kimokalihi Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 90 Legacy Wagon AWD 4EAT A couple days ago I hopped into my problem free subaru and started it up. It was night time so it was cold out and I turned on the defrost. Started driving and the windows got a lot more foggier. I could smell antifreeze as well. I didn't think much of it at first. This morning I warmed the car up for nearly 10 minutes and got in and couldn't hardly see a thing. At the bottom of my windshield there's little patches of clear glass and the rest is extremely foggy. I don't understand. It's blowing hot air. Not extremely hot but pretty warm. At that point I was a little more concerned. I had no choice but to drive it like it was to my card dealing class at the casino 20 miles from here. It took about 30-35 mins to defrost the winshield, including the 10 mins idling in the driveway. The side windows never got clear. The rear hatch window was clear to begin with but I noticed it was foggy upon my arrival at the casino. There's two things I can think of: 1. The windshield is cracked towards the bottom all the way across. This has never leaked as far as I can tell and I've never had this problem before. (so I doubt that's the problem). 2. Since I can smell antifreeze maybe there's a leak or something in the heater core causing moisture inside the car? That's all I can come up with. Any other ideas or suggestions to fix this problem? Someone must have had this happen to them before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 90 Legacy Wagon AWD 4EAT A couple days ago I hopped into my problem free subaru and started it up. It was night time so it was cold out and I turned on the defrost. Started driving and the windows got a lot more foggier. I could smell antifreeze as well. I didn't think much of it at first. This morning I warmed the car up for nearly 10 minutes and got in and couldn't hardly see a thing. At the bottom of my windshield there's little patches of clear glass and the rest is extremely foggy. I don't understand. It's blowing hot air. Not extremely hot but pretty warm. At that point I was a little more concerned. I had no choice but to drive it like it was to my card dealing class at the casino 20 miles from here. It took about 30-35 mins to defrost the winshield, including the 10 mins idling in the driveway. The side windows never got clear. The rear hatch window was clear to begin with but I noticed it was foggy upon my arrival at the casino. There's two things I can think of: 1. The windshield is cracked towards the bottom all the way across. This has never leaked as far as I can tell and I've never had this problem before. (so I doubt that's the problem). 2. Since I can smell antifreeze maybe there's a leak or something in the heater core causing moisture inside the car? That's all I can come up with. Any other ideas or suggestions to fix this problem? Someone must have had this happen to them before. You have a leaking heater core. Those fumes are not the healthiest things to breath in. Either replace the core, bypass the core, or try a can of stop leak. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I agree with nipper, I had this happen to mine about two years ago, I took my dash out and fixed it myself, however if you have the money to have it done you might want to pay someone else, it is not a fun job. It took me around 12 hours but it is only suppose to be a six hour job. If you have a leaking core it will have your carpet wet in a few days. You have a leaking heater core. Those fumes are not the healthiest things to breath in. Either replace the core, bypass the core, or try a can of stop leak. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillowsplat Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 1. Could you have disconetected something when you were trying to install the cruise control? 2. Did you have the A/C on that should clear the window? 3. Nipper is probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 If you can smell antifreeze then of course it's coming from somewhere. Does very much sound like a leaking or burst heater core. If you must drive it before you can fix it or before getting it fixed, keep the radiator and overflow tank full and carry extra water&coolant with you. Pretty simple to bypass the heater core with a double ended 1/2" or so brass hose barb from a hardware store and some hose clamps, but of course then you have no defrost. (Don't just 'pinch off' the heater hoses). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratty2Austin Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 DO NOT use stop leak of any kind.. this will clog up a subaru engine and or the radiator.. I know from experience.. get it fixed the right way, you will spend less time and money in the long run.... and I agree, its most likley a leaky heater core.. I replaced my own core in my first wagon- an 83GL, it took my friend and I about 8 hours, and cost about 80 bucks for the core from schmucks auto parts... after that the smell went away, and I had a warm and dry car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 Damn, that's what I feared. It has nothing to do with the cruise control because, as I mentioned before, I only installed the steering wheel part and the on/off switch. I don't buy anything at schmuck's. I hate that place. Last time I called up there and asked them if they had bosch plug wires and the guy on the phone said they only make spark plugs and O2 sensors. I won't be calling there again. Those guys are morons and they don't know anything. How much of the dash do you have to pull out? When I was in auto tech class there was a couple kids who tore apart a Tbird(thunderchicken lol)to replace the heater core and it took them like 2 weeks of class time or probably about 14 hours to do and they had to take pretty much everything out. If it's gonna take and cost a lot, I may just drive my toyota pickup to my class because I have zero money and no income at the moment. I can do it by myself, I'm sure but I'm worried about the cost of a new core. I plan on sound deadening the car so maybe I should just wait until I get some money so I can get the sound deadening and do the firewall while the dash is out. Would it be worth getting from a junkyard if it's gonna be $80 bucks? Is the failure of these things pretty common? Also, my truck has a clogged heater core. At least I think it does. The radiator is fine, the thermostat is pretty new and the fan clutch was just replaced but it still gets way too warm. Plus(I rarely drive it)I noticed the other night that it isn't putting out any heat from the heater, even though the engine is at operating temp. How do you flush out the core? Thanks, I don't know what I would do without forums like this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 WOW! Autozone has the heater core listed for $350 bucks on their site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 21, 2006 Author Share Posted October 21, 2006 Alright $10 bucks at my local pick a part junkyard. God I love that place! They have about 8 subaru wagons of my year range and half of them the dashes are already apart and getting the heater core will be a breeze and if the one I get is bad, I can just got back and exchange it for another one for no extra cost! I have about 3/4 of the dash out and I come across this 10mm bolt. It's the first bolt that wasn't a phillips screw head so I hadn't gotten a ratchet out yet. I went to look where I had it and it's gone. So I spent probably almost 45 minutes looking everywhere probably 5 times over and I'm losing my damn mind! Finally I go inside and ask my mom if she had seen it and she doesn't even know what a ratchet is lol. So I explain it to her and she said my 2 year old niece was walking around with something silver. MY RATCHET! She doesn't understand many words, so there's no use interogating her. I found the ratchet in the couch coushens in the living room! That was after searching the entire downstairs of my house in every possible corner. Words cannot explain how frustrated I was nor how happy I was to see my ratchet again. I'll never let it sit around like that again! Back to work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 If at all possible I'd test the heater core before installing it or at least before buttoning up the dash all the way. You could put maybe 15psig air into it and see if there's any leaking. There probably isn't but that would stink if you found out after it was all back together! Are you putting dynamat or something in for the sound deadening? Good find on the ratchet! Dude you gotta keep important stuff like that hidden under your mattress or something. My 3yr old nephew has a thing for keys so I know how you feel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 21, 2006 Author Share Posted October 21, 2006 Oh yeah! I will be testing this thing before I put it all back together. No doubt about that. I'm 3 hours into this thing including the ratchet search and I just managed to pull the dash out. I realized that instead of unhooking the entire harness from the dash itself, you can just unclip all the connectors and leave it attached to the dash which will make it much easier to install in the end. I found this out after I detached 3/4 of the harness which was extremely difficult to do since there was barely any room for a screw driver back there! I keep all my tools in my car in that tool tray normally. The rachet found it's way into the house and I don't rememebr how... This is my first time taking the dash out of any car and I have a pretty crappy feeling in my stomach telling me that all those screws are not gonna make it back where they came from... I don't know if I will sound deaden. I'm gonna lean towards no but there's a slight possiblity. First I need to see how much it will cost, since I'll only be doing my firewall I don't think it'll be too much. Therefore my girlfriend might pay for it and I'll pay her back when I get the money. She's such a sweetheart, I'll ask her later when I find the price lol. I will be using RAAMmat if I end up deadening the firewall. I'll probably start working at the casino in late december and once I've paid my mom off the money she's loaned me lately, I'll start deadening the rest of my car. All the floor, the doors, the hatch, spare tire well, and the walls in the rear. The works basically. I want that luxury car silence and great acoustics. I'm gonna go take some pictures of this massacre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 I see you stealing my screwdriver! That's right, I'm on to you! Once I removed the heater core I filled it with water and let it sit for several hours. It hasn't leaked at all but that doesn't mean it won't leak under pressure. I'm not going to be happy if I find out this thing is perfectly fine and the problem lies elsewhere. I guess we'll see. I think I can adjust my air compressor to a certain psi. 15 you say? I think the radiator cap is probably 13 so that sounds about right. This has been the most difficult and frustrating thing I've ever done on any vehicle. I'd rather put a new engine in my car then do this any day, including the tranny and the whole drivetrain. It took me probably 4 hours to get that out. Install will probably take 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Your right this is not a fun job, I took my seats out when I done mine I see you left yours in, so you must be much younger then me. One mistake I made going back together with mine was not locking one of the air bag connectors and the air bag light was on. I was able to reach the one I left undone without taking dash back out so make sure you slide the little lock forward on them when you go back together. Also if I do this again I plan on changing the air bag bolts out, where they can be removed and installed with a regular socket. Also you can get a pressure pump for the radiator and hook the heater core back to the hoses and check for the leak. these are neat little tools that can be bought off of the Snap On truck if you cant find one to rent. They look like a football pump with different type of caps for the radiator and they have a gauge so you can pump to the pressure your radiator cap calls for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 I'm about 5,11 maybe 6 ft and 160 lbs. Not too big but I wouldn't say I'm small either. I guess taking the seats out would have made it a bit easier but it never crossed my mind. I don't have airbags in my car, it's only a 90 and it's just a base model I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 i would like to pull my dash one day, it looks fun! but i cant because ill probably never figure how to get it back in lol! and my mom needs the car, o well! Hey, by the way, how long can a heat core last? Forever? or it depends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 I pressue tested it just now while it was full of water. I bolted the pipes back on it and filled them up too to make sure it wasn't leaking where the pipes connect to the heater core. No leaks. I'm very disappointed. I'm begining to think I did all that for nothing. In fact, I'm positive that I've just wasted most of yesterday and I'm sure most