Re: Smoking Vents

Jul 18, 2003 13 Replies

Two words: Heater Core.



Does it smell like anti-freeze? Is it hard to wipe off the windows? Is it there now each time you turn on the defrost? Is the carpet wet in the footwell of your passenger side?



Big Chris


Amy wrote:



Hello there. I had quite a scary problem driving to work this
> morning. I reached over to turn on the vents in my 92 Chevy s10 and
> instead of air, I got a nasty, sweet-smelling vapor that poured out of > the vents.
>
> What on earth could it be ? I tried checking the fan and the fan
> belt, but they seemed to be working fine. I lifted the hood while the
> car was running and there is no smoke inside the engine area; it
> seems to be comming from inside the dash somewhere. Any ideas on what
> might cause this ?
>
> Amy Boyd
> amy snipped-for-privacy@nail.com

Sounds like maybe a freon leak?

Sam

They don't use Freon anymore. Most people never did. Freon is a registered trademark for Dupont's version of r-12. And it won't smoke coming out of the vents even if it were the refrigerant leaking.

Sounds like antifreeze. It's probably your heater core.

Exactly right.

With my first car ('76 Caprice Classic), that was the first thing that went wrong.

16 yrs old, I had no idea what the hell it was until the temp idiot light came on.....days later driving my old man home from work.

He sure was pleased.

Good Luck,

Tony

Doesnt matter if its summer or winter, there is still pressure on the heater core. The sweet smell is coolant. It is the heater core, no doubt about it.

Are you saying heater cores don't leak in the summer??? And its CORE not coil.

You are right, it was the blower motor. It did stop when I turned the blower off. I pulled off the rubber hose that directs air into the interior of the cabin and I saw black melted parts inside the motor.

--Amy

Actually, it turned out to be the blower motor. The smoke and the smell was from the motor melting. The part cost only $30, but I'm having a hard time getting to the old motor to take it out.

My 88 S-10 to replace the blower motor you:

1) Unplug one electrical connection 2) pull off one rubber du-dad 3) 6 or so small bolts (6mm or 7mm IIRC), relatively easy access on all 4) pull out blower.

While they made the heater core insanely difficult, they made the blower motor simpler than changing the wiper blades.

Big Chris

And that smelled "sweet"? Not like burning electic wires?

Tony

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