Coolant leak from odd hose, help...

Hey guys, this is the first issue I've run into on my 94 RMW.

I smelled a little coolant the other day, but no leaks anywhere. Then the next day, I saw a little puddle when I got off work.

Finally today, I checked and this time the coolant was still leaking, so I was able to see where it came from. On the firewall, there seems to be a rubber elbow type hose located to the left and below the two heater core hoses. Can anyone help me identify this? Because I've never seen a coolant hose on the firewall, not connected to the heater core.

Is this some kind of overflow hose in case of heater core clogs? Or is there a hose that vibrated off the elbow? I can't see where else this would connect to though.

Any help would be appreciated. My other car is a Studebaker so I'm used to working on old cars, but this hose elbow has me stumped. Thanks again...

That's your AC evaporator drain. If it is draining and you're smelling coolant, your heater core is leaking.

Tom

Take your passenger seat out to help with the fix. Much easier. Towels over the seat studs. Flex attachment for the screw on the firewall/floorpan.

jayoldschool wrote:

Take your passenger seat out to help with the fix.  Much easier.  Towels over the seat studs.  Flex attachment for the screw on the firewall/floorpan.

That is a must!!

Ugh, I was afraid of that. But at least it isn't leaking into the carpet. Okay, I will get on it. Is it pretty accessible under the dash once the seat is out?  I will look for more threads on heater cores, now that I know what the problem is. Thanks again...

Actually not that bad of a job. Take the car seat out and cover studs with a towel or lay down a piece of cardboard. I may have taken the glove box out also. The hoses connecting to the heater core on the outside of the firewall, after almost 25 years, can be tough to get off. I used a hacksaw blade and cut the two heater core pipes where they come through the firewall. Easiest way and saves a lot of time. Don't cut the hoses.

Should be less than 2 hours.

Tom

Be careful reinstalling the pan. Sometimes it will be difficult, and you can crack it beside the drain. If you crack it there, it will drain on the floor. Remove the elbow before trying to remove the pan. You can repair it by heat welding the plastic. There are two different size pans, so if you need to replace yours, make sure you get the right one.

It's not bad to do. 4 hours book time, I did my first one in 2 hours.

Thanks guys, that is great information. One more thing, would you get the acdelco part or an off brand? I see on rockauto they have several, but the delco part is twice as much, yet the warranty is the same. My car has about 85k miles, so I'm not sure what the expected lifespan for heater cores usually is...

Lifespan depends somewhat on the care you take with your coolant. If you add an anti-electrolysis formula to the coolant the core can last a lot longer. The aluminum ones should last longer than the brass ones. The 94-96 cores are usually aluminum. The 91-93 units are generally brass. The connectors for the hoses are different for the TBI vs. LT1 cars as well.

My first RMW a 95 which I had for @14 years, the original heater core, AC Delco lasted for 225K. I replaced it with a NAPA (genuine made in Mexico). It lasted for less than a year. I don't know anything about Rock Auto's, but I do know, I would not be buying NAPA.

Tom

Look in the fleetwood section, low mile cars can be a pain