So I've been smelling antifreeze whenever I turn on the defrost or heat on my 2000 Cherokee Sport (4.0L).

For the past week in the worst Virginia winter in a few years I've just not used heat or defrost until I could come up with the bucks to fix it (assumed heater core because everyone said heater core including this forum). Dealership quoted me around $1100 (lol @ dealership!)

My mechanic said roughly $500 so I took it there this morning. He's the only guy I trust to touch the Jeep in its naughty parts.

He called me about 20 minutes ago and said (before ripping it apart mind you) that they pressure tested it and could find no leak, but there was a small leak in the radiator. The small leak in the radiator he said didn't look like a big deal.

He asked if he wanted me to go ahead and have them tear it apart anyway to check that heater core.

I told them yes because I haven't smelled anti-freeze ANY OTHER TIME than when I turn on the heat/defrost.

I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to my Jeep because its the best vehicle I've ever owned so I'll replace the radiator soon regardless.

So do you think I was right to have them pull it apart anyway and pay all this money?

also I'm a bonehead and am fessing up for putting this in the wrong forum... could a friendly mod please relocate me to my own kind?

umm well i think that maybe because even though they found the leak in the radiator there might be a leak near the heater core

see that's what I was thinking... just because the pressure test showed a small leak at the radiator didn't rule out the leak in the heater core because that thing is nearly impossible to see without tearing it apart.

but of course i'm not a mechanic so i was kinda hoping the mechanics wouldn't ask for my advice before doing it.

p.s. i just got off the phone with them, they said they think the heater core had a leak but "there's no way to tell."

kool well good luck to you man

better safe than sorry, having it leak all over ur carpet.I think the way u describe the smell it is leaking.

The thing about smelling anti-freeze when you turn on the heat or a/c is, when the fan comes on it pulls air from the vent outside the windshield, so if anti-freeze is leaking any where around the engine, it could pick up the odors from here.
So what was the verdict?

usally... you can see aintifreeze in the drain hole for the a/c .. on alot of cars..not sure about the jeep... but hey .. hope he calls and says yep it was leaking.. :}

verdict was inconclusive. I made them replace the heater core. Turned the engine on, no smell of antifreeze to speak of.

Came with a host of other problems though. When I turned the engine on, the check engine light was on and the cruise control didn't work.

took it back the next day and they told me they'd have to tear out the dash again to see what was going on but it was no big deal in the meantime (we've had a lot of snow storms around here lately and i work for a place that requires my Jeep and I to be on the road through the worst of it).

My plan is to take it back tomorrow to figure out what happened in the heater core repair.

Somebody mentioned something about a vacuum and that without it there'd be no cruise.

it's all very confusing to a guy that works with people with disabilities and not cars but the jeep runs and has been AMAZING once again in the bad weather.

i love my jeep more than my girlfriend and she knows it.