Coolant smell?

Hi there,

I was driving my buddy around today, and he mentioned he smells coolant on the passenger side? I don't smell anything on the drivers side, have not seen any on the floor, and the jeep keeps cool and the fluid level is fine.

So, before I go tear into it, I thought I would ask for opinions for those of you with experience.

I have a 90 with a 4.0, AW4 with 265k. I have replaced all the hoses, tank and valve in the engine compartment, but done nothing inside.

Thanks in advance,
Bob

Heater core is leaking most likely. It's on the pass side.

You might have worked the heater core brazing loose when (if) you changed the heater hose.

X3 on the heater core. It is the primary culprit with coolant smell inside the cab, especially if you can isolate it to the passenger side. Not sure about the 90 but they can be a major PITA to replace.

I smell mine occasionally since I bought it about 8 years ago. No major leak, no drips, just a whiff of sweetness. I have enough stop leak in it to not care until it blows.

My boy's 99 came with a new core, it's nice and toasty compared to mine, so I know what I'm missing not changing it out. It is a complete dash teardown to get to.

My heater has been working great, no signs of leakage,

So, should I just leave it alone? Does adding stop leak help? I don't want to damage anything else in the cooling system. When I got the rig, I replaced the water pump, radiator and all the hoses inside the engine compartment. It appears that there are no hoses inside, that the copper tubes that poke through the firewall are part of the heater core.

Not really excited about tearing it down........
I think I will go and check all the hose clamps today and feel around for something wet!!!!!

Thanks,
Bob