Possible heater issue..

[Geoff]

Greetings,  have only had my car a couple of months, and this morning tried the heat out..uh-oh,  definite slight whiff of coolant.   Looking at the layout, its probably the heater element itself,  the tube with the o-ring seal, or the valve or the valves attachment point to the heater core.  Anybody had to do this, just how horrible is it?  Does the heater core need to be removed in any case,  or can the valve and the o-ring be replaced in situ?  Thanks for any info you may have on this one.
                                                      Geoff

[DesktopDave]

I haven't done it myself, but it doesn't look that hard.  I have done them on much more difficult cars.

Typically it's the heater core.  Mine leaks a bit, haven't worried about it enough to swap it out.  I'd figure the core has to come out to get enough space to pull the valve assembly.

I'd replace all the seals regardless, they're cheap.

[Geoff]

yesterday running errands around the neighborhood,  I start to smell coolant-and the heat isnt even on..I  smell antifreeze, but dont see it .  So I rev engine by hand to make a little more pressure, and sure enough there is a small split on the top hose that only leaks under pressure,  and then gets blown back by the fan, then you can smell it.   Local auto supply did not have the correct hose, but they did have a suitable universal replacement. Slap that sucker on, and all is well!   So I dont need to worry about the heater core..but I sure do need to do all the hoses.
                                                                      Geoff

[DesktopDave]

Good catch.  I'd budget for a complete hose replacement soon.  The M42 is not tolerant of overheating and the gauge isn't terribly accurate.

[Geoff]

yeah,  I need to do all coolant hoses and the mess under the intake..thats next on my to do list
                                           Geoff