Hey There Everyone!

I posted some time ago regarding my 2000 Durango SLT 4 x 4 and my a/c woes. My a/c continues to cool off the truck just fine, but it never really runs clear-there is always a water vapor like mist that comes with it and it still stinks of coolant to me-Ive had mechanics tell me that it doesent smell like it to them, but Im pretty sure that it is. This truck had the front and back wiper controls factory installed backwards which I thought was weird so I had that changed immediaitely before I bought it-Is there a chance that there is a hose hooked up incorrectly somewhere that allows this foul smelling odor seep through the vents with the a/c on and continue to seep out when you drive once you drive for 4 or 5 minutes?? Any ideas guys? A/C compressor problem? Can a improper mixture of coolant and water be responsible? Any help you can throw my way is appreciated!

THANX!

 

I think I may have responded to your other post thinking it was a mildew problem, which now is obvious it isn't. If it smells like coolant, leaves a residue on the windshield, it must be coolant. Have you watched the drain tube for the AC box to see if any coolant is running out. The drain tube should come out in the engine bay, down low, on the passenger side. If there is a leak, it should be present there as well. Hope this helps.

 

I don't know if its a related issue or not but I will throw it out there any way. I had my heater core go out, and I wasn't even running A/C or Heat. I had a white mist enter my durango through the vents and the smell was horrible. The cost to repair was a bit steep but a new heater core fixed my problem. I hope this isn't your problem but it might be something to look at.

 

Yeah Ive had a mechanic tell me that he thought it was the heater core, then checked it it and said it wasnt. I had a new air filter put in yesterday (along with an oil change and a coolant flush)and now the smell seems minimized although the mist still comes through pretty good. Im lost on this one. Thanks for your input

 

I tend to agree with others. It must be coolant, My heater core on my 2000 Durango R/T went out at 44k miles. But the leak was very very small. Not enough to drain down the drain tube to indicate a leak. But leaked just enough to give you that musky coolant smell when you blow air out the vents regardless what temp setting you are on. Definitely stronger smell when in heat mode tho. Only way to know is have someone do a pressure check on the heater core. If your heater core is bad, make sure you have that mechanic clean up and wash out anywhere the coolant spilled/leaked into or you will still get that stinky air smell.

 

I THINK YOU ARE PROBABLY DEAD ON...I ALSO BELIEVE ITS THE HEATER CORE, BUT PROBABLY SUCH A MINIMAL LEAK THAT IT DOESNT SHOW UP...WAS IT A COSTLY REPAIR? DOESNT SOUND LIKE IT SHOULD BE TOO MUCH LABOR...THANKS FOR THE HELP!!

 

What sucks about this heater core is that it was not covered under my extended warranty plan! The extended warranty plan was not thru Chrysler, but thru Autonation. I bought the silver package which is one up from the bronze. Only their plantinum extended warranty plan covers the heater core.

Anyways, the dealer wanted approximately around $700-$800 bucks to replace the heater core. Heater core from dealership ran around $150. Pretty much the rest of the cost was labor. They have to tear down your dash to get to the heater core assembly. Pretty much a 8-12 hour labor job. Luckily I know a very good friend that is also a certified ASM mechanic so I gave this project to him. He only charged me $350 to do the job which I feel I was ripping him off after seeing what he had to go thru to change it! haha. I was mostly worried about what will happen after everything is put back together as there are lots of little things you can forget or screw up putting the dash and all its components back on. So far, everything is working great. A 2 day job for my friend to do and I don't mind the wait as long as it is done right the first time around.

If you decide to have your core replaced other than the dealership, try to get the heater core from the dealership. I checked at most auto parts houses, and prices aren't that much cheaper. But the dealership OEM heater core comes with a 3/36 warranty which most other 3rd party auto parts house only offers a 1 year warranty for the heater core.

From what I learned from my personal mechanic, when you go buy a heater core, make sure you inspect the heater core before you leave the parts house. I inspected 4 heater cores that did not look good before the 5th core was the magic new condition core. The first 4 cores had rust all over, some looked like it was used or a possible returned part. Great advise from my mechanic.

One thing that comes to mind. If you keep seeing water vapor like mist, definitely a big sign of coolant leak. I don't see how the mechanic would say there is nothing wrong with the core? Other than that, it may be Freon coming out, but your A/C would not last long in keeping your Durango cool. A great cheap way to know for sure if it is the heater core is to bypass it. Go to your auto parts store and buy a heater hose coupling. Cost you a few bucks. Remove both the heater hoses from the core at the engine side of the firewall. connect both hoses to the coupler and use 2 clamps to clamp them down. Run your durango for a few days. If you no longer see any vapor mist, that would tell you, you have a bad heater core. You may still continue to get a stinch smell as there are still residual coolant that must be cleaned and washed to get rid of that smell. But the smell should not be as strong once you have cut off coolant to the heater core.

 

THANKS FOR THE GREAT ADVICE!!! HERES HOPING IT NOT THE CORE!! I LOVE THE TRUCK BUT THIS THING REALLY BUGS ME...IF ITS NOT ONE THING...ITS ANOTHER I GUESS...THANKS AGAIN!

 

so what was it, the core or something else?

I have seen the white mist come out of my vents only once and smells like antifreeze.

Also, my durango has sometimes shifting issues and when I get around 2500 RPM or up is when I can smell the antifreeze, but only till it shifts.

The water pump was recently replaced, could that be it? because it started smelling like antifreeze after that.. ofcourse my dealer has "no idea" what could have caused that... And they are supposed to be 5 star

I dread having to pay my crummy dealer some $700 or more.

 

You can try my suggestion on my previous email on bypassing your heater core to see if that is your problem. You can go to a auto parts store and buy a heater hose coupling. Remove both inlet/outlet hoses from the core and connect both hoses to the coupling. Then take your Durango out for a drive for a couple of days, if you no longer get any white mist, or strong coolant smell, your heater core is bad.

I would not know how your shifting issues would relate to the coolant problem. My guess is when your engine RPM's go up, your water pump really starts pumping and thus, you get more coolant coming out of your core if that is where the leak is at.

You can try replacing your speed sensor for your shifting problems. Sensor from autozone runs around 20 bucks.