heater core? please advise.

[infurno]

Hey all,

Im pretty sure its obviously my heater core but I guess it wont hurt to ask:

Symptoms:
a) when heater on coolant smell in the cabin
b) white smoke pours out the vents
c) windshield fogs up

Started after:
Driving to work on a very (very) cold morning, at ~75 mph my temperature shoots up to red and I cut power to the engine and coast off to the side. The engine was wet, I found a disconnected coolant hose leading down to the water pump.

I just checked prices on heater cores, ~$160... I guess im hoping thats not it. Is there any hope its simpler then that?

Its been cold here, and looks like snow coming. If its going to take a complex repair I will have to wait.

[DaveVoorhis]

Definitely sounds like a heater core and/or leaky o-rings on the pipes connecting to the core, though there's a small possibility the coolant hose was leaking for a while and allowed coolant to be sucked in through the vents.

Replacing the core and o-rings isn't difficult, just tedious.

[CharlesAFerg]

just this morning i got white smoke from the vents for the first time, and my car was cold... What causes this?

I've had the window fog problem for quite some time.

[infurno]

I don't mind doing it myself. I have some friends to call too just in case.

This really started out of nowhere, makes no sense. There is no noise at all, it blows hot air, everything is functioning correctly except for the smoke. I did some searching before posting here and was unable to find anybody else mention constant smoke from all the vents.

Im just hoping DaveVoorhis is right about some coolant getting into the vents, and the problem eventually just goes away. Ill just keep the heat on max and a window a bit open. At this time its too cold to work on it anyway.

[uscharalph]

Hey all,

Im pretty sure its obviously my heater core but I guess it wont hurt to ask:

Symptoms:
a) when heater on coolant smell in the cabin
b) white smoke pours out the vents
c) windshield fogs up

Started after:
Driving to work on a very (very) cold morning, at ~75 mph my temperature shoots up to red and I cut power to the engine and coast off to the side. The engine was wet, I found a disconnected coolant hose leading down to the water pump.

I just checked prices on heater cores, ~$160... I guess im hoping thats not it. Is there any hope its simpler then that?

Its been cold here, and looks like snow coming. If its going to take a complex repair I will have to wait.
It's a lot more than $160, because of the huge amount of labor. I bypassed mine in July of 2005.

[CharlesAFerg]

It's a lot more than $160, because of the huge amount of labor. I bypassed mine in July of 2005.

This means no heater, yea?

[uscharalph]

This means no heater, yea?
Yes it does. It really hasn't been any inconvenience here in California until the last couple of months.

[uscharalph]

You'll know if it's the heater core. You're carpet will get wet. You'll notice greater amounts of coolant missing. And your car may start to overheat.

The problem with doing this job yourself is that you have to take the whold dash apart and (Even harder) pu it back together again. Many here have done it before.

Also, if you do it yourself, replace as many of the parts as you can. you don't want to have to do this job twice.

[Robin-535im]

Probably the heater core. Really not that hard to do, just get some baggies and a sharpie to label where all the screws come from. Pulling the center console is quick once you know how to do it, and a few bolts and clips later the heater core is in view.

Just replace the core and the o-rings, you can leave the tubes through the firewall in place.

You might consider pulling the seats for extra working room, and that way you can clean the carpets while it's all out. There is a tube that allows leaking water to exit the car so it won't necessarily get the carpet wet if it's leaking.

Bentley's process is clear and if you have a phillips screwdriver, 10mm and 13mm sockets and various hex/torx sockets it's a piece of cake! I've done two so far and the first was a PITA because I was lazy with the labeling. This time it's MUCH easier with keeping each bolt/screw/clip labeled clearly.

[CharlesAFerg]

It can be your heater core even if your carper isn't wet, right? I'm losing tons of coolant and fog in vents, but no wet carpets... hmmm

[uscharalph]

It can be your heater core even if your carper isn't wet, right? I'm losing tons of coolant and fog in vents, but no wet carpets... hmmm
Yes. There is a channel that leads to a drain which would give the coolant a place to exit the car instead of in your carpet. My leak just overwhelmed that drain.

[bjmitts]

I've recently noticed a faint smell of coolant in my cabin as well. Definitely more noticeable when I put the heat on. Haven't seen any smoke though.

I changed all the belts on my car about a month ago, and because I'm a 'tard I tried to remove the radiator hose to get at the pully sitting near the power steering fluid cap and oil filter housing. Well, of course coolant started to leak out when I loosened up the hose, so I reattached the hose. But, ever since I did this I have that hint of coolant odor in my car. Not sure if my dum dum move caused that or not.

I also have been getting the "Coolant Level" message on my dash the past several mornings. It only shows up that one time when I first start it in the morning, and I never see it again.

I'm hoping I don't have a cracked heater core. That project sounds like a pain in the a$$

[Venus4NU]

I've recently noticed a faint smell of coolant in my cabin as well. Definitely more noticeable when I put the heat on. Haven't seen any smoke though.

I changed all the belts on my car about a month ago, and because I'm a 'tard I tried to remove the radiator hose to get at the pully sitting near the power steering fluid cap and oil filter housing. Well, of course coolant started to leak out when I loosened up the hose, so I reattached the hose. But, ever since I did this I have that hint of coolant odor in my car. Not sure if my dum dum move caused that or not.

I also have been getting the "Coolant Level" message on my dash the past several mornings. It only shows up that one time when I first start it in the morning, and I never see it again.

I'm hoping I don't have a cracked heater core. That project sounds like a pain in the a$$

I am having this exact same problem. Mine started when I replaced the heater blower. I think the smell is from spilling coolant in the engine compartment and when I bled the system coolant leaked out and blew into the radiator cooling fan. The car gives no signs of overheating and I have great heat output. I have the coolant light come on when I first turn the car on but it likewise goes away before I ever back out of the driveway. At first I was afraid I might have a cracked head or something but now I think it is just from coolant being splattered when I bled the system. I am going to take it into the BMW mechanic is March and have him do a full check up on my baby.

Venus

(Your red BMW looks identical to mine. I live in Nebraska and I have yet to see another Red BMW)

[genphreak]

Ethylene Glycol (what is in the coolant) is pretty bad for you btw:

Key Points

Fire
• Slightly flammable
• Ethylene glycol reacts vigorously with oxidising agents
• When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes that are hazardous

Health
• Harmful following ingestion
• May be directly irritating to the eyes causing them to immediately sting, burn and water; also irritant to respiratory tract
• Short-term exposure may initially result in central nervous system effects such as dizziness, agitation, spontaneous eye movement, rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure, nausea and vomiting
• Short-term exposure may damage the kidneys and can lead to kidney failure.
• Long term effects following severe intoxication include damage to the central nervous system
• Long term skin exposure to ethylene glycol may cause dermatitis.
• Ethylene glycol is not considered to be mutagenic or carcinogenic in humans
• Ethylene glycol is not considered to cause damage to the unborn child unless immersed in an Ethylene Glycol solution within the womb, the results of which are pretty bad.

Environment
• Avoid release into the environment
• Inform the Environment Agency of substantial releases

[infurno]

Thanks for the heads up... I figured it wasn't anything good, had my passenger side window down to pump it out. "emits acrid smoke" I guess thats what im seeing...

Im sure I got some exposure, but didn't experience any of the symptoms listed so hopefully im ok.

Been just driving with heat off and all the vents closed. I need to be more careful for sure.

[Tiger]

Not only that... the smell gets to every part of your interior and hard to wash out... unless you have a carpet cleaner.