Hi guys and girls. Great site!!:woot:
My first post here ive looked for something similar but could not find.
My problem is about two months ago my car overheated and two days later we found alot of coolant on the passenger side floor i did not notice this as no one ever sits there as its just my daily ever reliable to and from work car. (this is the first issue ive had) Since then ive had steam coming from under the glovebox and its just not right. When i rang a mechanic he said that it could be the hotbox?? but he would not go into much more detail but he was going to charge me min $100 to look at it:roflwtf:. Does anyone have any idea what it might be and how i might be able to fix it.
Any help appreciated
Cheers
Nemx

Maybe the heater core?

And welcome to AMC! :D

Hi, you've probably left the kettle plugged in and it's just told you the waters ready. Common problem.

:D j/k

Does it happen when you turn something on? or is just all the time? You can take out the glovebox yourself (15 min job for 1st timer) and have a look where its coming from. It'd be from the heater core my bet is. Coolant must be dropping on something hot and burning.

ah noes. if its the heater core, prep to take apart YOUR ENTIRE CAR to get at it.

Welcome..

Yeah and sounds like heater core, up under the dash. just disconnect it. bypass in the engine bay.

Thanks everyone appreciate quick response shhesh that was quick.
I think its worse when i use the heater. I have not used it since but i still get steam.
Where can i get info from to do a job like this?? Ill admit im a bit of a car noob!!!!

Get someone who knows if your a noob with cars. Its a decent size job. Most of the dash has to come out from what i have read on here. Do a search on heater core on this forum there should be some further info on this topic.
Either disconnect the heater hoses and block them or bypass the core cause it will make a mess of your carpets and water may spill onto your ecu then you will have other problems to tackle as well as the core.
Regards

Yep It's most likely your heater core. I often wonder how they designed it all to fit when space is so tight up under there??

i recommend installing a fire extinguisher, just incase ;) never be too careful when there is steam coming from behind plastic and carpet lol

i recommend installing a fire extinguisher, just incase ;) never be too careful when there is steam coming from behind plastic and carpet lol

I dont believe steam has the ability to start fires.....

Like trotty said what you need to do straight away is bypass the heater core in the engine bay, connect the two heater hoses that run into the fire wall together so coolant no longer runs through the heater core.

Replacing the heater core is a very big job and unless done yourself can run up a bill into the many hundreds, bypassing the core will allow you to put it off for as long as you like or as long as you can live without your heater atleast.

I dont believe steam has the ability to start fires.....


Steam = H2O, H20 + Electricity = big troubles

Be careful while doing the heater core, as anything electrical in the car is a bitch to troubleshoot and replace.

Whatever you are going to do I suggest deciding and fixing it as soon as possible. Breathing hot coolant fumes isn't exactly great for your health. You could always try one of the radiator leak treatments.

Check your coolant level ASAP and bypass the heater as advised by others above.

I had a problem with a car where the heater hose split inside the engine bay. It dumped all the coolant onto the road and for some reason, the temp gauge never showed that it was hot. So after maybe 20km of driving, the engine just didn't feel right.
End result was a cracked head and $1000 repair bill.

I had to replace the heater core in my TR.

Got a $1000.00 bill from the local. (had an air-con service and re-gas at the same time)

Just have it bypassed if you don't use the heater.

Check your coolant level ASAP and bypass the heater as advised by others above.

I had a problem with a car where the heater hose split inside the engine bay. It dumped all the coolant onto the road and for some reason, the temp gauge never showed that it was hot. So after maybe 20km of driving, the engine just didn't feel right.
End result was a cracked head and $1000 repair bill.

Yeah, if you don't notice it in the brief time that the gauge does show hot it just shows as OK.
The sensor doesn't work properly when its not IN coolant.