MattHDSM
5+ Year Contributor
- 113
- 71
- Oct 20, 2018
-
Ottawa,
ON_Canada
This is a last summer problem, but I'm just getting around to it now while the car is sitting in storage. My engine bay smells like coolant. Hot coolant. No sweet or fishy smells, just smells like if you took a jug of antifreeze and got it nice and hot.
I don't see any leaks, nothing pooling under the car. No white dried coolant stains on anything. Not losing any from the overflow either. The last time I did a cooling system pressure test, it held and I couldn't see any coolant leaking anywhere. I'm currently using a 70/30 water/antifreeze ratio w/ water wetter since I installed the FMIC. Still runs hot at 223F on a 80F day if I've been sitting in stop and go traffic, 210F driving around town, and 219F on the highway, No AC in all cases. Already working on bumper trimming, ducting, and adding an air dam. Never overheated though.
I'm using an 18psi evo 9 rad cap. 180F Motorad thermostat. Gates waterpump (3yrs old, dry weep hole). All silicone hoses, both rad hoses get hard and toasty at operating temps. Yonaka aluminum rad. Heater works great. Overflow tank is a NOS energy drink can, copying the cap/hose setup of OEM, all sealed up except for the overflow hose of course. I doubt that much stink is coming from the same tube used in the original overflow tank, but I guess it's possible.
I basically haven't got a clue as to why it smells. Do DSMs just smell like coolant? If anybody has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
I don't see any leaks, nothing pooling under the car. No white dried coolant stains on anything. Not losing any from the overflow either. The last time I did a cooling system pressure test, it held and I couldn't see any coolant leaking anywhere. I'm currently using a 70/30 water/antifreeze ratio w/ water wetter since I installed the FMIC. Still runs hot at 223F on a 80F day if I've been sitting in stop and go traffic, 210F driving around town, and 219F on the highway, No AC in all cases. Already working on bumper trimming, ducting, and adding an air dam. Never overheated though.
I'm using an 18psi evo 9 rad cap. 180F Motorad thermostat. Gates waterpump (3yrs old, dry weep hole). All silicone hoses, both rad hoses get hard and toasty at operating temps. Yonaka aluminum rad. Heater works great. Overflow tank is a NOS energy drink can, copying the cap/hose setup of OEM, all sealed up except for the overflow hose of course. I doubt that much stink is coming from the same tube used in the original overflow tank, but I guess it's possible.
I basically haven't got a clue as to why it smells. Do DSMs just smell like coolant? If anybody has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
Last edited: