My truck has electronic temperature controls. I can dial the temp up or down and touch the auto button. The fan shows it is on for a few seconds then goes out. I recently noticed a small puddle which I believe is anti-freeze on the driveway and I can smell anti-freeze when the truck has been running for a while. I cannot tell where the leak is coming from, however earlier this year, I had to have the pistons replaced under warranty due to excessive oil consumption, at which time I had them replace the radiator hoses and belts since they were removed. The truck currently has 104,000 miles. Are these two symptoms related to the heater not working?

 

the electrical controls are separate from the plumbing of the cooling/heating system....a leak will not shut down the hvac electrical operation.

IMO you have 2 separate issues. the hvac system has full diagnostic capabilities...the codes will be stored in the bcm. you need a scan tool that can read this module...code reader wont do it.