I know that I used to know what this meant, but I forgot! The coolant has been low, and I just noticed that when I ran the heat today I thought I could smell some antifreeze. So obviously it's leaking,and making it's way into the vents...

87 GL wagon.

Heater core!

Yes? What am I looking at cost and pain in my *** wise? And what are the ways to rule out anything else? No puddle underneath that I've seen, nothing coming out of the tailpipe..No overheating.

keep the fluid full, if you're loosing it the motor will eventually run hot.

 

check the floorboard under the carpeting at the passengers side feet well area, all the way up the firewall towards the dash. if it's wet that's almost positively the heater core.

 

check for leaks, follow hoses, look under the car for wet spots or on the ground underneath. let it run and idle in the same spot for 15 minutes and look for leaks underneath. (just don't let it get hot).

 

good luck and have fun

Thanks! I just bought this car for cheap and I know it has some issues, but all in all it's a solid car. You'll probably be hearing from me a lot until I get some experience working on this thing.