Im not sure what could be causing this but ONLY when the HEAT is on I smell Log Cabin® maple syrup :p

Now is this my coolent/antifreeze? Time for coolent flush?
Would it also help to replace my cabin filter?

By nature anti-freeze has a strange sweet smell all it's own, but I never related it to syrup. Why the smell? My guess is a small leak in or around the heater core. Could be a small leak sprung up around hose/core connection or just enough leak to to dampen the core then you turn the heat on and it gets hot and the fan blows the sweet smell in the cockpit.

Try this, get a half cup of coolant out of the reservior, put it in a kitchen cooking pot and put it on your home cook stove, turn it on and let it slowly heat it up and sniff the fumes and see if that's the same syrup smell you detect. DON'T LET IT NEAR A CHILD, CAT OR DOG BECAUSE IT TASTES SWEET AND IF THEY DRINK IT COULD KILL THEM.

If the smell is the same you need to look at fixing the leak or replace the heater core. Another way to determine if it's leaking: With the engine completely cold, fill the coolant reservior to an *exact* level and *precisely* mark the level with a pen, pencil or piece of tape. Drive it with the heater on for a few days then in the morning when it is stone cold check the level and if it went down you are losing coolant. If it's a real slow leak you might have to drive it a week to see the level go down.

Barrs Leak is wonderful stuff. http://www.theconsumerlink.com/BarsProducts/detail/TCL+C16/0
They make different ones and I used the Original to stop an intake manifold leak in a Chevy (BLAH). Some say it will clog the heater core but we used a LOT of it and never found that to be the case. In the old days my step-dad had a radiator repair shop and he swore by it. Follow the directions and I'd add maybe two tea spoons a day until it's gone and and leave the heater on ALL THE TIME. By the way, it's a good idea to drain and flush the coolant every five years and put in new anti-freeze and I use Prestone.

If you're lucky, the smell will be coming from a coolant leak under the hood, and you smell it when you turn the heat on due to the fresh air intake at the base of the windshield versus Max A/C which recirculates cabin air.

Probably not that lucky though, and will be a heater core like Huney1 said.

Does the defroster not seem to work well and leave you with a film on the windshield? If so, certainly points to a leaky heater core.

-Rod

I just had my car serviced and they made a list of things I need to fix/repair/get up to date and nothing about a coolent leak.
I will have to check the defroster/winsheild tomorrow but I tell ya, living in San Diego, it's hard to do anything needing a 'cold' start lol

Ahhh, yes! San Diego! I spent quite a bit of time there this year traveling for business. Very beautiful area, and I really enjoyed the Wild Animal Park.

The service shop may not have realized there was a coolant leak if it is small and dripping on something hot enough to cause it to evaporate. Finding a small leak may require using dye with the coolant or a cooling system pressure tester.

You may also want to check the passenger side front carpet for wetness.

-Rod

"Would it also help to replace my cabin filter?" I don't recall the replacement schedule and don't have them in mine. I saw where a guy went to Walmart and bought two of those super micronic filters like rergular AC filters and cut and taped them to the same size as Ford cabin filters and by gosh they worked fine. Whole heck of a lot cheaper to.

Hmmm . . . Got to thinking about the filters and 03 SES doesn't have them and I thgouth SES was top of the line. Sure wish it did tho' 'cause summers the dust and pollen here is usually awful.

Barrs Leak is wonderful stuff.

I 100% disagree :disappoin

Used properly, fine, it can be sued as a bandaide.until the root problem is found However, most people assume,:

"hmm, I put one stick in, did nothing, I'll put another in.........."

and another and another.............

Ever see what that stuff does to water jackets and head passages? To say nothing about heater cores, stats, overflow tubes, the lst goes.

Bad stuff.

"I 100% disagree Used properly, fine, it can be sued as a bandaide.until the root problem is found"

No man, put it in and as long as it doesn't leak anymore you're good for life. Yeah man, good ole Barrs Leak can seal up the 'crack of dawn'. When we didn't have access Barrs Leak we use to use a can of regular ground black pepper and it worked almost as good. That black pepper thing is an old Indian trick. :lol2:

Hmmm . . . Got to thinking about the filters and 03 SES doesn't have them and I thgouth SES was top of the line. Sure wish it did tho' 'cause summers the dust and pollen here is usually awful.


Ford started deleting items like crazy in 99.

what makes you say yours doesnt have a cabin filter?

Have you pulled the passenger side cowling off to see?

If you have and there was no cabin filter was the tray that holds it there?

There should be two screws there and you can pull them out and take the cover off and a filter will sit right in there.

I havent personally looked at an 03 but that is the way it was on my 99, no filter but everything there except the actual filter.

SEL used to be top of the line but as previously stated Ford started Decontenting things like crazy and none of the badging meant a whole lot in the later years.

a Perfect example would be an SEL in 2000 only came with the 24V DOHC engine and later it was a hit or miss and after 05 it wasnt even offered.

Mike
:smokin:

what makes you say yours doesnt have a cabin filter?
Have you pulled the passenger side cowling off to see?

When I first got it I asked the Ford service lady if it had cabin filter and she said if it refered to it in the maintenance manual it had one and if not it didn't. My manual says nothing about a filter so I assumed it does not. But you got my curiosity up and sometime today I'll take a look see. Theres a door on the inside of the dash panel passenger side and I popped it off and theres nothing in there. Do you mean look under the cowl in front under the wind shield wipers or inside?

We have a 05 Marquis GS doesn't have a cabin filter but has adjustable pedals, keypad on door & power drivers seat so it was a special order. Had 5 (FIVE) miles on it left over from a FOMOCO Atlanta loan pool when the 06's came out and we got it dirt cheap.

just want to make sure we are talking about a Taurus and not the Grand Marquis, but if you have a Taurus


The part I am talking about is the plastic cowling the windshield wiper arms go through. It is a two piece unit that goes across the bottom of the windshield.

You need to take the passenger side off and you will see the duct that feeds air into the cabin.

There should be a plastic cover that is held down by two sheet metal screws.

You may or may not have a filter in there but Unless they changed the design which I havent heard of you can put the filter in there and you will be good to go.

I always spray the duct down with lysol and I also saturate the filter with some kind of air freshener such as fabreeze. The last time I changed it I bought a bunch of those air fresheners that clip into you vents and stripped them out of their holders and laid them in the pleats of the filter.

The smell lasted a lot longer that way.

Good luck, It is definately worth taking a look at

btw Ford started using this design in 96 and it is the same in my 00 and I am pretty sure they never changed it.

Mike
:smokin:

Sorry about hijacking the thread but here is a picture of a cabin filter

http://lh6.google.com/image/mwt878991/RYPw1UEpJ2I/AAAAAAAAABc/CqIrmRLXYXE/misc%20015.jpg?imgmax=512

Mike
:smokin:

I looked and no screws just clips and right now have to hitch up the mules and wagon and get ready to go to town and get groceries and shopping.

Just finished changing the serpentine belt, piece of cake. Rented the tool and all you do is slip the 14 mm crows foot over the tensioner nut/bolt and pull towards the front and slip the old belt off. Put the new belt on everything but the smooth side pulley below the alternator then needed two sets of hands so got the wife to hold pressure on the tensioner while I slipped the belt over the smooth pulley and SHAZAM! Good to go for another 50K miles.

Thanx much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Have a nice week end and a very Merry Christmas to all.

The two sheet metal screws i am talking about are after you unclip the cowling.

When you take it off there is a cover that goes over the filter area and it has the two sheet metal screws. Take it off and there should be a filter like the one in the picture there and if there isnt you can just lay it in there.

Mike
:smokin: