Anyone catch a whiff of anti-freeze when they turn on the defrosters?

 

NO! My previous 98 and 2000 have never had this smell.

My 86 Mazda did the exact same thing and I eventually discovered a small leak near the heater core.

This might be similar to what you are experiencing.



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2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

You probably have a bad heater core. For some reason, heater cores on Fords are pretty sensitive to pH of the coolant. My experience is, if you don't change the antifreeze every 2 or 3 years, the heater core will leak.

 

Sounds like a heater core or heater hose connection leak, no other reason for an anti-freeze smell to be there. It must be repaired this will only get worse until one day you will have a cab full of anti-freeze steam that is hard to clean off the interior of the truck, after it dries to a smeared mess. (Stop leak is only a fools remedy)

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2000 F-150, XLT, SC, 5.4, 4X4, 355 LS, ORP, Black/Silver, class III, single CD, sliding glass, med. gray, keyless, elect. shift, engine date 8-18-99, Superchip. '93 Harley Fatboy Black & tons of chrome

 

Thanks for the input. I agree with you all the heater core. Have not checked it yet the 97 f150 I Has had the cooling system maintanied according to the book. I guess the problem is it's a Ford f150.......

 

Steel,

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"I guess the problem is it's a Ford f150......."
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Have you had alot of other problems, or is this just frustration from this problem?
I think everyone here is happy with their trucks and it's a whole lot better than the alternative!


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'99 Black F-150 Sport
Extended Cab
4.6 Romeo Triton
3.55 Rear-end,Tow Package,
MODS: Black low- profile bug deflector, K&N Air Filter

Wife's wheels: '91 Green Ranger XLT 3.0L
http://hometown.aol.com\riadan1

 

Steelwheels, It would be pretty early for a heater core to leak on a 97. But not saying it couldn't happen. But the only heater core I have had to replace on any Ford vehicles that I own myself, was at the 11 or 12 year old point. Check it out good. Could be a leak underhood, smell getting picked up by cowl vent in front of windshield. Some Fords have had a plastic part of the heater box protrude through the fire wall, with a hole in it, so if heater core leaks, it leaks through to outside first usually. Sort of a drip pan idea. Don't know if these trucks have that or not. Could see up from underneath and look for something barely sticking out from firewall on engine facing side. If there is a hole, and A/F is coming out, and hose connectios at heater core are OK, then the core has a leak. Don't confuse the A/C condensate drain with this! There may also be a drain for rain water that goes through the cowl vent.

 

no

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1998 F-150 4.2 W/Mod's
K+N air filter,K+N Oil Filter, Redline synthetic motor oil-Transmittion oil-Differential gear lube, Vortex single in duel out rear exit exaust, 4.10 gears,5 speed mtl,265-75r16 Bridgestone dueler AT, Hellwig anti sway bar rear, Add a Leaf springs, brush guard, nearf bars, Pioneer stereo W\Planet Audio speekers,Superchip

 

steelwheels:

I just did a core repl. on my '92, and it was a very easy job (had nightmares about removing the whole dash, but was spared the horror). I had the same symptom you describe. I'll quickly describe the easy core repl. but you should probably check all the hoses first. In particular, check where the two hoses connect to the heater core, inside the engine compartment at the firewall. If the '97 is anything like the '92-'96 models, this is on the passenger side a few inches below hood-level - easy to spot. When I did my core repl. I didn't tighten the hoses enough and it leaked immediately. The fluid may be able to travel into the core box if the goop that seals the holes around the fittings isn't sealing.

Now, on to the replacement...

Go to a parts store and get the new core - $30 here in SoCal. Drain a few quarts of coolant from the system. Disconnect the hoses from the core (engine comp't). Move to the passenger side of the cab. Remove the glove box (open, squeeze the sides so the tabs will clear the retainers, then un-hinge and remove). If you have electric 4wd, there will be a shift module behind the glove box. Remove the two Torx screws from the shift module, then pull it out of the way (it may also be unplugged and completely removed). Behind this shift mod. is the heater core cover. Seven screws (1/4 heads?) hold the cover on. One of the screws (lower left) must be wrenched out because of tight clearance. The rest can be removed with a nut driver or socket/ext. Remove the cover and move it downward. The heater selector cable will impede movement of this cover, so remove the white'n'red ferrule assy. by prying the lock-tabs on the back of the white 'retainer' clip. Now remove the cover completely (this may take some contortions). The core is now exposed. You may have to push on the fittings from the engine-side to free the core. Then, from the cab, pull the core out - this took some twisting and a little bit of force to make the fittings clear the paneling behind the core. It may help, for this step, to plug the fittings with something (wads of tissue, rubber stoppers) so that any left-over coolant doesn't spill all over the inside of the cab. Inser the new core and bolt the works back together. Reconnect the hoses on the engine-side, then begin refilling the system with coolant.

When I started the job, all I knew was what I read in the manual. Total job time (despite my ineptness) was 2 hours. I could probably do it in less than 1 hour now that I know what's involved.

If you don't have the easy-access panel behind the glove box, then God-help-you you probably have to remove the whole dash!!!



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Tom Kenney
tomk@bearcomp.com
tom@fluxtech.com

My truck, Sparky, is a 1992 F-150 XLT SuperCab shortbed 4x4, 302, A4OD, silver-on-black two-tone

 

Hose connections to heater core on the new truck are way way under the overhang ledge. I haven't been able to see them clearly yet to know if there is indeed a hose clamp there, or what.
The next time I do a heater core on a vehicle that I own, I'm going to use the dealer part.
That one I did years ago, I got to do it again 3 weeks later when the brand-X heater core I bought sprung a big-time leak. Had to use some heater hose to connect engine back on itself so I could drive it. As it turned out, the official Ford core was only $10 more. So I had to pull everything out from under the dash again! Arrgghh! And I mean Everything out. Was quicker the second time, though. Practice, practice.

 

Granpa writes:

"The next time I do a heater core on a vehicle that I own, I'm going to use the dealer part.
That one I did years ago, I got to do it again 3 weeks later when the brand-X heater core I bought sprung a big-time leak. Had to use some heater hose to connect engine back on itself so I could drive it. As it turned out, the official Ford core was only $10 more. So I had to pull everything out from under the dash again! Arrgghh! And I mean Everything out. Was quicker the second time, though. Practice, practice."

GACK!!! Thanks for the warning. I did notice that the orig. and the new were quite different. Hope the new one lasts a little more than 3 weeks!


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Tom Kenney
tomk@bearcomp.com
tom@fluxtech.com

My truck, Sparky, is a 1992 F-150 XLT SuperCab shortbed 4x4, 302, A4OD, silver-on-black two-tone