Before i tear it apart
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Houston TX USA
Before i tear it apart
i have a 98 f150 4.6. lately my cab has been smelling like antifreeze, earlier today it was blowing out white smoke. i am getting ready to change the heater core this weekend, but i jsut opened my hood to check the coolent level, and it was empty, would the heater core enclosure be able to hold this much coolent? the floorboard is not wet, i don't see any signs of leaks in there. but my engine compartment looks like it was soaked with coolent on the passenger side. could it just be a leaky hose or something else making it smell inside my truck? just wanted to check before i tear apart my dash.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 276
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From: Texas
EXACT same symptoms I had with my '97, it was the metal heater pipe that runs under the intake, it rusted out and spilled coolant all over the top of the block, passenger side frame rail, etc. You didn't mention if your heater still works or not, mine would work every now and then depending on the coolant level. Cost me about $250 to get fixed.
Don't assume this is the problem though, it could be something else, something smaller, there's always hope.
Don't assume this is the problem though, it could be something else, something smaller, there's always hope.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Houston TX USA
the heater works, but it is stuck on heat, so i assume that its just a cable problem. but i am checking it right now, where is that line located at? thanks. man i am getting back crap all over my keyboard. by the way did you have the smoke and smell in your cab too? i just took off the radiator hose, and there was a little bit of white smoke coming out of that.
Last edited by TAMU05; Dec 1, 2003 at 08:09 PM.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Texas
Nah I didn't have smoke that I know of, this was almost a year ago and the truck had 120k miles on it. There was a very faint antifreeze smell one day so I popped the hood and sure 'nuff all the paint was eaten off the passenger side frame rail. I followed a small trail of antifreeze to the upper part of the block. The mechanic who fixed it said I caught it early so the holes weren't that big in the pipe. Before then the heater had been working off and on for about a week, I figured it was the core going out.
I tried to find an exploded diagram but no luck, all I know if they had to pull the entire intake off the block to get to it, it's a small 7" long curved metal pipe, and even then antifreeze fouled out the plugs so they had to do a tune up too.
I tried to find an exploded diagram but no luck, all I know if they had to pull the entire intake off the block to get to it, it's a small 7" long curved metal pipe, and even then antifreeze fouled out the plugs so they had to do a tune up too.
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From: Houston TX USA
ok, i think i found the leak, i thought this was normal until now, just under the passenger side, where the crack is for the door hinges there was some water/coolent. i took my flashlight and looked in the engine compartment, about where the passenger side of the dash is and saw some water/coolent. since there is no leak in inside of the car, could the core be clogged and needs to be blown out, i can't see how to get to the hoses yet, but i havn't dug to far into it yet. i hate this type of work. and plus i am suppose to be writing termpapers. but i love my truck gotta fix her.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Wake Forest, NC
Its possible the core is leaking. I don't believe it will drain on the floor in these trucks, it will collect in the condensation pan the same as the a/c runoff, and drain out on the passenger firewall where the outlet is. Good for your interior though. Unfortunately the hoses for the heater core also run on that side, above the motor so you will need to check those areas too for leakage.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Houston TX USA
well, i picked up the core today from the ford dealership, only cost 50 bucks. kinda makes me mad having to do all this work for something that small, but o well i can't stand the smell anymore. plus it will be gettin cold here soon, and i need my heater. thanks for the help yall
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: houston
i had the exact problem with my f150 but i had it professional done, 50 bucks is cheap, i paid 550, it sucks and now some part of my glove compartmant squeeks, if you do it, make sure you put every thing back exacly as you saw it, or you will have some serious issues with your radio ( mine cuts off now radomly) and squeeking (every little freeking bump) oh and i did take it back several times to try to have it fixed right, not ever the same
just one aggie to another TAMUG 07, good luck
P.S. my hoses poped out 2 days later and had to have my truck towed to have them put back in, make sure they are tight.
just one aggie to another TAMUG 07, good luckP.S. my hoses poped out 2 days later and had to have my truck towed to have them put back in, make sure they are tight.
Last edited by Stoner150; Dec 4, 2003 at 09:37 PM.
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: NE TX
Well GIG 'EM next year Coach Fran. TAMU '87 in ANSC. I was going to mention possible blown heater hose or clamp that might be fixed for under $10. The white smoke is just steam. If it is coming into cab though the heater core is the most likely culprit. Several small coolant lines do go to intake. Newer trucks have less metal in blocks and heads/larger water jackets inside/ and higher temp thermostats. Luckily you have blown a head gaskets or made common mistake of just adding water until coolant mixture gets low enough to freeze (not as likely in Houston but possible) and cracking a block or head. Get a good service manual if you don't already have one. I got a cd-rom version off eBay for ~$20 in 2-3 days. May have been pirated as some are but it has Ford Customer Service logo on the label and quite detailed about removal/installation/tools needed for any repair that dealership will tackle and some they don't.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Houston TX USA
OOOOOOO. SO MAD! well i was on the way to lunch today when i started smelling fresh antifreeze. when i got back in my truck to head back to work, smoke started pouring out of my defrost vents AGAIN! i checked the hoses and one fell off. so what a great day, its my b-day and now i get to go work on my truck. i am going to go see if i can just put a hose clamp on it, but it has a high pressure fitting on it, i might just cut off the hose and put some more on it and a hose clamp. o well, it worked good for 4 days.
Last edited by TAMU05; Dec 11, 2003 at 12:59 PM.
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