how do you eliminate the antifreeze smell in your ducts
 

Already had the heater core replaced and they wiped out the heater box and that kind of thing but how do you get rid of the smell now?!? I've left the heater on full bore on the defrost and on the vents for 30-45 mins with the windows down at the house and it hasn't seemed to get any better. Are there some tricks to this? or is just going to take some time


2003 1500 quad cab 4x4 4.7ltr

Spray some Lysol in the fresh air intake vent on the wiper cowl with the fan on low speed. Repeat as necessary until the smell goes away.

well an antifreeze smell would indicate your heater core might be on it's way out.... hope thats not the case here but thats usually the first hint that it's happening.

Re-read the OP's post. He's already replaced the heater core.

then he shouldn't have a smell in there if he did it correctly. I've done 3 heater cores, two on GMCs and one on a Dodge Ram Diesel (2003 if I remember right), and the only time I messed up (first time I did it on a GMC Pickup) there was an antifreeze smell in the ducts.

That time the heater core worked great for a week and then crapped out.

Turned out I cracked it while putting it in, so it was a very slow drip into the ducts, but it was enough to make a horrible smell....

Only other way I can think of this happening is if the OP didn't clean out the old antifreeze that was prolly in the ducts before putting the new heater core in.

I know nothing of how the ducts in this truck are used, but you could try running water through it. The air intake should be right there at the bottom passenger side of the windshield. Rain and snow go in there all the time. Worth a shot at least. Maybe put some soapy water down there first. I don't know where the drain is, so it might be pointless. If the smell remains strong, you may have a leak in the new core.

If you're even considering that, use distilled water so you don't end up with massive amounts of mold in your vents...

I don't think it will help though...

The Lysol Method might be the only way... but who knows...

Rain water pours down there, why would water from a garden hose cause mold?

because rain isn't the same as putting a hose in there... you might get water past the rainwater drain that's built into the system.

Not sure if you've ever driven a Jeep through some deep water with a snorkel on but if you've ever gotten water up over the hood then you've prolly gotten your feet wet from water coming through the floor vents...

^^^ Thats how we do it too. It worked for my wifes car

I can see what you're saying. I don't know how it's really set up, and I've never submerged my truck before.

If the lysol doesn't do the trick (probably the safer option), give the hose a try. I've washed my truck plenty of times, specifically rising that area thoroughly because I don't want to smell the soap for the next week, without any issues.

I would have to agree w/Izero. The smell shouldn't last more then a day at most. sounds like your new core may have a leak.

The Lysol trick works well I agree try it.

Most common place for a leak is actually on those stupid effin' connector hoses/lines that go to and from the heater core... those damn things don't seal very well a lot of the time...

I didnt do the change out so I do't know exactly all thats been done I am guessing that the smell is from residual antifreeze and is what is causing the smell as my original core completely went out prior to it being changed.......I will try the Lysol trick but the more I have ran the truck the less the smell is. I was also told by another mechanic to use aresol cans of OZONE and spray the in-cabin filter all of the ducts and through the cowl a few times and cycle through all the vent settings.
Another trick I learned is to use distilled vinegar as a cleaner on all the windows to cut and clean off the film that is left over from the chemical "fog" from the antifreeze when the core went bad

Thanks for the suggestions from the folks that actually read my ENTIRE post

Ozone works well, but I've never had a good experience with the canned Ozone... but I've gotten cigarette smells out of cars with an Ozone Generator before... most high-end detailing shops have one and a lot of them will rent it out to you for a day... All you need to do is plug it in to the cig. lighter turn it on, turn the truck on, close all the windows and BLAST the heat with the recirculation option turned ON, and let it run for like 6-8 hours.... (most only take 2-4 hours but the longer you do it the better the results)

Or you can just try and buy your own smaller unit and just run it anytime you drive your truck...

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