The sweet smell of anti-freeze!

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tireman

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As the temperatures started to drop my 01V6 heating system switched on. I got the sweet smell of antifreeze. I was wondering if the heater core had cracked? I have not read of anyone having issues with the cores. Any ideas?

No smell when running the A/C. Just heat. No leak puddles on passenger side carpet. I'll check Degas bottle (replaced many moons ago) to see if level of fluid is low.
 
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tireman said:
As the temperatures started to drop my 01V6 heating system switched on. I got the sweet smell of antifreeze. I was wondering if the heater core had cracked? I have not read of anyone having issues with the cores. Any ideas?
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Just the usual under-hood suspects; degas bottle, plastic parts, etc. For it to be the heater core look for a wet passenger foot well.
 
Now that I see this thread, I figure I might as well ask. 2004 v8 - I have a distinct smell of antifreeze coming from under the hood. There are no leaks - recently replaced thermostat, degas, hoses, etc. All except radiator itself. I was hanging around with mlara and he noticed it too. I haven't had to refill the degas since changing the degas, but the smell is there! Especially near the degas. Thinking maybe I need a new cap... since I replaced the degas 2xs I'm not sure which cap is on the degas, I think it might be the dorman cap on the motorcraft bottle. Car never overheats, has no issues at all. Am I just being paranoid or should I replace the cap or bleed again just to be safe?
 
jjcool00 said:
...I have a distinct smell of antifreeze coming from under the hood. There are no leaks ...
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Those two statements do not go together. Either one or the other is false. If you smell antifreeze, you have a leak. You may not see it, and you may not be loosing enough to notice a decline in the level. Did you replace all the plastic parts at the front of the engine, including the one that requires you to remove the intake manifold to replace it? Do you have a Motorcraft degas bottle and Motorcraft degas bottle cap?
 
I did not replace the one at the front near the manifold. I do not know if I have the motorcraft cap - as dumb as that sounds - is there a way to tell? Does the motorcraft cap have a logo or stamp on it? I MAY have the dorman cap. I left the car on for over 2 hours in the drive way, came out - smells like antifreeze up front but not a drop under neath. The fill line hasnt moved down from MAX in over two months, but the smell has been there... I'm confused as well.
 
What did you replace your degas bottle with? It should have come with the matching cap. You have to use the matching one, because the threads are a little different between dorman and motorcraft, which allows them to leak if you don't.

The coolant leak you are smelling could be very, very small - too small to leak enough to pool up under the car. It may just be falling onto another part of the engine and burning off.
 
regiment1 said:
What did you replace your degas bottle with? It should have come with the matching cap. You have to use the matching one, because the threads are a little different between dorman and motorcraft, which allows them to leak if you don't.

The coolant leak you are smelling could be very, very small - too small to leak enough to pool up under the car. It may just be falling onto another part of the engine and burning off.
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The motorcraft degas doesn't come with the cap... which is why I don't know. When I replaced it the first time over a year ago the dorman bottle came with the cap... I'm not sure if I used the existing motorcraft cap or the dorman cap that came with the bottle. I'm thinking to just change the cap and see what happens.
 
I happen to have a brand new extra cap from OReilly's that will fit the motorcraft degas bottle. If you have one local to you, it was $4.99.
 
Well, looks like you guys were right - as expected. I do have a leak! I was walking to the car yesterday after remote starting it and caught a huge whiff of anti freeze... decided to pop the hood and saw antifreeze near the radiator on the passenger side. Started looking around a bit with my flash light as it was dark already and parts of the radiator grooves had antifreeze on them and I could see steam coming up. Looked around some more and the bottom of the car (the plastic cover) had enough antifreeze on it to form a small pool. I suspected the upper radiator hose - even though I just changed it 5 months ago but it was completely dry. I checked with my finger near the connections and nothing. So I'm assuming the antifreeze on the top portions of the radiator (even went so far up as to the metal pipes above - not sure what these are called) are from the steamed antifreeze re-solidifying onto these components. I'm going to check the lower hoses today as that's all I can assume it is... Anyone have any suggestions on exactly where to look based on this description? I can post pics later if necessary. Also my damn driver side heated/cooled seat stopped working... passenger works fine. I can hear the fan(s) turn on when I hit the button but the seat doesn't change temperature.. from searching I heard to check the connections under the seat so I'll do that this weekend.
 