of today as well. The heater core is fine. What else could it be? That's the only place coolant travels inside the vehicle. This sucks. ericem - Is that your car? Do you have any other bigger pictures of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 I'm begining to think I did all that for nothing. Not at all. Think of all the knowledge you've gained. And as a bonus, we all got to meet a cute little tool thief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Was the floor wet inside of your car before you started? Also did the pressure hold when you tested it? I pressue tested it just now while it was full of water. I bolted the pipes back on it and filled them up too to make sure it wasn't leaking where the pipes connect to the heater core. No leaks. I'm very disappointed. I'm begining to think I did all that for nothing. In fact, I'm positive that I've just wasted most of yesterday and I'm sure most of today as well. The heater core is fine. What else could it be? That's the only place coolant travels inside the vehicle. This sucks. ericem - Is that your car? Do you have any other bigger pictures of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 Not at all. Think of all the knowledge you've gained. And as a bonus, we all got to meet a cute little tool thief. Good point! The dash is actually going back in very easily. It went back together much quicker than it came out. I was taken aback. It's not finished, I'm hooking the stereo so I can listen to some music while I put the glove box, guage cluster, center console, etc back in. Once I got the dash out I realized that I still had to remove the entire heater system including the evaporator for the AC and the blower motor and housing, all the wiring and heating ducts on the driver side and all sorts of stuff in order to reach the firewall so I'll skip the deadening. Another time. Yes the pressure did hold. I filled it with water and applied a little over 10 lbs of pressure in it and nothing happened. The floor was not wet when I removed the dash or beforehand either. But I know the smell of antifreeze and I could clearly smell it when the heater/defrost was on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 This is one time that I hope that I am wrong. I sure hope that you gave that heater core a thorough going over. If it was me, given what a PITA the replacement is, I probably would've installed a new heater core even if I couldn't have found the leak. Fogged windows and an antifreeze smell are dead on symptoms of a leaky heater core. You tested the heater core under pressure, but in the car the heater core also has coolant running through it, it might make a difference. Also, did you check to see if the heater core was clogged? No heat means no coolant flow. To be honest, I don't know where the heater cut-off valve valve is located in your car. If it's on the cabin side of the firewall, it's a suspect. Anything on the cabin side of the firewall, heater core, hoses, cut-off valve and clamps are suspects. BTW, depending on the humidity of the air in the cabin, it might not take much of a leak to fog the windows and create a smell. Some of that florescent leak detect fluid and a black light might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 I wasn't planning on putting a new one in anyways. It's too expensive. I was just going to get one from the junkyard for 10 bucks. It's already in and everything. I'll test it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Dude it looks like you were preparing that car for either a college engineering senior project or an episode of mythbusters. Was the the little pumpkin' that made off with your ratchet before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 Tested out the heater and I think the heater core is clogged. I didn't think it was clogged when I had it out because I put pressure in one pipe and put my thumb over the other pipe and when I let my thumb off a little water came shooting out. So I assumed that meant it wasn't clogged. Now I think it is. The engine got warm quick and the fans turned on and now they're on constantly and there's no warm air coming out of the heater on full blast with the heat all the way up. I felt the hose that brings the water into the heater and it's hot. The hose coming out is luke warm. At best. The only thing that could be wrong is the heater core is clogged. Correct? But then why was there heat before I took the heater core out? How could it have gotten clogged overnight? This is bull$#%@! Yep, that's her. She takes my girlfriend's cell phone all the time and pushes the buttons and always winds up hitting send a couple times and calling whoever was the last on the call list. She doesn't say much yet, though. On the phone she just says "hi" and "hello" over and over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Your heater core is not clogged you need to get the air out of the system and make sure it is full of coolant. The heater will not get hot until you get it right. I take the cap off and let it idle and slowly keep adding coolant. Tested out the heater and I think the heater core is clogged. I didn't think it was clogged when I had it out because I put pressure in one pipe and put my thumb over the other pipe and when I let my thumb off a little water came shooting out. So I assumed that meant it wasn't clogged. Now I think it is. The engine got warm quick and the fans turned on and now they're on constantly and there's no warm air coming out of the heater on full blast with the heat all the way up. I felt the hose that brings the water into the heater and it's hot. The hose coming out is luke warm. At best. The only thing that could be wrong is the heater core is clogged. Correct? But then why was there heat before I took the heater core out? How could it have gotten clogged overnight? This is bull$#%@! Yep, that's her. She takes my girlfriend's cell phone all the time and pushes the buttons and always winds up hitting send a couple times and calling whoever was the last on the call list. She doesn't say much yet, though. On the phone she just says "hi" and "hello" over and over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 I did that forever. It won't take anymore water. For a while it was slowly going down and I kept pouring water in it. I did this for probably 15 mins and now it won't take anymore water. I put almost a gallon and a half in it and it takes just shy of 2 gallons (7.3 quarts I think) and I know that 2 gallons did not drain out of it yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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