I'm not sure what the temp is for US cars for the stock guage, but I get a whiff of coolant right around when my needle lodges past the halfway mark on the stock temp guage. (says 100 on my Can. fbod)

The middle of our Canadian marked guages says 100, my needle will get just past the last zero and not go any higher. My fans don't come on either, but the guage doesn't climb and I've had the TA out on the hottest of days, in slow traffic. Once I start driving at any sort of moderate pace, the temps go way down to just above the first marking....as normal.

I won't get this whiff of coolant until my temp needle hits the halfway mark....cuz sure enough shortly after I'll get that sweet moist smelling scent coming what seems to be through the dash.

No spots on the driveway, no spots on the dry road when I pull over immediately when I get the smell. I've been under the car after shes been hot and up on ramps, can't see coolant anywhere but then again its not the easiest car to look around for stuff on.

The smell will come and go when shes at that temp and its not constant, i have no loss in power that i know of, no stumbing, no white exhaust...and whatever it is it doesn't take much coolant when its burning it off because i recently did a coolant flush and there was TONS of coolant in her, all nice and red/orange like dex cool should be.

I'm at absolute loss here fellas. I'm just startin to worry about what it is.

sorry for the long post. but thanks for reading

help

lbrowne

 

its the heater core box (not sure if thats what its called) its the big plastic thing in the engine compartment on the passanger side. If you have headers it will heat it up too much causing the coolant smell...my fix is to always have the vents on. If you do that, u wont smell anything

 

I don't have headers on the car.

thnx for replying though

EDIT: btw, I've read so many archived threads for research that i've got a headache, and I'm not joking.

 

Happened to me two times. No loss in driveway, just under load and minimal loss.

Pinhole leaks each time.

upper heater hose going into firewall, the one with heat sleeve on it.

lower hose from water pump which passes through low behind radiator and engine.

both hoses were part of same assembly which is rubber and metal.

a pressure tester will show you where leaks are, most likely.

good luck

 

I had the same problem, if it was cold no smell, but as soon as it was hot out I would jet a whiff of it every so often, mostly when I came to a stop, no leaks either. I looked over everything, and it turned out to be the heater core. ITs easy to pull out and check, took maybe 15 minutes 20 tops. The hardest part is getting it out without messing up the fins. I tested mine by pouring boiling water into the tube. Once I did this it started steaming all over the thing, no leaks just tons of hot steam pouring off of the fins and everywhere else, and it smelled like coolant. I took my fresh remanufactured one and did the same, and no steam what-so-ever. It had a type of smell, I think from the paint. I guess mine was leaking just enough where it would steam off just a little coolant, but not enough for any real drips. I haven't had a problem since. If everything checks out might want to try and see if its the core.

 

yep, most likely the heater core, and the reason you cant smell it till the car heats up is because the thermastat is close before that poaint so no coolant is flowing through there. Ive nver changed a heater core on a F-bod, but I was told you do it through the glove box. like take out the actual glove box and its right there under the dash.

 

I'll check that fellas, so when I'm checking it I should see some residue I would imagine there, if this is the problem. or I can remove the glovebox and drive around till shes hot and then take a look at it.

I get smell by the way without my vents or anything being turned on. This does sound like the problem.

At what point on the stock guage should the fans come on? My needle gets just past the last digit in the middle of the guage (100 on Canadian cars) and doens't go back down that much till I start driving aat a steady pace...jsut as long as its not stop and go traffic.

 

Can anyone help me with my fan question?

thanks,

lbrowne

 

That is about where mine came on too, that i was untill I did the fan switch mod

 

Thats just it, mine *don't* come on there. but she doesn't get any hotter.

I see you are in Calgary, where are there some nice tracks that i can take my TA on when I'm visiting there this month's end?!?!

 

Actually I just move to edmonton and Budpark right by the international airport has street legals almost every friday night and on the occasional wensday Their website is www.budpark.com

 

Yeah i got friends going there on the 22nd of August.

Bu that track is only open after supper, so I probably won't be able to make it. Hence why i wanna find a spot in Calgary.

Back to my topic, can anyone help me with the fans...

 

race city bitch

Its a great track... I really miss it

BC's Mission Raceway blows chunks compared to how Race City is run and operated... At least for friday night racing!

now get off yer *** and go already, hehe

jeff

 

I used to get the coolant smell when it was hot. It turned out that the water pump was seeping. The coolant would just evaporate on the hot engine and would never drip. When they took off the water pump, there were no ***** left in the bearing for the water pump drive shaft. The opti actually had fluid in it. You could hear it sloshing around. I guess it wasn't going to live much longer