With summer approaching and my 1999 EXP sending wisps of sweet coolant sent through the vents every so often I thought of an old school way to extend me some time before having to have the entire dash ripped out.

I have several reason for the delay:
(1) I want to install a double DIN stereo with NAV and WIFI
(2) I want to install switched in the dash for lights and electric fan conversion.
(3) Figured I could clean all the dash parts really well while all torn apart.
(4) I am working on a new cabin on 20 acres and could use a little spending relief until its finished
(5) I dont need heat until late fall.

So any issue aside from lack of heat if I just cut the feed and return lines and spice them together to bypass the core?????

 

You should have no issues , other than lack of heat , if done properly .

 

You have probably already dealt with this issue and I cannot speak to whether your solution would cause any issues so I defer to JWC3 in that regard. But I would suggest a partial (and in my case permanent solution so far) would be to get Bar's Leaks 1186 Liquid Aluminum Cooling System Stop Leak. I am in no way affiliated with the company that mfr this product and other products may be just as effective. I used two bottles of this product and that sweet smell went away and i had defrost again. About four weeks after the initial use of the product the heater core started leaking again and so rather than rip out the dash, I used two more bottles of the product and then about a week later, two more. That was a year ago and I havent had a problem since. I am not saying that it is a permanent solution, but it gave me a year to decide whether to rip out the dash, and so far, my laziness has out-gunned my more rational brain on fixing it properly. For someone who just needs the heat to work and doesnt have the skill or know-how to repair this very expensive service item, I heartily recommend giving this "solution" a try. Your results may vary, but I am grateful for the product.