Got a 97 850 wagon, runs perfectly but I just started getting a coolant smell in the passenger compartment. No wet coolant on the carpet. What and where might this be coming from? How easily is it fixed. Hoping the dash doesn't need to come out! Any ideas?

 

If you have a leak under the hood you can smell it inside. If it's the heater coil, you will get fluid inside on the floor soon if it's not already there. Sometimes a little will leak first, causing the fluid to leak under the carpet. You can pull the carpet up and see if it's dry under there.

 

Heater core is bad. easy fix, 6 bolts hold it in and the core can be bought for less than $65 on ebay.

Once you have it out be sure to wipe down inside the box it sits in with a good cleaner to help with the smell after it's replaced. There is a good "sticky" on this forum to show you how it's done. Oh also it is easier if you remove the drivers seat since most of you time will be on that side.

 

I just had a similar problem. I had a very strong coolant smell inside the car, but there was no coolant leaking yet. I replaced the heater core and the coolant smell disappeared.

+1 on removing the drivers seat, it opened up a lot of room when working upside down.

If you're going to do it yourself, you should definitely buy a new heater hose junction coupler. It may break when trying to unclip the hoses. I found that the heater core is cheapest from FCP Groton's eBay store.

Here's a good guide if you plan on doing it yourself:
Pics Of Heater Core Install - Volvospeed Forums

 

Hey Guys,
thanks for the good info. Can always rely on you guys to have the answers as well the best price for the DIYer. I will tackle the heater core r&r when we get some warmer weather. thanks again.

 

One thing you might want to check before you tear too much apart, is the antifreeze overflow container that sits under your hood on the passenger side. These clear, plastic containers tend to crack and fall apart where the rubber hose connects to them on top. Sometimes it is not that easy to tell there is a crack and that it is leaking antifreeze. I took the hose off of mine and was astonished to see the the entire plastic male tip that inserted into the hose was disintegrating. I believe FCP carries new plastic antifreeze overflow containers for under $40 bucks.

 

Gotta love fcp... To the OP, did you get this resolved yet?

 

My 95 has the same smell but I only smell it when the heater dial is set (for heat) For that reason I've concluded it is the heater core and not a leak under the hood. I'll probably wait on mine till end of summer since I've got other 850 issues to do right now and I dont need heat. No coolant on the floor either; I've pulled the carpet back. Dave

 

Make sure to pull back both drivers and passengers side carpet and insulation. When you notice the slightest bit of coolant loss in the degas tank, its time to go at it!!!