mystery fluid leak, sickly sweet smell.......?

[chris530it]

so i have a fluid leak, mid car...and when i drive it the cabin fills with a sickly sweet smell that is very thick. is this lifetime fluid that i am smelling?

[Rory]

so i have a fluid leak, mid car...and when i drive it the cabin fills with a sickly sweet smell that is very thick. is this lifetime fluid that i am smelling?

Hi Chris,

I would guess that the sweet smell is coolant, most likely leaking from your heater core. If you turn off the heat does the smell go away? It is a DIY job with a bit of patience. Good time to flush your coolant system as well

Best,
Rory

[chris530it]

never have the heat on, but yes, it comes throught the vents

[Kennan]

Just experienced that recently. The problem was traced to a broken inlet at the radiator.

[BMW525]

Hey chris530it could you tell me any more about your problem I'm have a problem sort of like yours I smell antifreeze sometime when the heat is on then after a while it goes away.

[rickm]

I sometimes get a wiff of antifreeze when I crank up the heat...it happpened more towards early winter, now I don't smell it at all. Checked the fluids, no leaks, etc. I have heard these cars do this. If you're getting a very strong smell constantly and seem to be losing fluid then your heater core could have a leak like Rory indicated.

[NoSpeedLimits]

The info. at this site may help...

http://www.homeofsbc.com/Fixes/Heater/heater.htm

[DueyT]

The info. at this site may help...

http://www.homeofsbc.com/Fixes/Heater/heater.htm

Does anybody know if the heater core can be R&R'd with this method as well if it has failed, or only the plastic feed tubes?

Cheers,
Duey