96 Starlet Leaky Heater Core - Tips?

[paz]

Hi All

First post here!

I have a Toyota Starlet and the heater core has failed/leaks so windows are constantly steamed up. Garage says it will take days to fix this and cost a lot of money (we are talking hundreds).

He said a quick fix if to put some sealant into the heater core and then drive the car for around 30miles and this sometimes fixes any leaks.

Problem is I have never done anything like this before - where exactly is the heater core and how can I access it to put the sealant in.

Has anyone tried this and been successful or unsuccessful?

Thanks!!

Paz

[Boro Sera]

Stopleak etc may work, but there's no guarantee - depends on how bad the leak is.

The best thing that you can do is to find where the heater pipes go through the bulkhead and join them together in the engine bay - This will prevent leaks ( unfortunately it'll also mean you have no heat - not really the best thing to happen in wintertime ! )

The price you quoted seems about right though, the core itself will probably be around 50-60 quid - but it's behind the dashboard, usually it's a full Dash Out job. Not tricky, just really time consuming.

[paz]

Stopleak etc may work, but there's no guarantee - depends on how bad the leak is.

The best thing that you can do is to find where the heater pipes go through the bulkhead and join them together in the engine bay - This will prevent leaks ( unfortunately it'll also mean you have no heat - not really the best thing to happen in wintertime ! )

The price you quoted seems about right though, the core itself will probably be around 50-60 quid - but it's behind the dashboard, usually it's a full Dash Out job. Not tricky, just really time consuming.

Hi there

Thanks for getting back to me!

I thought those were the only choices, realy don't want to switch heating off right now as its so cold so guess will try the radiator stop leak option -do I literally just pour a bottle into the opening in the radiator?

Thanks

[Boro Sera]

Hi there

Thanks for getting back to me!

I thought those were the only choices, realy don't want to switch heating off right now as its so cold so guess will try the radiator stop leak option -do I literally just pour a bottle into the opening in the radiator?

Thanks

Yep, just pour it in and it'll mix with the coolant - seek out any leaks and plug them as the liquid circulates the system.

Don't put it into the expansion tank though - put it straight into the radiator via the cap at the top.

Let us know how you get on