I am glad I had a passenger that day. I wouldn't have notice the leak otherwise. Not more than half-a-glass of coolant dripping on his feet.

Christian2007-04-16 14:21:30

It definitely sounds like the heater core. It is located behind the passenger side dash. You can do the replacement from inside the car after the heater hoses have been removed from beneath the car. It is much easier if you remove the passenger seat, it gives you more room to manuver yourself. It is one of the more difficult tasks for a do- it -yourselfer but it can be done. I would highly recommend purchasing an assembly manual if you don't already have one. There are a few previous posts here regarding heater cores. You can find them by using the search option.'

Scott
ranger32007-04-16 19:21:22

Does sound like the heater core and yes it is a bit of work. Not hard, just time consuming like ranger3 said. I see your in Florida, if you don't use your heater you can just bypass it for now. Then go at it when you have time or the need to pull the lower right dash. If you don't have a manual, you should buy one. This is only the first of little thing that are going to pop up. suncountry2007-04-16 16:50:53

Suncountry is right.  Go to Auto Zone or your favorite Parts House and pick up a 5/8" and 3/4" cut-off valve and 4 - 1 1/2" clamps.  Drain down the Radiator, make a nice clean cut on each of the two heater hoses either below the frame rail on the passenger side (if you don't want them to show) or over on the fender well before the holder that holds both hoses (if you want them readily accessible).  Slide the clamps over the hoses (5/16" socket or nut driver will work easier than a screwdriver) and insert the cut-off valve. 

Tighten down the clamps.  Fill the radiator, start the car, wait for the temp guage to go as far up in temp as it normally does and when it falls back to the left, the thermostat is open and coolant is flowing thru the hoses so you can check for leaks.  This is the easy fix if you don't need the heater for the summer.  If you don't put a cut-off in both lines, you will still get coolant flow into the core and still have a leak.

Don't forget to crank both valves down all the way to cut the flow off when you are installing them. 

Good Luck!
dnv2007-04-17 07:01:14

Thank you all. You've confirmed my thoughts.

Christian,

Your temporary fix will also benefit you this summer because by eliminating the hot water flow through the heater core the cabin heat will be substantially reduced. Many of us have shutoff valves on our cars, even with good heater cores.

Scott
ranger32007-04-18 15:31:48

Thank you all.