coolant leaking onto driver's side floor

[jbogan]

hello, i have been doing a bit of research on my problem that occured today and I am pretty sure that it's the heater control valve, but I just want any opinions from anyone who agrees, or, thinks it may be anything else.

my car is a '91 saab 900 turbo, 130k miles.

problem: driving my car today i noticed that fishy coolant smell, and lo and behold there was coolant dripping into small puddles on the floor. luckily i have these ridged plastic floormats that collected the fluid well, but i do think some may have seeped under into the carpeting. i am afraid of this causing mildew or something...if anyone could tell me any action i could take that would help. i am leaving it overnight for now so all the dripping will stop and the fluid will collect before i clean the mat tomorrow morning. i havn't been using the heat since i noticed the problem.

anyway, so the coolant is leaking into the car. i believe its the heater control valve/heater core after looking online and talking to a friend. my questions are: how easy is this to replace? how expensive is the part(s)? how severe is this problem? is there a possibility that it could be anything else? where can i buy the part? any answers or advice you can give me would be so greatly appreciated. i love my car so much but recently it seems like its been one thing after another thats gone wrong. and i am so broke right now, i need to find a way to fix this problem as cheap as possible. thanks.

[b164gturbosi]

its your heater core, behind your dash

[robTypeR]

10 hour job its behind ur dashboard

[mbunakeith]

is it dripping on the drivers feet or the passengers feet? if it is on the left (drivers) it will be the heater control valve which is located above the steering column. this valve shuts coolant off to the heater core when you turn your heater down. if it is dripping on the right side of the car, it is most likely your heater core.

[esquirej]

Originally Posted by robTypeR

10 hour job its behind ur dashboard

It doesn't take 10 hours to drop the lower dash. If it is on the driver's side, it is the heater valve and not the heater core. I replaced the cheap, plastic, and original valve (very first time) on my 92 900 (Inga) recently in less than four using Chilton's and Bentley's. I am bad at losing screws, so I took my time. The heater core is attached to the valve and I took them out as a unit. The hardest part was manipulating the new valve back in place. I could it in half an hour if I had to do it again. Telling someone that it will take 10 hours would discourage even the most avid Saab'r. Oh, I see that he has been banned...

[mbunakeith]

it is your heater control valve. part number=8605388
they run about a $150 usd at the dealer.
it should take a technician about 1.5 hr. labor to install it. (around $150)
if you want to do it yourself you will need a few sort-of special tools to do so.
i like to use a flex head 1/4" drive ratched with an assortment of torx and phillips bits. you will also need to take your radio out and you will need the u-shaped radio tool to do that. it should take you at least a few hours to do it youorself. the worst part of the job is lying on your back with your head crammed up the dash. it is very uncomfortable. make sure you have your radio code ready.dont worry about the heater core.