Possible Heater Core issue?

[FTBronco9]

*Update*
dealer said they pressurized the system both hot & cold and found nothing. Can’t find anything wrong with the heater core or any coolant leak. Can’t even replicate the smell from the vents. Not sure where to go from here.



Sunday driving on freeway with max a/c on and start seeing some kind of vapor or mist coming out of passenger far right vent. Turned off the a/c and checked gauges for overheating. All seemed good, I mean nothing close to the red. Turned a/c back on without max and never saw vapor/mist again. Today turned on a/c and got a cinnamon like smell coming through the vents. Everything I’m researching says possible heater core. My bronco is a ‘21 with 44k miles and no extended warranty. Sounds like this might be expensive to repair. Is it possible @Ford would cover this? Any advice or other suggestions would be appreciated. I have zero experience with a/c. Could it be something else? Thanks in advance.

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[Ogre]

Heater core so you think it's a Coolant leak? When you flip the top on the Coolant reservior does it have a similar smell? And has the level dropped? Heater cores are a pretty simple replacement in most vehicles though I haven't looked into it on the Bronco. These things don't seal themselves so if it's leaking it's leaking. Does it get worse with a/c off and heat turned up to max? That would be the most exposure to the heater core.

 

[FTBronco9]

Heater core so you think it's a Coolant leak? When you flip the top on the Coolant reservior does it have a similar smell? And has the level dropped? Heater cores are a pretty simple replacement in most vehicles though I haven't looked into it on the Bronco. These things don't seal themselves so if it's leaking it's leaking. Does it get worse with a/c off and heat turned up to max? That would be the most exposure to the heater core.

Those are all good questions and things I will definitely look into tomorrow morning. From what I gather online, old vehicles had access to the heater core under the hood. Nowadays it’s behind the dash and a pain in the ass to get too.

 

[Ogre]

Those are all good questions and things I will definitely look into tomorrow morning. From what I gather online, old vehicles had access to the heater core under the hood. Nowadays it’s behind the dash and a pain in the ass to get too.

Touche. Getting to it might be annoying but overall it won't be a complex repair. Just Google where the clips are for anything you have to take apart so you don't break any plastic. If you do I highly recommend a gel super glue

Unless it becomes a safety repair or part of a lawsuit then it's unlikely Ford will cover this. But it doesn't hurt to ask your local dealer. Especially if you're a loyal Ford customer.

 

[Ogre]

Indian covered my windshield motor outside of warranty. That was an expensive part. I have a metal worm gear to replace the OEM plastic gear in my garage just waiting. Doesn't hurt to ask

 

[FTBronco9]

Touche. Getting to it might be annoying but overall it won't be a complex repair. Just Google where the clips are for anything you have to take apart so you don't break any plastic. If you do I highly recommend a gel super glue

Unless it becomes a safety repair or part of a lawsuit then it's unlikely Ford will cover this. But it doesn't hurt to ask your local dealer. Especially if you're a loyal Ford customer.

Don’t think I’ll be trying this myself. I’ll definitely be taking it to the dealer. All they can say is no I guess

 

[flip]

There are specific environmental conditions where you might see some water vapor coming from the vents. Humidity, evaporator temp, blower speed align and the result can be a vapory discharge from the vents. Doesn't hurt anything but makes you wonder if the evaporator or heater core is going bad.

Since you're also getting a smell, there is the possibility of a leak. If it's a slow leak (heater core) you likely won't see much in the way of coolant loss in the bottle or drips from the exterior drain tube or on the floor. If it's from the evaporator, you'll likely notice the air coming from the vents is not as cold as it used to be at the same temp setting or may not kick on at all. When it loses too much freon, it may not even kick on due to lack of pressure in the system.

Not sure if either the core or evaporator are visible from the pollen filter, possibly if you have a scope. The a/c may already have a UV dye in it from the factory to help technicians find leaks but don't think the cooling system does. If either are bad, the repair looks like this and is expensive.

Unless you have an extended warranty, both the heater core and evaporator are no longer covered since you've exceeded the 36,000. That said, Ford does look at situations like this on a case by case basis. There are several factors that go into the decision to assist or not assist which I don't even have a good grasp of so there's no need trying to explain it. The first step is having the vehicle diagnosed by a dealer, verifying there is a failed part. The dealer can open a case with Ford on your behalf asking for assistance but only if they want to. You can also call Ford's customer assistance number, explain the issue, mileage, repair estimate and they will start a case and contact the dealer. This sounds harsh but the dealer can still decide they aren't going to help with assistance since it basically turns the repair into a warranty claim which pays at a much lower rate than customer pay. Each dealer is different but most seem to participate, especially if the dealer sold the vehicle and you do routine service work with them.

 

[FTBronco9]

There are specific environmental conditions where you might see some water vapor coming from the vents. Humidity, evaporator temp, blower speed align and the result can be a vapory discharge from the vents. Doesn't hurt anything but makes you wonder if the evaporator or heater core is going bad.

Since you're also getting a smell, there is the possibility of a leak. If it's a slow leak (heater core) you likely won't see much in the way of coolant loss in the bottle or drips from the exterior drain tube or on the floor. If it's from the evaporator, you'll likely notice the air coming from the vents is not as cold as it used to be at the same temp setting or may not kick on at all. When it loses too much freon, it may not even kick on due to lack of pressure in the system.

Not sure if either the core or evaporator are visible from the pollen filter, possibly if you have a scope. The a/c may already have a UV dye in it from the factory to help technicians find leaks but don't think the cooling system does. If either are bad, the repair looks like this and is expensive.

