Smoke coming from heater box area?

[joesregalproject]

Hey guys, I changed the oil pan gasket on my car today, which was a much bigger hassle than intended, but when I ran it afterward, it was smoking under the hood on the passenger side from the heater box area. I noticed this before, but it was starting to really bug me now. It seemed like antifreeze smoke, it smelled like it anyways. Its not coming from any hoses, I checked them. The heater still works, A/C doesn't, the system's not charged. Any suggestions as to what it might be?

 

[1evilregal]

are you losing any coolant? it could be a heater core leaking and dripping out the condensation drain, and onto the exhaust. you may have some residual oil burning off of the exhaust from the pan leak & repair. HTH

Darin

 

[Poncho61]

Sounds to me like the heater core as well. Any dampness on the passenger floor boards? Hows the coolant level when its cold? Temp gauge installed and has it started reading higher lately or at least since you noticed the smake/smell?

 

[joesregalproject]

Sounds to me like the heater core as well. Any dampness on the passenger floor boards? Hows the coolant level when its cold? Temp gauge installed and has it started reading higher lately or at least since you noticed the smake/smell?

No, everything else is pretty much normal. Coolant maybe a little bit low. My guess is just a slow leak.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Could he try bypassing the heater core for now to see if the symptoms/smell stop? I know it's kind've a pain in the *ss to replace them.

 

[pontiacgp]

Check the heater hoses, I had one with a pinhole near the heater core and it was spraying into the heater core area making me think it was the heater core.

 

[joesregalproject]

I have since replace the heater core which had a nice gash in it, but I still see some smoke (lees though) coming from the heater box area. It's normally coming up from in between the valve cover and the heater box. It smells more like oil now though than antifreeze. I'm assuming it's probably valve covers (which I have changed numerous times, yet they still seem to leak).

 

[pontiacgp]

It's probably just oil but I have had problem with the soldering of the tubes on new heater cores. I had one start leaking on me a month or two after I installed it and it was just the poor soldering job that was done

 

[joesregalproject]

It's probably just oil but I have had problem with the soldering of the tubes on new heater cores. I had one start leaking on me a month or two after I installed it and it was just the poor soldering job that was done

If it's oil I'm gonna let it go, at least until I get my headers on. It isn't worth the aggravation to try and change the gaskets again.