recently my 2005 jeep ran hot. turned out the hose under the hood that connects to the inside was loose and of course i got coolant everywhere… fixed the clamp replaced lost coolant, hasn’t ran hot since. now when i turn the heat or the air on i can smell the coolant. it heats and cools wonderfully. do i really need to replace the heater core? oh, just for information i do alot of stopping and starting so this happened about 2 months ago and it hasn’t run hot since the the time in question. thanks alot for your help and suggestions
After this two month run, how’s the coolant level? It’s possible for the core to be leaking (just a little) and produce this smell, while still working correctly. As far as it running hot, I believe the two most common things that cause this are coolant levels, and faulty thermostats. Taking for granted that the radiator is clean.
So the leak happened right at the firewall?
Sounds like some coolant got into the passenger compartment.
Probably sitting in a puddle in the ductwork near the heater core.
You need to get under the dashboard. Remove, whatever plastic parts enclose the heater core.