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coolant leak inside car

Bee383

Well-Known Member
Local time
11:39 AM
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Aug 10, 2012
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Location
Yukon,Oklahoma
i have a 69 super bee with factory air.after driving for about and hour i noticed a wet spot on the floor mat drivers side.right above the brake pedal i could see antifreeze dripping from a small air vent right at the end of the heater box.the heater core is about a year old - replaced by po.i can see the core through door at bottom of box.the hoses are dry and not leaking.checked my radiator and it is lower by a few inches from last week-almost a 1/2 gallon.the amount inside the car was very small.no leaks from hoses.nothing on the ground.no water in the oil.when i pulled the radiator cap off it made a sucking sound like under a vaccum.overflow bottle did not empty into radiator as usual.where could that much coolant have gone?thanks for any opinions,david
 
if leaking inside the heater box it prob went out the drian for ac condensation.
 
if leaking inside the heater box it prob went out the drian for ac condensation.

i had'nt considered that.really don't want to tear down the whole box to get to this thing.i assume its quite a job.
 
only place it could come from is the heater core.
thanks for the reply.really suprised that the core would be the problem being so new.do you know if there are any other connections other than the 2 hoses between the cores?btw i see you're in okc.we live in yukon.i'll drop this by and let you take car of it for me!
 
"NEW", does not mean "good". all a heater core is....is a small radiator very delicate and for the most part....unprotected during installation . anything could have happened when the previous owner installed it...OR ...it could have been damaged before installation. these things should be pressure tested before installation because theyre such a pain in the *** to get to !
 
i had'nt considered that.really don't want to tear down the whole box to get to this thing.i assume its quite a job.

I will tell you what is "quite a job". A heater core on a Ford Expedition. You have to remove the entire dash. Rejoice and be glad in your old car. It is not that difficult a job. I promise.
 
The hoses might not be leaking, but there are two o-rings in there too, and they could be leaking.
 
Not going to fun, be "yes" easier than a late model car. These cars are pretty bare bones and not all that hard. Take your time, and try not to rip the air hoses that go to the dash.
I would suggest taking the passenger seat and glove box insert out for more wiggle room.

I live in OKC and work in Mustang if you need some help. Can't do it this weekend due to playing Army, but can come over after work next week.
 
I will tell you what is "quite a job". A heater core on a Ford Expedition. You have to remove the entire dash. Rejoice and be glad in your old car. It is not that difficult a job. I promise.

thanks for the encouragement Rusty.i'm sure i'll figure it out one way or the other.this old car stuff is gonna kill me.i'm addicted for life
 
thanks for the encouragement Rusty.i'm sure i'll figure it out one way or the other.this old car stuff is gonna kill me.i'm addicted for life
BEST ADDICTION EVER!!!!:grin::headbang:
 
Not going to fun, be "yes" easier than a late model car. These cars are pretty bare bones and not all that hard. Take your time, and try not to rip the air hoses that go to the dash.
I would suggest taking the passenger seat and glove box insert out for more wiggle room.

I live in OKC and work in Mustang if you need some help. Can't do it this weekend due to playing Army, but can come over after work next week.
thank you for the offer!i will just get after this and figure it out.i will take your advice about removing things to make it easier.do you ever get out to any of the local car shows?we just got our bee this summer and enjoying the old cars.maybe we will run into you.thanks for the help.david
 
Update on heater core

i have a 69 super bee with factory air.after driving for about and hour i noticed a wet spot on the floor mat drivers side.right above the brake pedal i could see antifreeze dripping from a small air vent right at the end of the heater box.the heater core is about a year old - replaced by po.i can see the core through door at bottom of box.the hoses are dry and not leaking.checked my radiator and it is lower by a few inches from last week-almost a 1/2 gallon.the amount inside the car was very small.no leaks from hoses.nothing on the ground.no water in the oil.when i pulled the radiator cap off it made a sucking sound like under a vaccum.overflow bottle did not empty into radiator as usual.where could that much coolant have gone?thanks for any opinions,david

Got the heater core out (lotta fun) looks like it s been repaired before.any thoughts on where to pick one up?thanks again all who helped me on this one.
 
New heater core

"NEW", does not mean "good". all a heater core is....is a small radiator very delicate and for the most part....unprotected during installation . anything could have happened when the previous owner installed it...OR ...it could have been damaged before installation. these things should be pressure tested before installation because theyre such a pain in the *** to get to !
got the old heater core out.what fun!
You were right.new does not mean good,the po told me the heater core had been "redone"I assumed he meant replaced.it had only been repaired.amd is leaking.looking for one any ideas?thanks again for you help. David
 
thanks for the encouragement Rusty.i'm sure i'll figure it out one way or the other.this old car stuff is gonna kill me.i'm addicted for life

I promise, it's not that difficult. I tell you what I would do if it was mine though. I would go ahead and just restore the entire heater box. Gaskets for them are cheap and when it's out, it's easy to work on. Clean it up and repaint it all real nice, lube up the doors good check the servos if it has any. Cause when you have it out, THEN is the time. I think Schumacher and Bouchillon both sell the gasket sets to rebuild them. But I would sure do it.

Oh, and much as I preach it, get you a factory service manual too. I always try and find an original printed version in good shape, because on these C/D versions, there's room for error transferring information. Just a thought.
 
I promise, it's not that difficult. I tell you what I would do if it was mine though. I would go ahead and just restore the entire heater box. Gaskets for them are cheap and when it's out, it's easy to work on. Clean it up and repaint it all real nice, lube up the doors good check the servos if it has any. Cause when you have it out, THEN is the time. I think Schumacher and Bouchillon both sell the gasket sets to rebuild them. But I would sure do it.

Oh, and much as I preach it, get you a factory service manual too. I always try and find an original printed version in good shape, because on these C/D versions, there's room for error transferring information. Just a thought.
Rusty - thanks again for your advice.got the core out and it looks like it's been out and repaired before.i have one ordered and will take time to take the box out and restore.david
 
got the old heater core out.what fun!
You were right.new does not mean good,the po told me the heater core had been "redone"I assumed he meant replaced.it had only been repaired.amd is leaking.looking for one any ideas?thanks again for you help. David

id bet a million buxx NAPA would have one....they got everything!:ufo:
 
i must have a similiar problem except mine leaks on passenger floor so for now i have block in the water pump so no heater hoses.
 
Water leak on passenger floorboard------ALWAYS heater core..Unless you've got A/C
 
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