Radiator smell through ac vents.

[anton1117@hotmail.com]

Hi.

I have a 2001 B3000. Just the other day, I noticed the radiator/coolant smell coming through my vents. Is that the heater core leaking/going bad? What else could it be? What should I look for or how do I check that? Any help would or advice would be helpful!!
Thanks!

[Tyranitar]

Its possible. It does mean you have a leak somewhere, though it is possible the smell could be picked up by the vent and carried inside. If you smell it all the time, it probably is a heat core. Only way to tell for sure is to check. Don't ignore this though, coolant leaks increase the likelihood of overheating, and all it takes is one overheat, not even a bad overheating, and it can cause your headgasket to fail later on.

You can pressure test the system, and see if you can find where it leaks. Otherwise, you will just have to pull the covers to access the heater core and look for signs of leaking.