Under the dash board and to the left of the blower and heater core there is this round ?valve? that resembles an EGR valve. It is 2-3" across and a brass color. On the rear facing side of it there appears to be a small vacuum line and on the front (firewall) side, the heater hoses are attached. I described this to a mechanic who is familiar with z cars and he said it was the "heater ****." Mine is leaking. The hoses all look okay, it seems like the coolant is dripping from the valve itself. After I noticed the drip I removed the kick panels and the center console and placed some paper towels on the floor (after lining it with plastic of course). I let the car warm up and drve about two miles in stop and go traffic. I ended up with about 5-6 drops on the paper towels.

My question is if anyone knows any tricks to get it to stop leaking? The mechanic strongly discouraged the use of bars-leak or similar products but suggested a teaspoon of pepper in the radiator. Has anyone ever heard of this? I can't seen to find a new one available anywhere. The local salvage yard has one for $20.00 if I come and do the labor to remove it from the car on the yard.

I would greatly appreciate any tips. Thanks.

-Collin

 

Ice, thanks for the info. Surprisingly, the pepper worked. It took about two days but it hasn't leaked a single drop since Sunday morning and I've been driving it pretty regularly. Who woulda thought?

 

This is a family board! I'll have to ask you to stop talking about your ****.