Heater Smell

When I use my (cabin air) heater, it starts to smoke a bit and smell if
I turn it more than half way up. I suspect that this is coming from a
build up of material in the heat conduits over the years. Does anyone
else experience this? Should I have my heating hoses removed and
cleaned (seems expensive if I have my mechanic do it)? Could there be
something more significant going on (by the way, I have a CO detector, I
have not significant CO, so I know that I do not have exhaust fumes
leaking into the cabin air heating system)? Suggestions?


-Sami
N2057M, Piper Turbo Arrow III

If your CO detector is the type that is a little plastic square with the dot
that turns black in the presence of CO, that kind has a service life that is
rather short. Then it stops working. Is yours fresh?


"O. Sami Saydjari" wrote in message
...
When I use my (cabin air) heater, it starts to smoke a bit and smell if I
turn it more than half way up. I suspect that this is coming from a build
up of material in the heat conduits over the years. Does anyone else
experience this? Should I have my heating hoses removed and cleaned
(seems expensive if I have my mechanic do it)? Could there be something
more significant going on (by the way, I have a CO detector, I have not
significant CO, so I know that I do not have exhaust fumes leaking into
the cabin air heating system)? Suggestions?


-Sami
N2057M, Piper Turbo Arrow III

Yes, actually, I have a pretty sophisticated battery operated one that
detects down to less than 10ppm. i am certain that there is no leak.
And I had my mechanic double check to make sure. that is defintely not
the problem. -Sami

Dan Thompson wrote:

If your CO detector is the type that is a little plastic square with the dot
that turns black in the presence of CO, that kind has a service life that is
rather short. Then it stops working. Is yours fresh?


"O. Sami Saydjari" wrote in message
...

When I use my (cabin air) heater, it starts to smoke a bit and smell if I
turn it more than half way up. I suspect that this is coming from a build
up of material in the heat conduits over the years. Does anyone else
experience this? Should I have my heating hoses removed and cleaned
(seems expensive if I have my mechanic do it)? Could there be something
more significant going on (by the way, I have a CO detector, I have not
significant CO, so I know that I do not have exhaust fumes leaking into
the cabin air heating system)? Suggestions?


-Sami
N2057M, Piper Turbo Arrow III

On 30-Apr-2005, "O. Sami Saydjari" wrote:

When I use my (cabin air) heater, it starts to smoke a bit and smell if
I turn it more than half way up.

This may be a shot in the dark, but we had exactly the same problem on our
Arrow. Turned out to be a leaking hand brake master cylinder. The leaking
brake fluid dripped onto the cabin heat conduit and would smoke (and stink)
whenever the heater was turned on more than a little bit. Easy to check,
and fairly easy to fix if that's the problem.

--
-Elliott Drucker

And it might be engine oil dripping onto the muffler and
smoking, though this would happen anytime the heat was on, not just
when it was turned more than halfway up. Perhaps there's a dead mouse
or something in the scat hose from the heat muff?

Dan