Coolant smell during heater/ventilation use
 

Hi all,

Fresh off my latest fix (ignition switch) I want to further investigate something I've noticed for over a year now. Whenever I turn the blower motor on (heat, a/c, defrost or otherwise) I get a strong coolant smell in the cabin for 15-20 seconds. Afterwards either I don't notice it or it goes away. In my past experience, this has generally indicated that the heater core was leaking. Is something similar going on here? Is this something easy to get to or a complete PITA like the coolant reservoir was? It doesn't appear to be a significant leak, as the coolant still reads full on the reservoir in the trunk.

My mechanic told me that one of my radiator fans wasn't coming on as well, not sure if this is related. I live in a very mild climate (SF) and I almost never drive in stop-and-go traffic, so I haven't really prioritized investigating this.

Access to the heater core not that hard. I would open the cover to core. Check the hose clamps and also see if the core is leaking. From there pressure test the cooling system.

I have exactly same issue, has anyone experience with this what is wrong?