Overflow bottle overfull/cap loose/cracked???

If it is properly full; holds pressure overnight it ain't leaking.

Vulcanian logic.

Maybe violently flogging it about with an overfull bottle is the cause ???

Note stick is COLD level.

 

K..

 

So where is the coolant smell coming from? It’s driving me nuts

 

Recommend you rent or buy a pressure tester and leave the system under pressure for about 24 hours. UV dye is another option. You will find many examples of hidden leaks if you google 'LS3 coolant smell'.

 

Dealer already did that and sound no signs of leaks

 

If you can smell it inside the car, has to be heater core related I would think. It maybe a very small leak in an area where it is not detectable by sight, or loose much pressure during a leak down test, could only be a few drops, but people with a very good sense of smell will smell it.

Hope you get it figured out...

 

No smell inside car. Emanating from front of car. No drips noted in garage. Dealer checked water pump and found no signs of weep hole or gasket failure. Going to go to harbor freight and pick up pressure tester and inspection camera to see if I can find anything. This issue is making me rethink adding the supercharger I was about to buy.

 

If it is hot out and/or during a hot soak or when at low speeds or stopped/parked you may smell evaporating coolant from the overflow bottle (which is not sealed/pressurized).

Every GM car I've had in the last 15 years has given me a whiff of coolant randomly with zero coolant loss/leaks/trouble. 3 Yukons, 1 Enclave, 1 SRX, 1XT5 and 2 SSs.

 

Yes, even though we think of it as a "closed" system, it really isn't, it has to have a vent.

Maybe the dealer spilled some coolant. That stuff will stink for weeks if you don't wash it off.

I would hose down the engine compartment real well, THEN keep an eye and nose on it for a few days.
@rocaloca

Oh and get a new cap just because.

 

Wonder if the dealer pressure tested the cap when they did the overnight pressure test?

Most forget this !!! ... or don't have the adaptor(s). :wink

 

Thanks. I drive the car a lot and the smell hasnt subsided since I first reported the issue last year. I’ve tried hosing down the front of car but it hasn’t helped. I drive it in the rain (GASP) but that hasn’t reduced the odor either. I’m wondering if the vent hose you speak of came off and it’s allowing minimal amounts to escape when I take turns.

Hence the request for a diagram.

 

The vent hose on the radiator for the cap pressure/vacuum release into the overflow is clearly visible and look for it going into the overflow bottle. If it was off you would see evidence AND the coolant level would be low by now !!!!!

Honestly ... you are over thinking it. If it has not lost coolant since you first noticed it ... well ... give it a rest and forget it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I wrongly assumed it was a smell inside the car, and never remember being able to smell it outside the car, unless there was a massive leak with fluid on the ground.

Maybe you have a cracked coolant reservoir, and the crack is above the fluid level, allowing fumes to escape but no fluid......?

 

Coolant System Diagram in the link below

Does anyone have a coolant system diagram they can share with me? I’m particularly interested in any hoses not going to the engine and more so the auxiliary systems. Still have a coolant smell coming from the car. Dealer has done pressure check and it held pressure overnight. Smells is worse after taking hard turns so I’m thinking something is splashing over.

There is a Coolant System Diagram in the thread linked below:

You are the OP in the linked thread also, it's your Coolant Smell thread.

Checkout Post #06 pic #1 in the link for the diagram.

Checkout Post #12 for in the link for more coolant pics.

https://www.ssforums.com/forum/engine-technical-discussion/184773-coolant-smell.html :thumbsUp:

 

It's been doing this for almost a year? Or just came back?

 

For about a year now. I parked it over the winter and the smell came back as soon as I started driving it again.

 

There's a coolant crossover tube at the front of the heads, and on the back side each has a plug in the same spot. Possibly a small weep from there? I haven't looked but probably very difficult to see them at the back.

 

Add a bit of florescent dye to the cooling system. Run for a few days and check everything with a black light. B.



https://class8truckparts.com/cummins-3377438-cooling-system-additive-fluorescent-dye.html