Coolant Bursts into Cabin
 

Another shocking day!

Just drove my car normally and out of nowhere coolant started spraying into the glove box on the passenger side and smoke filled the cabin and the buzzer came on, so I pull over and turn it off. It seemed to drain most of the coolant onto the passenger floor. BTW I've got a RHD FD. I tried looking under to see where it was leaking but no luck finding the actual leak. Why is there a coolant hose in the cabin in the first place!? Is it for the heater? Really need help becuase I left the car parked on the street and need to drive there and try fix it myself instead of towing to a mech. I also tried topping off coolant and it started leaking inside the cabin again.

Thanks
Joseph

bump!

Sounds like your heater core: coolant flows through it to get it hot. If you're lucky, it will be one of the hoses that connects to it, which are cheap and relatively easy to replace compared to the heater core itself.

-s-

What do I need to do to get to it? Take the glove box off or any other interior?

The heater-core hoses connect in the engine bay, so it's the heater core. It's, unfortunately, a real PITA to change. IIRC, a lot of the dash ass'y needs to come out.

Anyways for now I just blocked off the two hoses near the firewall so I can drive her home. Damn hate messing with interior!

yeah definately heater core.
Mine blew during the dyno. Original Mazda was A$1000.00 (roughly 750ish U$). That bloody thing cost me heaps coz of the location of the heater core.
Lucky us there were no passanger, otherwise their feet would've burned.

i hope when you say that you mean that you bypassed the heatercore by connecting the two hoses that usually flow into the interior together... if you just blocked them both up the coolant won't be able to flow at all.

Hey,

If you do the job yourself. Please takes lots fo pics and do a write up. My heater core has been partially bloked for a while and I have been reluctant to tackle the job. I've heard that it is a real PITA!.

Good luck.

This scares me and by the price of the install/replacement I'll probably do it myself when it's time. *keeps fingers crossed*

This is not an accurate statement.... if you meant coolant won't flow thru the engine." i hope when you say that you mean that you bypassed the heatercore by connecting the two hoses that usually flow into the interior together... if you just blocked them both up the coolant won't be able to flow at all".

The flow Comes from the Water pump and returns to the block passages. You can do without this flow and the engine will be fine. I totally removed my heater, core, ductwork and all several years back. Capped off both the fittings on the supply/return at the engine. I don't drive the car in Winter months.

Tom

That's what I was thinking (agreeing with badddrx7) that here's no flow through the heater core when the heat is off any way. Just plug the hoses, purge the system and get her home. Jack

Yeh i meant bypassed! Not going to bother fixing the heater for a while, if I do but I'll post a write-up.

Thanks people.

But then your car would be unreliable. Still tho...no one's going to notice it anyway :p