Unless you have an extended warranty, both the heater core and evaporator are no longer covered since you've exceeded the 36,000. That said, Ford does look at situations like this on a case by case basis. There are several factors that go into the decision to assist or not assist which I don't even have a good grasp of so there's no need trying to explain it. The first step is having the vehicle diagnosed by a dealer, verifying there is a failed part. The dealer can open a case with Ford on your behalf asking for assistance but only if they want to. You can also call Ford's customer assistance number, explain the issue, mileage, repair estimate and they will start a case and contact the dealer. This sounds harsh but the dealer can still decide they aren't going to help with assistance since it basically turns the repair into a warranty claim which pays at a much lower rate than customer pay. Each dealer is different but most seem to participate, especially if the dealer sold the vehicle and you do routine service work with them.

Thanks Flip. The dealer I bought it from is a couple hours away. I have dealt with my local dealer a bunch but only for work vehicles. I had read that this repair would be expensive unfortunately but I appreciate you confirming it. I haven’t been able to find any known issues or repairs done on new broncos in relation to the heater core. Looks like I’m the lucky winner. At least on this forum. How long would you say this repair would take? I’ll need to get a rental vehicle.

 

[flip]

Thanks Flip. The dealer I bought it from is a couple hours away. I have dealt with my local dealer a bunch but only for work vehicles. I had read that this repair would be expensive unfortunately but I appreciate you confirming it. I haven’t been able to find any known issues or repairs done on new broncos in relation to the heater core. Looks like I’m the lucky winner. At least on this forum. How long would you say this repair would take? I’ll need to get a rental vehicle.

I'd definitely make sure they put dye in both systems and verify which is leaking prior to just ripping and tearing. I'd say 2-3 days to be safe once it's scheduled and parts are there. Ideally, they'd start on it first thing in the morning, tech was able to stay on it, uninterrupted and might have back together at the end of the day but would want to keep it over so they could give it a good drive, make sure cooling system was completely bled out and there were no other issues.

 

[MichaelCar001]

Sunday driving on freeway with max a/c on and start seeing some kind of vapor or mist coming out of passenger far right vent. Turned off the a/c and checked gauges for overheating. All seemed good, I mean nothing close to the red. Turned a/c back on without max and never saw vapor/mist again. Today turned on a/c and got a cinnamon like smell coming through the vents. Everything I’m researching says possible heater core. My bronco is a ‘21 with 44k miles and no extended warranty. Sounds like this might be expensive to repair. Is it possible @Ford would cover this? Any advice or other suggestions would be appreciated. I have zero experience with a/c. Could it be something else? Thanks in advance.

Based on what you're describing, the problem is probably a leak in the heater core. The heater core is like a small radiator inside your dashboard that circulates hot coolant to provide heat. If it leaks, you might notice vapor or mist coming from the coolant as it evaporates, and the smell can be sweet and syrupy—kind of like cinnamon. I’d definitely check the heater core if you're getting that smell and seeing mist in the car.

 

[RHeinz]

When my Ford Explorer started leaking at the heater core, the smell was like rotting shrimp….

I’ve owned both Ford and Jeep (SUV’s) which required dashboard removal for working on HVAC systems. $1000 (labor) for starters, and that was 10 years ago…..

 

[wjtinfwb]

Sunday driving on freeway with max a/c on and start seeing some kind of vapor or mist coming out of passenger far right vent. Turned off the a/c and checked gauges for overheating. All seemed good, I mean nothing close to the red. Turned a/c back on without max and never saw vapor/mist again. Today turned on a/c and got a cinnamon like smell coming through the vents. Everything I’m researching says possible heater core. My bronco is a ‘21 with 44k miles and no extended warranty. Sounds like this might be expensive to repair. Is it possible @Ford would cover this? Any advice or other suggestions would be appreciated. I have zero experience with a/c. Could it be something else? Thanks in advance.

Where were you? In the South, this time of year can be weird. Moderate temperatures but high humidity. Running the A/C not only cools the air but also extracts moisture through the evaporation process which in some atmospheric conditions can result in fog. That’s likely what you’re seeing. I think a heater core leak would result in water dripping into the floor board as that’s been my experience in older cars from Ford and GM. But core leaks are rare in new vehicles, if you had a defective core it likely would have shown up even sooner.

 

[FTBronco9]

Where were you? In the South, this time of year can be weird. Moderate temperatures but high humidity. Running the A/C not only cools the air but also extracts moisture through the evaporation process which in some atmospheric conditions can result in fog. That’s likely what you’re seeing. I think a heater core leak would result in water dripping into the floor board as that’s been my experience in older cars from Ford and GM. But core leaks are rare in new vehicles, if you had a defective core it likely would have shown up even sooner.

Just driving through SoCal on the freeway. About 75° outside.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Sunday driving on freeway with max a/c on and start seeing some kind of vapor or mist coming out of passenger far right vent. Turned off the a/c and checked gauges for overheating. All seemed good, I mean nothing close to the red. Turned a/c back on without max and never saw vapor/mist again. Today turned on a/c and got a cinnamon like smell coming through the vents. Everything I’m researching says possible heater core. My bronco is a ‘21 with 44k miles and no extended warranty. Sounds like this might be expensive to repair. Is it possible @Ford would cover this? Any advice or other suggestions would be appreciated. I have zero experience with a/c. Could it be something else? Thanks in advance.

Hi there! Go ahead and send us a private message with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer, and I’ll look into this a/c concern. Thanks!

 

[MayhemMike]

First off, the heater core wouldn’t have water running through it in the AC mode. Secondly, if the heater core is leaking you will have a puddle either in the footwell on the passenger side or on the ground under the vehicle. Never heard antifreeze smell described as cinnamon but who knows. What may be occurring is moisture coming off the evaporator coil for the AC, or your Bronco has an exterior leak that is allowing water to accumulate in the air supply duct or fan housing. . If it is a refrigerant leak you will find out soon enough when the air doesn’t come out cold when the AC is selected.

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