I am having my heating core replaced and the radiator shop recommended checking out the radiator to see if it is good condition I have 180k on my car, what should normal wear and tear be and what are the possible scenarios I might run in to when they diagnose
I would say at 180k miles, and with the heater core bad, it's time to test the radiator.
I wouldn't be surprised if they say the radiator needs replacing (which would be difficult to refute) and along with that, the hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, and maybe some other stuff like sensors.
It depends on how well your cooling system has been maintained, but I would be prepared...
If it's exactly in the middle of the car, and it's oil, it sounds like it's a crankshaft seal leaking oil from the engine. This is typical of a high mileage engine. But it could also be leaking higher up on the engine and running down.
The heater core itself is usually totally inside the car, and when the core leaks, coolant goes into the floor on the passenger side.
There could be heater hoses under the hood leaking, but if there is anti-freeze in the cooling system, you would smell it in the leak.
Rules of thumb: oil leaks = brown,
coolant leaks = green or yellow (or rusty if cooling system is dirty),
auto trans leaks = red,
power steering leaks = red,
brake fluid leaks = almost colorless to slightly brown;
+ Coolant and brake fluid leaks have very distinctive odors.
One other thought:
If you haven't run the heater in the car recently, the coolant the garage indicated was in the floor may have evaporated. When the heat is off, there is much less pressure on the heater core and it may not leak.
This is a messy way to test that theory, but you could run the heat and see if you get the leak (again?).
The oil spot under the vehicle is most likely a crank seal leak -- it usually drips as you indicated and does not flood out.
Don't remember on this vehicle if heater hoses are attached to manifold, but the hoses would most likely need to be disconnected to remove the manifold.
If you smell anti-freeze, there's a leak somewhere, no doubt, and you should be able to find a wet spot somewhere. Is the odor stronger under the hood? Are you loosing a significant amount of coolant? Is the engine making any unusual noises? Is there coolant around the radiator cap? Is there coolant on the side of the engine block just under the head(s)?
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ok now I am confused there is no coolant on the passenger side like the dealership told me, my husband checked. we also noticed what looked like an il spill on our driveway which would have leaked from the middle of the car...could that be related to the smell of coolant or a leak from the heater core?
I definately smell antifreeze when running the car but no leak on passenger side as the dealership told me they felt something slick. We ran a dry rag on the carpet and found absolutley no traces of antifreeze.
they said they checked all of the hoses but i will double check to see if they checked heater hoses...which by the way are those connected to the manifold? because they just relaced the intake manifold seal.
regarding the brwon spot on the driveway my husband said there was a drip of oil under the car
If it was a heater core leak would I see a leak on the driveway under the car approximately midway?
How should you maintain your car radiator for a long life in a proper way.
http://www.blog.buyradiatoronline.com/20...
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