[V6-12v] The smell of curry soup (blown heater core)

[The CyberPoet]

I don't have answers to most of your questions (I've been fortunate  
enough not to have to do anything to the heater core on the Audi yet  
-- the VW Golf was a PIA and I went through three of them in three  
years before obsoleting the car)... The ones I do have answers for:

1. Suggest you clean out the air passages your can reach and the A/C  
coils if you can access them while in there.
2. Any car can be rerouted so that the heater hose doesn't go through  
the dash -- but I'd suggest using a new, longer hose to make the loop  
instead of bridging the existing hoses together with a connector.
3. (not asked) some radiator places fabricate their own cores -- if  
you find the dealer price on the core too painful, you might want to  
consider getting an estimate on a fab'd up replacement using the same  
case (they'll want the old one to use the brackets, etc from).

Keep us posted!

Cheers
=-= Marc Glasgow

On Apr 27, 2006, at 9:58 PM, Tom Christiansen wrote:

> Folks,
>
> My 1994 90S has started to consume coolant and I have noticed the
> smell of curry soup in the car lately. Now, I don't really mind curry
> soup, but the smell of it -- especially when it comes from the vents
> is indicative of a blown heater core. Damn!!
>
> I understand that changing the heater core involves tearing the entire
> dash apart. Thus, I'd prefer to have a 3-day weekend available for
> this. Conveniently Memorial day is only a month away. But I'm not sure
> the core will last that long...
>
> Are the stop leak products safe to use on Audi engines with the red  
> coolant?
>
> Is there a "back road" to the heater core that allows it to be changed
> without having to tear the dash apart?
>
> If I were to "bridge" the two hoses by the firewall, would the use of
> copper or brass pipe corrode the aluminum block through galvanic
> action?
>
>
> Now that I'm "in there anyway" what else would you suggest I change or
> inspect? A/C evaporator? (The A/C still works)
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom
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