Smell of coolant

[David]

Morning all
When I park my car after a run and walk past the front grill, I can smell coolant.
My mechanic can't seem to find out where the smell is coming from, the loss appears negligible and there is no evidence of a leak, nevertheless, the smell is strong and I am concerned it is a precursor of something bigger to come.

Any clues on where to look in the first instance apart from the obvious which have all been checked, could it be coming out from the valley cover?

Regards
David

[87County]

if you can smell it - then it's getting out somewhere.....even a very small amount

can be anything from a hose connection, split expansion tank through to core plugs....



what type of engine/vehicle (I assume V8) ? - they all have their quirks :)

[bee utey]

Head gaskets often leak coolant at the front and rear of the engine. I would poke around with a bright torch and an inspection mirror (one on a stick) and look carefully at the head/block joints, front and rear. It may be better to look up from underneath the vehicle when it is on ramps.

[Keithy P38]

I agree, probably a small leak! I had the hose from the expansion tank dribble every now and then. I could not see it but every now and then I'd see a little drop on the garage floor! The tell tale was dust from 4wding in the engine bay sticking to the coolant.

[David]

I agree, probably a small leak! I had the hose from the expansion tank dribble every now and then. I could not see it but every now and then I'd see a little drop on the garage floor! The tell tale was dust from 4wding in the engine bay sticking to the coolant.

Thanks guys
I have done all that you have recommended, even had it over a pit, it is a 4.6 litre new motor about 50K old. Radiator and hoses have been replaced but I do have a slight leak in the heater O rings inside the car but would not have thought that I could smell that strongly outside

I will just have to persevere and try to find it but it certainly is proving elusive for me and my mechanic.
Regards
David

[PhilipA]

I have a similar problem at present on my RRC with Thor.
I saw the track was from the LH rear of the motor down teh bellhousing but I cannot see it even with a video scope.

So it is off with the Thor top manifold to have a look.

I suspect it is that the lower manifold has become a bit loose where attached to the head, as it only appears to happen on heat soak when the pressure in the cooling system rises.

It could be the rear of the head gasket , but I think I will burn the car if it is, seeing I have TRS you beaut gaskets and ARP studs.
So you just have to be patient and get under to try and trace the general area of the leak, then isolate it from there.
Regards Philip A

[bee utey]

Reminds me that I often find inlet manifold bolts work loose after some time, they are rarely retensioned after assembling a new motor. (especially on a Thor engine!).

[superquag]

I've had near-microscopic leaks before, usually in a hose. They spray a teensy fine jet or misting spray for a short while after shut-down as they need high temp/pressure to get 'out'.

I've had good results using a UV torch and that's what found the leaking seam in my Classic's plastic tank... - Assuming you've got the 'green' coolant. Red does'nt flouresce. Where the spray lands and dries may be far away from the source if the fan is blowing it around.

Basically, they're easiest to catch in the act at night with the UV an/or a tightly focussed bright (white) torch.

Enjoy!:p

[Hoges]

The throttle body heater section is notorious for coolant leak .... worth a check

see last entry on this page (part number #MGM000010K) Jaguar | Land Rover spare parts at British Parts UK | British Parts UK (http://britishparts.co.uk/products?utf8=✓&name_or_keywords=throttle+body+)

you can bypass the heater with no ill effects if you wish....

[David]

Thanks to everybody who has responded to my leaking coolant thread. Despite my best efforts (and those of a LR mechanic) pursuing all of the suggestions that I have been given, we cannot find the leak, the smell is very strong so it has to be coming out somewhere which is undetectable. My only concern is that it may be a split liner, would that cause the smell we are noticing?

Apart from that, my confidence in the car now waning for long distance travel because of the leak and I am now seriously considering selling it, you either love these cars when they are going well or hate them when they are not.

Regards
David

[bee utey]

My only concern is that it may be a split liner, would that cause the smell we are noticing?



Any coolant lost inside of the engine will show up as rusty spark plugs and misfires. Easy to check by pulling out all the plugs and comparing their colours.

Then there's the heater core, I'm not sure if any leaks would appear outside of the vehicle. Heater cores can easily be bypassed for testing purposes.

[wayneg]

The Radiator top and bottom tanks are plastic and crimped along their length to the core with a rubber seal in between. The seal can become a source of a small leak and any escaped coolant tends to run along the seam before evaporating. The crimps can be re-tensioned at a Radiator shop and pressure tested before and after to confirm any leak and fix. Last time I had one done it cost $40 and fixed a leak.

[David]

Thanks guys, Wayne we did not check the radiator because it is only a few months old but it is obviously now a possibility so we will have another look at the top and bottom tanks. It is a maddening problem because the coolant smell is so strong that you should be able to see where it is coming from.

Thanks once again
David

[wayneg]

My one that I found leaking was just over a year old, It could have been leaking slowly for a some time, It was obvious once on a pressure test however by that time the leak had become more and I spotted drips on the floor and traced the leak.
I bought another rad just in case the re crimp did not hold but its been good ever since. The unused new rad is for sale in the markets section.

[PaulP38a]

Also worth checking if any old coolant is still slushing around on top of the valley gasket. My ute (not a Land Rover) had a coolant smell for months after replacing pump and hoses, until I Gerni'd the whole thing.

Cheers, Paul.

[DT-P38]

It's not just the reservoir tank overflow pipe pointing excess/over fill at the exhaust manifold or pipes is it?

[David]

It's not just the reservoir tank overflow pipe pointing excess/over fill at the exhaust manifold or pipes is it?

Hi Dave
That sounds feasible it is one area I have not looked at although my overflow seems to go back into the reservoir, I will have a look tonight and let you know.
Regards
David