Coolant leaking from heater - L series

d-mac · Post by **d-mac** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:07 pm

Just wondered if anyone could make any suggestions. Coolant has started leaking out of the 'foot ducts' of the heater. seems to only happen when the engine is getting pushed (on the freeway).
Anyone know what this might be? Is it most likely just a crack in a pipe or is the heater core gone? be nice if i can fix it without pullin the dash out etc.
cheers, dave

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:02 pm

Mate it's a bitch but it has to be done, pull the dash....

You do NOT want to deal with a failure of that hose which will flood the passenger footwell with boiling hot water.

Usually it is a small curved hose on the heater core that goes.

MOONEY · Post by **MOONEY** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:16 pm

When I bought my l series mine pissed out but I got this stuff called weld it powder and you just put it threw your radiator and keep putting it in until it stops leaking it worked heaps well for me

schultzie · Post by **schultzie** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:21 pm

will eithor be the heater core or the rubber hoses that attach to it... a core is around $120 and i think the hoses are $23 each

ill sell u my core and hoses (less than a year old) for 80 if your interested?

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:23 pm

MOONEY wrote:When I bought my l series mine pissed out but I got this stuff called weld it powder and you just put it threw your radiator and keep putting it in until it stops leaking it worked heaps well for me

tis only a temporary fix mate.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:35 pm

also bare in mind that if you cant afford the parts or the time to dismantle everything just yet it's a very quick and easy job to bypass the heater core in the engine bay (I did it in about 5 minutes the other day when mine went in the RX). Just means you have no heater until you get around to doing the job!

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:57 pm

AndrewT wrote:also bare in mind that if you cant afford the parts or the time to dismantle everything just yet it's a very quick and easy job to bypass the heater core in the engine bay (I did it in about 5 minutes the other day when mine went in the RX). Just means you have no heater until you get around to doing the job!

And probabily not such a bad idea since it could be the thing that saves your engine from damage due to overheating...

Every L has this problem at some point or other. My money is on a crack in the end tank of the heater core.

Do a search for instructions on how to pull the dash out - I remember writing one up for someone earlier this year...

Cheers

Bennie

d-mac · Post by **d-mac** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:28 pm

Thanks for all the info guys. when i get a chance i will pull it all out and put a new one in...but seeing as i probably wont need the heater any time soon i might go for the quick fix.

AndrewT wrote:also bare in mind that if you cant afford the parts or the time to dismantle everything just yet it's a very quick and easy job to bypass the heater core in the engine bay (I did it in about 5 minutes the other day when mine went in the RX). Just means you have no heater until you get around to doing the job!

How do you recommend bypassing it? just join the 2 hoses together where they enter the firewall? and then seal the sockets up to prevent all the coolant coming out of the heater?

Cheers, dave

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:31 pm

Those two pipes you mention: Take one off completely, disconnect the other from the heater at the fire wall. Turn it back on itself and clamp onto the other pipe from the engine that the other heater hose used to connect to. Try to avoid kinks in this pipe as I believe the coolant still needs to flow through this without too much restriction.

Cheers

Bennie

CPOCSM · Post by **CPOCSM** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:56 am

schultzie wrote:will eithor be the heater core or the rubber hoses that attach to it... a core is around $120 and i think the hoses are $23 each

ill sell u my core and hoses (less than a year old) for 80 if your interested?

I will take it if no-one else will...PM me if all good as mine is getting the lovely coolant smell when I turn the heater on...teehee

Hooroo

Kappage · Post by **Kappage** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:28 am

I will take some more photos if you guys want, of what the interior is like. Any specific bits you want photos of?

schultzie · Post by **schultzie** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:48 pm

no worries mate ill consider it sold eithor way...
d-mac did u want my core

i do have another 2 cores... if some one wants them... condition unknown... but they dont leak hahaha

d-mac · Post by **d-mac** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:55 pm

Nah CPOCSM can have it. i'm goin overseas and wont have a chance to put it in for a few months so i'll worry about it then. thanks anyway.

schultzie · Post by **schultzie** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:29 pm

no worries m8

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 6:01 pm

sorry to raise an old thread, but better than starting a new one - is the only way to remove the heater core to pull the dash? if so, i guess the next question is - how? any tips etc?

Busdriver · Post by **Busdriver** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:16 pm

Like El Freddo mentioned above, he has written a most useful step by step on here before, search is your friend.

sagey · Post by **sagey** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:38 pm

Yer i just did this job the other day, its really not as bad as everyone makes out, but i guess it's easier when you have another person helping you!

Follow el freddo's guide and you will be sweet, also take photos as you are going along, then if you forget anything you can go back to the pics. (it might sound dumb but it works)

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:37 pm

found el freddo's guide. looks pretty straight forward, but the next question is - it appears you can get all brass/whatever heater cores...can anyone point me in the right direction? part number? http://www.familycar.com/store/?Ntt=sub ... e&oes=true (etc, but mind you the 2 pictures there are different) ?

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:55 pm

Can't tell you a part number, but just about any radiator shop should be able to supply you with one. When I was looking last year, all the aftermarket options were copper/brass, and the going rate seems to be around $300. All the L series original heater cores I've looked at (1984, 1992, 1993) were identical.

And if you're not already planning to, it's worth replacing the two little hoses between the heater and the firewall. From memory they were about $16 each from Subaru. If you're keen you can also replace the foam seals around the edges of the air ducts too.

Dane.