So over Memorial day weekend I was dropping my engine back into my car, and in the process of trying to get the rear engine mount bracket back in, I damaged the heater core pipes. So right now I have my heater hose looped back onto the engine (not going to the heater at all), and the hose on the heater core is looped around so to keep out foreign material.

Well lately when I switch on my A/C, I get some kind of nasty coolant smell coming through the vents, pretty dank-smelling.

Will replacing the heater core help get rid of that smell? I will also be having the A/C discharged and recharged in the process.

In the meantime, would it do anything to move my temp. slider to hot while the A/C is running? I'm guessing that would only open up the valve on the firewall, but those hoses are looped with no coolant, so it probably wouldn't do anything. Suggestions?

 

Yes you cracked the heat core, so it needs to be replaced or taken out and the leak fixed.

I think this can be done with out discharging the A/C. I can't remember.

Moving the temp selector won't do anything because on fluid is being pumped through it.

You do know that normally you can use the heater core with the A/C on to heat the air. We do that in the northeast on damp winter day's.

 

haha yeah I know, I always turn the A/C on w/ heat in the winter to get the fog off the windshield.

The A/C evaporator must be removed to get to the heater core unit, so yeah it will have to be discharged. I accidentally deformed the brass pipes when trying to get the heater hoses off, so the core will definitely need to be replaced. I saw several Integra heater cores on eBay for fairly low prices.

But I'm just wondering about the smell itself when I turn on the A/C.

 

May be get a shop vac and suck the coolant out of the core.

 

hmm I don't know if my shop vac hose would fit back there. Damn tight engine bays

I sprayed some Febreeze around the cowl intake vent while the A/C was running and it seemed to help a little bit.

 

Run a piece of heater hose up to the shop vac. Use your hand to seal the transition between the two hoses.