Smoke coming from the defroster vents

Chuci · **Posted:** Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:04 pm

I was sitting in a parking lot and started smelling something. I thought some blaster bp that I thought had accidentally sprayed but I started driving and kept smelling it. That’s when I noticed smoke rising from the air vents with the heater off. What could this be?

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:27 pm

Best guess:
Does it have an odor? If it has a slightly sweet smell and / or possibly fogging the windshield slightly, it is probably antifreeze and that is the heater core leaking.
If it has a slight acidic smell, it is probably freon and you have an evaporator leak.
If it smells like plastic melting or burning, you may have a short and something electrical is going on.

Chuci · **Posted:** Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:41 pm

WWDiesel wrote:

Best guess:
Does it have an odor? If it has a slightly sweet smell and / or possibly fogging the windshield slightly, it is probably antifreeze and that is the heater core leaking.
If it has a slight acidic smell, it is probably freon and you have an evaporator leak.
If it smells like plastic melting or burning, you may have a short and something electrical is going on.

It was fogging up the window but it might’ve been because it’s snowing. It has stopped smoking and it still smells but I have low coolant now

Chuci · **Posted:** Sun Feb 14, 2021 8:22 pm

Never mind there is still smoke.

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WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:22 pm

Chuci wrote:

It was fogging up the window but it might’ve been because it’s snowing. It has stopped smoking and it still smells but I have low coolant now

Sounds like you have a heater core leaking. :grim:

Chuci · **Posted:** Mon Feb 15, 2021 2:05 pm

WWDiesel wrote:

Chuci wrote:

It was fogging up the window but it might’ve been because it’s snowing. It has stopped smoking and it still smells but I have low coolant now

Sounds like you have a heater core leaking. :grim:

They sell one for 120 on id parts but they also sell them at autozone/ oriellys for 50. is it something I should pay the extra for?

PZKW108 · **Joined:** Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:23 pm **Posts:** 461

Chuci wrote:

WWDiesel wrote:

Chuci wrote:

It was fogging up the window but it might’ve been because it’s snowing. It has stopped smoking and it still smells but I have low coolant now

Sounds like you have a heater core leaking. :grim:

They sell one for 120 on id parts but they also sell them at autozone/ oriellys for 50. is it something I should pay the extra for?

You might want to make sure you get a good quality unit......

Especially after you have spent a full day replacing it !

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Feb 15, 2021 4:28 pm

Not a job you want to do twice, buy the best heater core you can find. :wink:

IDParts price is lower than RockAuto.
https://www.idparts.com/heater-core-lib ... -6137.html

CATCRD · **Posted:** Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:12 pm

Do you live in part of the country where it's been exceptionally cold? I'd get an antifreeze tester and check the freeze point of your coolant. Might have frozen and split the core. You're going to be draining it anyway, but at least check it if you're going to reuse it.

Chuci · **Posted:** Fri Feb 19, 2021 4:33 am

CATCRD wrote:

Do you live in part of the country where it's been exceptionally cold? I'd get an antifreeze tester and check the freeze point of your coolant. Might have frozen and split the core. You're going to be draining it anyway, but at least check it if you're going to reuse it.

Sorry for the late response but no I don’t not I live somewhere where it’s that cold, but the day it broke it had finished snowing pretty badly.

Smoke coming from the defroster vents

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