2003 s60 smell when heat comes on .

[jimtownson]

I put cleaner into the ac drain and it must have gotten into the heater.. only when the heat kicks on do I get the chemical smell .. I am thinking of taking the going in and removing parts to clean it out.. do I have to remove and replace the heater core or can it be cleaned out?

[scot850]

Are you sure that is the source of the problem?

There are a few other possible issues you could check out:

1) Is the heater core leaking or starting to fail? Check the carpet on the drivers side is not wet. You really need to loft the carpet to be sure. Check the header tank level.
2) Does your A/C work? If not, the evaporator could have failed and you could get the smell from the compressor oil in the car.
3) Check the pipes to the wind-shield washers are all good. They can leak and near the jets and the small can get drawn into the cabin.

If it is only the 'chemical smell' have you tried any of the cabin heating system cleaners you can buy? You activate them in the cabin with the A/C switched on on recirculation mode for 10 minutes or whatever the product needs.

Good luck,

Neil.