Okay, so I'm fairly new to world of automobiles and as of last week I've had quite the troubling issue with my Camaro. Green coolant appeared all over my passenger seat floor. I traced the leak to the corner of the wall near the passenger seat door/wheel well.
I checked in with one of my friends who said it was an issue with the heating core and that I should not turn on the car for any reason. Another friend of mine has agreed to help me out, saying that it would be very expensive in shop labor, but fairly cheap in parts cost.
The leak started to occur when I put the A/C on normal instead of on defrost, and I noticed an odd smell. Could it be that the hose simply worked itself loose or will I need absolutely need a new one?
Does this information check out with you guys or am I still totally in the dark? With luck we'll be fixing it up on Friday if I don't end up getting it towed to a shop and fixed there.
Thanks in advance.
Heater core is busted somewhere, the hoses attatch outside of the cabin.
Get a new heater core. Good luck, they are a bitch to put in.
If you're a man and can deal without heat, find the lines on the firewall and loop them together to eliminate the heater core. This is a temporary fix that will leave you without a heater until you replace the heater core and hook the lines back up.
Heater core like said above.
Is it gonna be the whole heater core, or just the coolant line? I'm fairly certain we can get in and replace the line through the passenger wheel well.
You can check and see if its just a coolant line, but I HIGHLY doubt it. I have a 1988 Trans Am and I have alot of knowledge about third gen F bodies. The heater core going and leaking coolant all over the passenger floor is normal and happens quite often to these cars after all these years. Unfortunately you have to remove most of the dash in order to get to the core, you will not be able to do it through the well. Good luck
Did one of these on a buddy's 86 Camaro, I would recommend 2 people for getting the heater core through the firewall. If you've noticed that your fan doesn't blow very hard then I would also suggest getting some foam weather striping to replace most of it, it didn't hold up that well on his and he didn't.
Pulling the dash is tons of fun, be sure to have the proper torx bit for all the torx screws too.
It's definitely not worth the $300-400 that most shops want to charge to replace the $20 heater core. If you really don't feel like fixing it yet you should be able to bypass it with the length of the hoses that are in there. I would suggest forcing water(or air if you can ideally) through it if you're going to do that so you get water on your floor instead of antifreeze until it's empty
[editline]24th January 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=notrabies;34376382]Is it gonna be the whole heater core, or just the coolant line? I'm fairly certain we can get in and replace the line through the passenger wheel well.[/QUOTE]
It's gonna be the heater core, a line would leak outside the car as well. You have to take the whole dash off.
[QUOTE=slayer3032;34379036]It's gonna be the heater core, a line would leak outside the car as well. You have to take the whole dash off.[/QUOTE]
x2, already stated this. The only way it'd be leaking into your floorboard is if the actual heater core is busted.
Get to it.
Dang, well your knowledge is totally appreciated. So since I'm all in on this anyways, I might give it a shot without my experienced friend (he's pretty busy lately). I found this guide: [url]http://www.thirdgen.org/heatercore[/url] I imagine I'll be best off buying a new core and hoses, is there anything else I need to do before I start working on it(i.e. battery disconnect or anything)?
One last note, is the coolant toxic to work with? I need to remove the puddle and clean it out of the floor and I'd prefer to keep on living.
Harmless unless you decide to drink it.
All you really need is the heater core. New hoses will help if they've never been replaced. Get some more coolant of course.
That's about it.
Also, unhook the battery just to be safe. Pull the negative terminal off of the battery. It's just a safety measure you should always do when messing with cars.
We fixed it all up, with lots of help from you guys, thanks.
Now I just need to replace the alternator and rear hatch motor and I'll be ready to start saving for an LS1 swap or something similar.
I have a nice L28E I'd like to drop in it :P
Interesting plan, would that even offer any benefits? I like all the high torque I've got right now.
Obligatory pics:
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[IMG]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2904402178801&set=a.2904398138700.2147163.1522912493&type=3&permPage=1[/IMG]
It's not for any benefit really, it offered about the same power output as the non-Z28 that year.
I'm just hankering to put this 280ZX engine/tranny into an amerifat car, and I'll probably end up doing it. Was thinking more along the lines of a fox Mustang though.
[editline]27th January 2012[/editline]
btw, nice Camaro. V6/V8? or is it a real Z28 w/305?
Yeah, 5 speed 305 V8.
[editline]27th January 2012[/editline]
Unfortunately, the alternator's dying, so the choke comes on and it makes lots of weebly wobbly electronic sounds when various combinations of choke, brakes, and turn signals are used. And while it may or may not be an issue caused by the alternator, the rear trunk latch is... dysfunctional on the best of days.
Are the floorboards rotted through to the carpet like most of the Camaros of that generation?
Looks nice on top though.
No, the inside is completely clean, the headliner and t-top seals were just replaced, everything else is looking really nice. I need to get the plastic molding pieces that hold the seals and headliner in place though, not taking off the tops until then.
I haven't seen many of those camaros rotted out at all.
Then again I'm from the midwest, almost southern midwest, where muscle cars are pretty solid.
That's a damn clean marro you got there.
Kinda jelly
This should help you feel better then:
[IMG]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/407588_2904402178801_1522912493_32835583_907668710_n.jpg[/IMG]
Rust free, but I certainly could go for some new paint. Thinking a lighter gray/silver on top and a dark gray/black on the bottom.
That still isn't that bad.
Another thing; people think those Camaros rust easy but they really don't. I've had two myself that were sitting for a long time and neither had any rust. One was an '89 RS, one was an '84 black and gold Z28.
Oh, well that's relieving. And apparently you guys aren't the only ones who like the car, a guy with a brand new corvette just parked next to the camaro and did the whole walk around of it. Didn't say hi to me or anything so it was kind of awkward.
And just like that, another coolant leak has sprung up, I'll do some investigating tomorrow. I'm hoping that its just a faulty heater core and not some more serious issue.
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