - cars where I know the coolant has been changed regularly, the radiator is in good shape, etc. If your head gasket blew because the engine overheated, I would make sure the cooling system was OK BEFORE adding anything. However, if the gasket blew because it blew (things happen), and the car temp has been running normally for the past few months, I'd use it.
posted by 140.157....
, Thu, 15 Nov 2001 11:12:12 <-- Viewing This Message, Fri, 16 Nov 2001 10:33:05
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