I get a strong anti freeze or chemical smell in the cabin. Especially when
it's hot out and the car has been closed up. When I turn the fan on you can smell it too.
The passenger side floor is dry and I haven't added any anti freeze in over 6 months.
Does that eliminate the heater core? What else could it be.
Thanks.

It only takes a tiny bit of coolant to give that smell. Not always enough to reach the carpet and it's probably seeping beneath the carpet padding. It's an easy DIY job to replace the core. Drain the coolant, remove the panels and glovebox per instructions. My secret: Sneak a doubled plastic trash bag around the core assembly before you break it loose. You'll capture 1-2 quarts and thank me when you have to wipe up just a few drops.

Hi I had the same exact sysptoms. Once I replaced the core it is an easy diy job took about an hr. Volvospeed has a nice post on the procedure.

The symptoms you describe are pretty common for 850s. My '95 would give off a smell of anti-freeze for a minute or two whenever the heat was turned on. Replacing the heater core solved it. I found absolutley no sign of leakage in the old core, no wetness, no residue.


-Will

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850 / 240 / Mini