Archived Smell coolant but..

[DHayden]

I had smelled coolant and checked under the hood a few days ago and noticed that the forward upper exhaust bolt was backed out quite a bit and the lower one was loose also and some coolant had run down the block.

I tightened all the bolts up again but I still smell coolant, is it just the residue burning and making the smell? I tried washing it off as much as possible but still get the smell.

I have to cross a hefty hill everyday to and from work and the truck heats up, not over heat but it gets about 3/4 into the safe zone (106 degree's outside). I assume it's mainly because of my fueling and injectors and me not slowing down to go over the hill. Is this what is causing my coolant smell? When the bolts were loose there was minimal coolant loss. I dont see any loss of coolant from the block or from the reservoir (as far as I can tell) the radiator level drops just a tad but there's a bit more in the over flow tank.

What do you guys say? I just changed the thermostat last year and seviced the radiator with Fleetguard Compleat. I also pulled over and checked the fan which was turning but I dont hear it come on and roar like others have spoke of.

This isnt an emergency per say, but if something is wrong and going to overheat the truck and ruin my engine I'd like to know now. As I said it doesnt overheat but I dont like seeing the temps climb that high everyday.

 

[DaveN]

As far as the smell goes - I would give the whole engine a good wash down. Also - I'd make sure that my heater core wasnt' leaking at the same time.



If you're over heating, and not losing coolant, and this is a new problem, then one thing to check is your radiator. The crankcase breather bottle likes to spray oil mist all over th e place - in NM I hear they have alot of dust, which likes to stick to radiator cooling fins. Sometimes you can't even really see the dirt/grime - but try spraying some degreaser on your radiator and wash it off - if it's black then it's worth removing the radiator (it's not that bad of a job) and make sure it's good and clean. Otherwise- fan clutch? do you have good airflow at temp?

 

[DHayden]

Thanks for the reply, my breather bottle was removed years ago with a tube letting it out on the ground at the rear. I'll have to investigate the fan clutch some more. The only way I ever heard of knowing your heater core is bad is when coolant dumps out in the cab floor, which thankfully has not happened. Any other way to tell its bad? Thanks again.

 

[McLaughlin]

You might want to watch your oil level real close for a while. I noticed a coolant smell but couldn't find a leak outside the engine but then found the coolant was draining into the oil pan. :{ Really wasn't any other sign either. The truck wasn't overheating and seemed OK on power until right at the end.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Test the fan when engine is cool (and off) spin fan it should have some resistance (drag a little).

" Above 203 F coolant tempature is contolled by radiator,fan,ambient tempature. " From 96 service manual.

 

[Devan Manis]

sounds like you have a 53 block crack.

 

[DHayden]

Thankfully no oil is evident in the coolant and no coolant evident in the oil. The fan does have slight drag on it when the engine is off.

The 53 blocks were mainly 99'-01' with most problems being in the 99's. I have on 01. 5 so I'm hoping thats not an issue, I have attempted to locate the numbers though to make sure with no luck thus far.

 

[Devan Manis]

well i hope its something simple and cheap, but when you said exhaust manifold and coolant leaked on block thats what first came to mind.

 

[Msilbernagel]

If it is getting a little warm, and the radiator cap is a little "iffy", it could be popping a little fluid into the overflow -- and the smell is just hot glycol-filled steam leaving the overflow vent. Even if the cap is good, and you've got the 'vent' problem, that could be adding enough extra heat to cause a touch of overflow... ?



Check your cap next time it's cool, for good rubber and no corrosion...



If you do still have a leak, things are hot enough that it could be evaporating before you can see it. You could ask a local friend/mechanic to toss a little UV dye in there and turn the light on it the next evening... just like "CSI"!



Keep us posted.

 

[LandShark]

From what you have told us so far, my guess would be the fan hub is not engaging when it get hot. You should hear the 'roar' of the fan kicking in on a regular basis when it is over 90 degrees outside.

 

[Larry Willard]

Head Gasket!? Look to see if you see stains running down the front of the block at that corner. Mine smelled of anti freeze for a while when I would stop, but never saw anything. Then one day it was running down on the front along the side as you describe and turned out to be head gasket leaking to the outside with no other sign of going into the engine, although it would take a long time to really see any loss in the overflow tank unless I was towing a long distance then it would lose about a quart in 1500 miles.

LArry

 

[DHayden]

Head Gasket!?

Hmmm... maybe... the only leaking I saw was right at the front left corner as your looking at it from the front of the truck. It was very noticeable the one time but not since. I haven't pushed past 35psi of boost in months but that could well be the problem.

I don't think the fan is operating correctly either since I don't hear it but it does have some tension when its off.

Thanks for the help fella's, I'll look deep into those this weekend. Incidently, It's dropped into the high 80's (from 105+) here the last few days and the truck hasn't gotten over 190deg climbing the long hill. I also sprayed some brake cleaner through the radiator and intercooler and rinsed thoroughly. I don't know if the cleaning or the drop in outside temp helped the most, I'll have to wait til it warms up again to see.