BA water leaking inside.

Jastel · 02-08-2012, 09:21 PM

Hi guys, About a week ago I noticed that when I turned my heater/fan on I could smell hot water... like when a car boils over. I feared the worst (after having just recently rebuilt my engine) and checked under the bonnet and found no signs of a water leak... but I did notice my overflow bottle was empty. I topped the water up (only took about 500ml max) and went for a short drive. When I got back the overflow bottle was empty again.... checked the oil and it was clean then looked under the car and noticed a slow drip of water coming from the firewall, in the middle not far underneath where the heater hoses enter the firewall.
Is it possible that I am right in suspecting a crack in the heater core?
- The air coming out of the vents stinks no matter if the temp is set to hot or cold.
- The overflow bottle is empty every time I check.
- The drivers side thermo is not working even when the engine top is near maximum (the other one is working).
- The waterpump got replaced recently.
- When I got underneath and had a look the water appeared to be leaking straight out of the firewall, not leaking from the heater hose connections.

How easy is it to remove the heater core? I don't mind if it's a big job, if I can rebuild the engine I'm sure this will be no worries.... plus gives me more excuses to ride the motorbike

Jastel · 02-08-2012, 09:23 PM

Oh and I should mention that the air coming out of the heater is actually hot.... stinky but hot.

Cosmo Dude · 02-08-2012, 09:44 PM

If the heater core was leaking then your feet would be wet not the ground.
The A/C core has a pipe which drains under the car but that is higher than the heater core and water does not go up hill.
Go back to the place that rebuilt your engine and have it checked.

Jastel · 02-08-2012, 09:55 PM

I rebuilt it :-)

I'll get under and have a better look on the weekend. I definately dont have a musky smell inside the car, just the hot water smell coming out of the vents. I also noticed when I topped the water up and switched the engine off there was a very slight gurgling sound and a few little air bubbles in the bottle.

Jastel · 02-08-2012, 10:18 PM

Oh and the engine has about 4000k's on it.

Jastel · 05-08-2012, 06:11 PM

Ok so I got underneath today and it's definately leaking water through the floorpan, and I check under the carpet and it was damp. As a temporary measure I through some pepper in the water and it has stopped leaking for now. I'm going to bypass the heater until I can get around to pulling the heater core out.

Clean_Cookie · 05-08-2012, 06:39 PM

How does pepper even work?

Jastel · 05-08-2012, 06:57 PM

The little flakes of pepper find any holes and clump together to fill it. It's only a temporary fix and you should flush the system when it's repaired properly. An egg does the same thing but the heater core is smaller than a radiator so I used pepper instead.

Cosmo Dude · 05-08-2012, 07:54 PM

I can do you a heater core for $10 plus post.
No returns though if you find that it's something else

Jastel · 05-08-2012, 08:04 PM

Cheers, I might take you up on that after I've seen the condition of this one.

02-08-2012, 09:21 PM	#1
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	BA water leaking inside. Hi guys, About a week ago I noticed that when I turned my heater/fan on I could smell hot water... like when a car boils over. I feared the worst (after having just recently rebuilt my engine) and checked under the bonnet and found no signs of a water leak... but I did notice my overflow bottle was empty. I topped the water up (only took about 500ml max) and went for a short drive. When I got back the overflow bottle was empty again.... checked the oil and it was clean then looked under the car and noticed a slow drip of water coming from the firewall, in the middle not far underneath where the heater hoses enter the firewall. Is it possible that I am right in suspecting a crack in the heater core? - The air coming out of the vents stinks no matter if the temp is set to hot or cold. - The overflow bottle is empty every time I check. - The drivers side thermo is not working even when the engine top is near maximum (the other one is working). - The waterpump got replaced recently. - When I got underneath and had a look the water appeared to be leaking straight out of the firewall, not leaking from the heater hose connections. How easy is it to remove the heater core? I don't mind if it's a big job, if I can rebuild the engine I'm sure this will be no worries.... plus gives me more excuses to ride the motorbike __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

02-08-2012, 09:23 PM	#2
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	Oh and I should mention that the air coming out of the heater is actually hot.... stinky but hot. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

02-08-2012, 09:44 PM	#3
Cosmo Dude コスモ Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Location: Vic Car: Mazda '95 Astina I4, '86 B2K and '10 3 MZR-CD Posts: 7,888 View Photos By: Cosmo Dude	If the heater core was leaking then your feet would be wet not the ground. The A/C core has a pipe which drains under the car but that is higher than the heater core and water does not go up hill. Go back to the place that rebuilt your engine and have it checked. __________________ My 'stina Hatch

02-08-2012, 09:55 PM	#4
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	I rebuilt it :-) I'll get under and have a better look on the weekend. I definately dont have a musky smell inside the car, just the hot water smell coming out of the vents. I also noticed when I topped the water up and switched the engine off there was a very slight gurgling sound and a few little air bubbles in the bottle. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

02-08-2012, 10:18 PM	#5
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	Oh and the engine has about 4000k's on it. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

05-08-2012, 06:11 PM	#6
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	Ok so I got underneath today and it's definately leaking water through the floorpan, and I check under the carpet and it was damp. As a temporary measure I through some pepper in the water and it has stopped leaking for now. I'm going to bypass the heater until I can get around to pulling the heater core out. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

05-08-2012, 06:39 PM	#7
Clean_Cookie obsessed-incomplete-broke Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Brisbane Car: BA Hardtop/Hatch Posts: 5,441	How does pepper even work? __________________ Worklog

05-08-2012, 06:57 PM	#8
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	The little flakes of pepper find any holes and clump together to fill it. It's only a temporary fix and you should flush the system when it's repaired properly. An egg does the same thing but the heater core is smaller than a radiator so I used pepper instead. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch

05-08-2012, 07:54 PM	#9
Cosmo Dude コスモ Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Location: Vic Car: Mazda '95 Astina I4, '86 B2K and '10 3 MZR-CD Posts: 7,888 View Photos By: Cosmo Dude	I can do you a heater core for $10 plus post. No returns though if you find that it's something else __________________ My 'stina Hatch

05-08-2012, 08:04 PM	#10
Jastel Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newcastle NSW Car: 97 BA 323 Astina Hatch Posts: 211	Cheers, I might take you up on that after I've seen the condition of this one. __________________ --------------------------------------------------- 1997 BA 1.8 Astina Hatch