jjcool00 said:
... So I'm assuming the antifreeze on the top portions of the radiator (even went so far up as to the metal pipes above - not sure what these are called) are from the steamed antifreeze re-solidifying onto these components. ...
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I think that's a bad assumption. Water will condense, but I haven't seen coolant do that. Also, it would condense on something cold, not something hot.
There's a chance that coolant sprayed on there from a leak somewhere nearby, but there's also a good chance that the leak is from the radiator side tank itself. They have been known to crack.
 
I was hoping it would not be that... I heard the radiator is the most expensive cooling component to fix. I guess I'm going to hose everything off and ensure nothing has antifreeze on it then let it run and watch where its coming from.
 
One question: if it is the radiator, according to the tech articles it has to be removed from the bottom right?? So I cannot DIY? I don't have a lift or anything like that...
 
I feel like it could be lifted through the top. I could be mistaken, though.
 
Nothing found on my 01V6 yet

joegr said:
I think that's a bad assumption. Water will condense, but I haven't seen coolant do that. Also, it would condense on something cold, not something hot.
There's a chance that coolant sprayed on there from a leak somewhere nearby, but there's also a good chance that the leak is from the radiator side tank itself. They have been known to crack.
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Still smell antifreeze but only when heat is on. Turn on a/c no smell. Engine does not overheat. Antifreeze level normal. Must be a very small leak somewhere under the dash. No smell under the hood.

Interesting enough a cold snap came thru Georgia, temps dropped into the 40's, Oil sensor light was on and off, then got a CEL code check engine light. Hmmm, cleared CEL code, temperatures rised the next day back into the 70's. No more codes or oil sensor light. Oil level fine, but I know I have a small leak at the oil pan gasket.

Its always something with this car. Running great at 158K miles.
 
Yeah there must be a leak, mine was almost like yours until the leak got worse and now I can visibly see antifreeze dripping near the front passenger side.
 
confirmed my issue is indeed the radiator... fml. I pulled off the cowl looked behind the cooler and saw a large crack on the left top portion of the radiator. Going to try to DIY tomorrow. Hopefully I can pull it out of the top, it looks like it is possible. I'm going to follow the tech article with the exception of pulling the radiator out of the top, any tips?
 
jjcool00 said:
confirmed my issue is indeed the radiator... fml. I pulled off the cowl looked behind the cooler and saw a large crack on the left top portion of the radiator. Going to try to DIY tomorrow. Hopefully I can pull it out of the top, it looks like it is possible. I'm going to follow the tech article with the exception of pulling the radiator out of the top, any tips?
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I know someone who tried it from the top....... Comes out just fine, but installation........ He needed a lift as it appears to install from the bottom. Another friend did get it in from the top, but it wasn't pretty...... Like most jobs with tight clearances just take your time and plan your moves.
 
How high would I have to lift the car to install it? Would ramps be high enough? Normal jacks? I'd prefer to do this myself but if its NOT possible I won't bother removing it and not be able to get it back in, instead I'll take it to the shop and pay the labor.
 
LS4me said:
I know someone who tried it from the top....... Comes out just fine, but installation........ He needed a lift as it appears to install from the bottom. Another friend did get it in from the top, but it wasn't pretty...... Like most jobs with tight clearances just take your time and plan your moves.
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Any idea as to why it is so difficult to remove and replace from the top? Any specifics that you can recall?
 
jjcool00 said:
Any idea as to why it is so difficult to remove and replace from the top? Any specifics that you can recall?
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Other than saying how much it sucked, this is what he said.......

Getting all the tubes and hoses that interact with everything make it a major PITA to get it in correctly.
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Both of theirs are '03's.
 
Thanks for the advice... I decided to let my sub-par mechanic go ahead and tackle this.. It took him 3+ hours. It looked like a nightmare.
 
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