FAST RS

Ok when i first bought my car when ever i turned the heater on id smell maple syrup. 4 months ago i pulled the passanger under dash cover and there was some red stuff that smelt liek maple syrup i whiped it off. Today i was takeing some papers out of my car that were in the front seat and i notcied that Red orangeish stuff on them again that smells like maple syrup. If i remeber correctley it looks like the r134a color but i dought it and i barely ever use my AC and i thoght all the fluid stuff had to do in the engine compartment any idea what this is were its commin from all i know is tonight i came to the conclusing i have a leak what it is i dono. please help.

87RS402

As for what it is I don't know. However you use your A/C more than you think. Every time your turn on your defroster your A/C comes on. It's wired that way in the switch. Idea being the A/C dries out the air so you don't get frost on the inside from moist air blowing against the cold windshield. You might want to rethink the it's not 134a thing.

FAST RS

If it is the r134 A how the hel is it gettin inside my car in liquid form? also ive had that maple smell even when i had the R-12 in it

Johnny Ray

How old is your heater core?

I have had the complete interior out of the '92 Firebird and about the only thing that could be leaking inside the passenger compartment would be the heater core Fast RS.

They are cheap. I bought a new one for $17.00 at AutoZone.





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1992 Artic White Firebird

1997 Black Firebird

Sincat_23

I agree with Johnny Ray on the heater core thing. If your getting a maple syrup smell, thats what antifrezze smealls like. Idont understand why the red color though. do you get a fog on the windsheild on the inside. More than likly its the heater core leaking then.

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92 Camaro 3.1 V6 (Red)
-Hypertech Chip
-Dynomax Exhaust
-Taylor Spiral Spark Plug Wires
-2.5 Harwood Lift-Off Cowl Hood
-B&M Megashifter
-B&M Shift Improver
-15x8 Crager 5-Star Chrome Rims
-JSP Apache Wing
-Yellow Weapons-R Intake Filter
-KYB Shocks & Struts
-Borla Exhaust Tips
-MSD Coil

FAST RS

I use the dexacool so it is that color that crossed my mi dubut how do it get in the car. Can omeone give a procefdure on how to change the heater Core

Johnny Ray

First off all make sure you have a day where you don't have nothing else to do. Take your time.

This is what I had to do to change the heater core on the '92 Firebird, perhaps the Camaro is similiar.

1. Disconnect the battery.
2. Drain the cooling system.
3. Remove the heater cores hoses from the heater core inlet and outlet pipes. If you find them hard to remove just cut a slit up the side of them to remove them. It's a good idea to replace them anyway.
4.Remove the lower hush panels from your instrument panel.
5. Remove the dash pad. The retaining screw are located in the defroster vents and along the underside of the rear edge of the pad.
6. Remove both front speakers. Also remove the right side speaker bracket.
7. Remove the screws side window defroster ducts, the front carrier braces and carrier shelf and remove the side defroster ducts.
8. Carefully disconnect the ECM box and set it aside.
9. Remove the radio trim plate, the upper console trim, and the glove box assembly.
10. Remove the parking brake handle grip, the screws retaining the console body and position the console back, out of the way.
11. Remove the trim plate underneath the steering column. Remove the two nuts retaining the steering column and carefully lower and support the steering column down out of the way.
12. Remove the two nuts and four screws retaining the instrument panel to the firewall and move the instrument panel back far enough to access the heater module.
13. Remove the screws retaining the heater core cover and remove the cover.
14. Remove the screws retaining the shroud. Remove the shroud and the heater core.
15. Installation is reverse of removal. Be EXTRA careful when you put the new heater core back in. Don't bend anything when slipping it back through the firewall.

Like I had said, this was what I had to do when I changed the heater core on the '92 Firebird. Yours might be similiar.

Take your time.

I hope this helps.



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1992 Artic White Firebird

1997 Black Firebird

FAST RS

****KKKKKKKKK im gonna go crazy doin that offence is there any simpler way to do it so i dont have to take apart the while inside of my car???? why do i have to take all the crap off the drivers side if its on the passanger side??? it seems like while im at it i mids well take out my whole guage cluster and dash and everything lol. any easier way?

Johnny Ray

The only easier way I found was take it to the shop.

$475.00 labor and $89.95 in parts.

I did it myself and spent under $25.00

$17.99 for the heater core and $5.00 for new heater hose.



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1992 Artic White Firebird

1997 Black Firebird

scoob8000

definatly theres the problem.. your heater core.. the DexCool prob didnt help either, thats where your getting the red color.. its really not reccomended to use the new pink antifreezes in our older cars that orig came with the normal glycol antifreeze.. i forget exactally what is in it, but the pink stuff has a chemical in it that tends to eat up gasket type material that wasnt made for it causing leaks.. i dont think this is the case with your heater core tho, it was prolly just its time to go.. but if you can live without heat forawhile you can put off fixing it by d/c both lines to it at the firewall and splice them together with a small peiece of 5/8? tubing...

FAST RS

Funny thing is My heater still works great it has allot of heat common out of it better then my moms car and hers is newer is it reall important tho to fix? also what are the hush covers

TomP

You probably have a small leak in it. Small leaks get bigger. If you don't mind your heater core bursting and filling your passenger floor with antifreeze, then don't replace the heater core.

I'm considering replacing mine in the summer just for the hell of it. I should've bought a new one when I totalled my car; instead, I put the heater core in that was from my parts car. I was low on cash back then, but damn, I really should've borrowed it or something. Oh well.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

87CamaroLT

Glovebox?! We don't got no stinkin' glove boxes! Just that little bitty center console.... Spoiled F'bird owner....

That's right.... I forgot.... We're not supposed to get off topic.... I was just trying to be funny guys....

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--'87 Camaro LT --
Currently undergoing a 2.8->3.4 swap.....

[This message has been edited by 87CamaroLT (edited February 15, 2001).]

FAST RS

My friend who owns a shop said he would do it for me for 200 bucks with all new parts should i jsut pay him to do it. So i guess its been a small leak since i boght the car 2 years ago cuz ive notcied it gettin more fluid but 2 years ago i smelt the exact same thing. i will miss the smell tho it smells yummy =)

Johnny Ray

For $200.00 I even would probably have someone else do it!

Like I said, it took me the majority of a whole day to do mine.





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1992 Artic White Firebird

1997 Black Firebird

FAST RS

Aiite illt ake it there monday. He does good work and since i know him its cheap When all but 2 manafold bolts broke off on each side he charged me 300 to drill them out have the manafolds shaved because they warped and cleaned out the ports and honed the manafolds. Or if i want to i can hellp the leak some get a girl i really hate sit her in the passanger seat and drive til coolant gets all over her =)

scoob8000

200 bux including parts? not too bad, id prolly let them fix it too..

CC_HotRod

I thought my heater core went bad last summer, but to make a long story short it turned out to be the hoses that go to the heater core. The two rubber ones that go through the firewall. I would check those out and make sure that they are dry rotted and the clamps are tight.

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"5 out of 4 people have a problem with fractions"

My Camaro: http://home.earthlink.net/~singleton052095

Black 86 'bird

My heater core went back in summer. I wondered why I kept smelling coolant. I looked around and it was leaking down the vinyl, or whatever it is, from behind where the radio is to the carpet by the gas pedal. I guess when the shop pulled it, they spilled some on the passenger floor board. When I lifted the floormat, there was a puddle. In fact, I'm STILL pulling coolant out of the rug as of last week. It just won't dry.

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My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series