The heater core is a series of tubes through which hot engine coolant runs. When you turn on your car’s heater, air blows over the tubes to be heated before it flows through the vents. Car Doctors Auto Repair lists the signs of a leaking heater core below so you know whether your heater core is leaking in your import.
Cold Cabin Air
If the heater core is leaking, there will be no hot coolant to warm the air. When this happens, you end up with cold air blowing into the cabin rather than hot air even though you have the heater on. Unfortunately, you will not get hot air until such time as you replace the leaking heater core.
Foggy Windows
Your windows may also fog up if the heater core is leaking. This is because the air that is flowing into the vehicle cabin is extremely humid because it is filled with engine coolant. When it meets the cold air in your vehicle’s cabin, the windows will fog up and you won’t be able to get them defrosted.
Low Coolant
Low engine coolant is also a sign that your heater core is leaking. This is just one of the areas from where coolant can leak. You may also end up with coolant leaking out of your radiator, the radiator hoses, the gaskets, the seals, or the overflow container.
Overheating
If your engine coolant is low, your car will overheat. You may not notice this at first because you have the heater on and that draws heat away from the engine. Eventually, however, there will be too little engine coolant due to the heater core leak and your car will overheat even with the heater on.
Sweet Odors
If you smell sweet odors coming through the vents, this is a sign that your heater core is leaking. Engine coolant smells sweet, kind of like maple syrup. If you’ve ever smelled engine coolant before, you know what the odor is and you can easily identify it when your heater core is leaking and you have the heater on.
Wet Floorboard
Finally, the heater core is located underneath your vehicle’s dashboard on the passenger side. A leaking heater core will get the floorboard wet in this location. It’s important to have the leaking heater core fixed as soon as possible to prevent your engine from overheating due to low engine coolant.
Car Doctors Auto Repair in Athens, GA, are experts when it comes to Asian and European automobiles. Call us today if you believe your heater core is leaking.
