I gave my dad a ride the other day when he had to take his car to shop. he said noticed antifreeze smell I didn't notice at time, and still don't notice smell. But I have been seeing some odd things in the car happening that kind of makes me think he's right. All the gages look normal temp, etc. one day I had frost on inside of window in the morning so moisture inside, I never had that before, and today it was about 35F this morning I notices light greenish colored water in the bottom of the inside of the windshield. These make me think it's heating related like he thought though I don't smell coolant. There seems to be no sign of water leakage under the glove box where the core is, and temp is fine so I don't know what I'm seeing is just coincidence, or if just a minor leak causing issues.

Any ideas? we were just going to replace core me and my dad he has replaced many of them before at a job he had years ago.

 

LOOK at it. Take off whatever covers there are and look at it. You can't tell if it's a leaky hose, a leaky heater core, or a leaky windshield squirter unless you look at it.

 

This thread is a violation of the AAC forum rules, Chapter 6, on automotive modifications, as seen here:
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/l_tos.html
Therefore, this thread will be closed.

Please understand the reasons behind this action and bear no grudge.
Feel free to tread on the rest of the forums.

You may find answers to your questions in one of the links provided here: http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=54400

 

Input from Packratking fueled a discussion among the moderators. Here is what was decided/clarified.

Automotive repairs are allowed in AAC. Automotive modifications are not allowed, as stated in the ToS.
We understand that the line between repair and modification is a fine one and we will try our best to track it.

We do not want to muffle discussions in AAC more than we have to.

I apologize for interrupting the flow of this thread.

 

Antifreeze is a tasteless poison ,and since it is inside the car you might want to let

a professional take care of it for safety reasons. There should not be any pooling of

antifreeze inside the car and it sounds like this has been going on for sometime.

 

I would have asked in forum for your kind of car. Or perhaps you and your dad my take a look at it, opening the dashboard. But fix it now before it get worse and end in a disaster

 

I thought about complaining that replacing a heater core is not a modification. It isn't even electrical, it is water powered! But decided against whining by assuming Geo had legitimate reasons, like staying away from a gray area.

However, I am happy to see that proper consideration was applied and the outcome seems good.

Thank you.

 

Again ,antifreeze is a tasteless poison and they said the antifreeze was pooling.

That should be considered from a safety view.

 

Actually, antifreeze used to taste pretty good, but not any more.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/12/antifreeze_now_tastes_bitter_t.html

 

Actually, antifreeze is sweet. It kills a few dogs and cats every year. I lost one that way. Google Ethylene Glycol. Odorless, colorless, but not tasteless.

 

If you are having antifreeze smell in your car, chances are good that it's your heater core - it could be just weak hoses or the core itself, like someone else said - you just need to get in there and look... of course, depending on the vehicle you have once you're in there it might be worth your time to just change all that stuff out. Those heater cores can be tough to get to.

 

ok thanks for the info.
My car is a 01 Honda CR-V I looked the core don't look like be too tough to get to. I felt around, and could feel hoses, appears to just be a cover behind the blower assembly under the glove box. I don't know a lot about cars, and I thought it could be anything rad, cap, overflow system, hoses, and smell just came in some how. from symptoms though it seems like it is something internal like core or hose. I don't think the core is terribly $ maybe like $70. I figured get some input though before get parts, and doo al the work, and end up being rad or something.
some reason I figured it fail it would like gush fluid all over.

 

"some reason I figured it fail it would like gush fluid all over."



Not really, most of those leaks start out as pinholes.

 

When my heater core gave out - it was also leaking antifreeze out of the air vents when i ran the heater, if I recall correctly - I'm not exactly sure how (this was years ago)...

 

I've done so many of these that it's just work now. No mystery to find a water leak. Just open it up and look. If it plays hide & seek, start the engine. As the engine warms up it will build up pressure in the water system.

 

You have a core leak ( hose leak) and you have a nose that is less sensitive to ethylene glycol than most. Also, your car may be filled with a propylene glycol (less toxic) antifreeze that has a slightly higher boiling point and even less odor than ethylene glycol. That, and your Dad has a very good sense of smell.

Ethylene glycol is not completely odorless. And, since it is in your car as an aerosol and not as a vapor, it is likely being tasted instead of smelled.

Aerosol (mist) is assured because the green color on the windshield. Pigments and dyes have very high boiling points and would not carry over in a vapor - green color is a dye added to clear glycol by the manufacturer. Green is most common for antifreeze but some (like Toyota factory antifreeze) use red/pink.

 

It ok to talk about this problem ,should he be breathing what ever it is. He says it been

going on for while.

 

Even if he shouldn't be breathing it, fixing the leak is still the cure.

 

It ok to talk about this problem ,should he be breathing what ever it is. He says it been

going on for while.

Ideally, no. But this is like so many other poisons - it depends on the quantity. In the end, too much salt, alcohol and even water are all poisons.

Ethylene glycol is not so bad, it is the decomposition products that are bad (and unavoidable). Oxalic acid tends to bind all metals (especially calcium) and then become insoluble. The crystals are needle shaped and tiny. They become tangled in the kidneys and, with she were poisoning, cause kidney failure and death.

Many nuts, spices, fruits and vegetables have some oxalis acid (less than 1%). Some plants are higher and can cause oxylate poisoning. (Rhubarb root). Interestingly, the foods high in oxilate are usually eaten in very small quantities - chives and parsley.

A person will feel drunk from breathing large amounts quickly. Repeated exposure to low amounts is bad because the oxylate can build up in the kidneys and never know until it is too late. Your body can process oxylate but calcium oxylate is very insoluble and it move out of the body slowly. Gout is another oxilate related issue.

I know a lot about oxilate because i included it as an option as a cleaner/catalyst for a process.

 

Also, your car may be filled with a propylene glycol (less toxic) antifreeze that has a slightly higher boiling point and even less odor than ethylene glycol.

Propylene glycol, is even used in many food products and drinks.