I put the sob in weeks ago as noted here. Well I am still getting THAT SMELL when the heat is on and warmed up. I pull back the carpet on the pass side, there are no leaks there. If I turn it to defrost (it's been cool here in Cincy) and get NO fog on the window if it were leaking at anytime when driving for 10 min or 30 min.
Now when I pulled the orig heater orig I did not clean out the box (it spilled already leaked fluid in the box) nor tried to clean up the rubber matting that the box sits against when you tighten all of it back to the firewall.
I was up at the box in the car today pulling the floor carpet and matting back and have no leaks, no dried up streams of anything. One thing I did do today, the rubber matting on the firewall that stops a few inched below the box, if I squeeze it I get a little fluid coming out on my finders. Either it is leaking again (but why NO, ZERO, FOG on the windshield when put on defrost) or it is warming up the old spillage that the rubber/matting soaked up???

 

Takes a long time for that insulation to dry especially if its antifreeze soaked. Make sure hoses are tight as a leak at the hose clamp can send water onto insulation inside the car.

 

It would have been a good idea to clean out the box at least, I would imagine the smell from the box and the carpet will stick around for a little while. The heater pipe connections are the weak spots on any heater core. As long as you didn't bang the heater core around when installing it it shouldn't leak. They are all pressure tested before shipped. Check your coolant level in the rad and overflow bottle to see if it has dropped.

 

Not much I can add to the above except to spay some Fabreeze into the outside defroster duct in front of the windshield with the fan on high to possibly neutralize the odor.

 

looked at the core leaking issue again, I think you all are right here, it is leaking from the house out in the motor. The pass side connection looking at it from the motor, I moved the hose around and it would **** back along the tube into car. I guess I don't have it clamped right. That would explain why it would not FOG the window. The core is not leaking off the fog, and does not get hot enough in the case for the leaking fluid to FOG would be my guess.

 

Looked at it today. I had the bigger hose pushed all the way to the firewall and the clamp up that far instead on the flared out end. Moved the hose back and put the clamp in the right spot. Now all the fluid that leaked into the box needs to burn off. Wonder how long that will take.

 

IF it is full, that would be quite a bit. You might use a 1/16" drill and make a small hole to drain it faster. Make the hole towards the front and have a pan under it. Also the case is less than 1/8 thick so make a stop on your bit with masking tape or a piece of thin tubing.

 

I was thinking of backing the bolts off holding the case a little bit so it can pull off the interior firewall and if there is anything in there it will drop out. I drove the hell out of it last night hoping the heat would burn some off. The core itself must not be leaking as I get no classic fog signs on the windshield what so ever. I am watching my coolant level and it is staying the same so just ganna keep driving it still it goes away or there is a leak and it lets go. I have all the carpet pulled back, the rubber matting pulled up where I can from under the case, it is not leaking/running down on the firewall inside the car.

 

If there is fluid in the case, near the core why am I not getting the classic fog from it burning? Is it because the core itself is not leaking causing it and the heat alone can not get the fluid laying in there hot enough to steam????

 

well I have driven the old girl enough since re clamped the hose to the heater core correctly. I have prob about 60-90 minutes of driving and while I still have rad fluid smell I have no common fog on window from a leak and have used NO rad fluid. I am going to assume what ever got in the case is just pooled there and will take time to go away.
I have a feeling if I backed the bolts off some holding the box that fluid will run out from it. Sucks that it is cold put now, no urge to work in the cold.