Leaky heater core

SALLY FORTH

MEMBER
2004 TOYOTA MATRIX
4WD
AUTOMATIC
177,000 MILES

July 24, 2018, I had a new blower motor put in my car. A few days later a passenger noticed liquid dripping on their legs. My floor mats front and back on the passenger side were soaking wet. A friend suggested I may have a leak in my heater core, possibly struck while the blower motor was exchanged.

[Note: are they even close to each other?]

He said a new heater core is a $50.00 part that may need $500.00 worth of labor to change. And to make things really complicated, Monday, August 27, 2018, the new blower started running intermittently. I am in my 70’s and just do not know how much more I dare put into this car.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,269 POSTS

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

Yes, they are close together, but it is unlikely that they would have touched if only the fan motor was replaced.

Now, I have a question. Are you sure it is engine coolant that is leaking on the floor? An air conditioning component called an evaporator is also located under the dash. When the AC is used, the component creates condensation which should be discharged from the rear of the vehicle. However, often times the drain tube becomes plugged allowing the water to overflow into the passenger compartment. I am not sure where you live, but the humidity has been really bad in PA. It looks like someone is running a hose under my vehicle after I drive it with the AC on.

Confirm for me that it is coolant and not water. Make sure the coolant overflow under the hood is full, also. If it is coolant, I do not want you to run low on coolant and over heat the engine.

I attached a picture which is an exploded view of the unit under the dash. Locate the heater core and the fan. You will see the fan is off to the right of the heater core. That is why I question if it would have happened when it was installed. If the fan is getting wet, that is most likely why it is not working correctly at this time.

By the way, labor calls for 5.2 hours. So multiply that times the shops hourly rate to determine labor cost.

Here is a link that shows a heater core being replaced. It will give you an idea as to what is required.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-heater-core

Let me know if you have questions or need help with anything.

Take care,
Joe

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