Here's the deal. I have been told that we are not supposed to smell anything emanating from our FD engine bays. However, I consistently smell coolant after driving my car. My engine was rebuilt/ported/with stage II oil mods by Pineapple racing 15k miles ago. I'm not seing any white smoke coming from the tailpipe, the tell tale sign of Coolant seal failure. Been there, done that already...

Here's my cooling system set-up:

Koyo Radiator
Evan's NPG+ @ Zero PSI
My coolant reservoir is always full.
No visible leaks on the ground or otherwise.
My fans are set to turn on at 86C.
Temps are consistently cool 85-86 C on the PFC.
Aftermarket temp guage w/ sending unit in the radiator filler next usually shows 160 - 190 F


So i'm pretty coonfident that my car's cooling system is functioning well.

I'm wondering if any of you guys smell coolant after running your cars?
Or could the Evans just have a stronger smell?
Could the Zero PSI cooling system allow gasses to escape the cooling system and cause the coolant scent?

I'm hoping that this is normal...

 

dont smell anything from mine

 

I smell a slight smell of coolant when driving my FD. It was stronger and then I found 2 leaks which were repaired. The smell I get now is very faint.
Not sure what it is.
Same deal though. No leaks that I can see and the coolant level never drops.

 

The "Duh" answer is to check for leaks. But also, when was the last time you opened up an AST/Radiator Cap or filled/messed with your coolant? I know I don't always pour the best (Should use a funnel, doh!) and so I smell it only slightly thereafter (1-2 days).

As for my car now, though, I usually only smell the usual "hot metal" or whatnot any car gives off. Or some last bit exhaust smell because I closed the garage door..

 

No smell at all from mine (no leaks either).

 

I have it as well. When i first got my FD it was even stronger. Then I fixed it by putting a new hose on the turbo coolant line (under the airpump) it was not torn but not thight as well


After that there was no smell. recently it has come up again but only sometimes. Especially when your driving low speeds for a longer tie, city traffic or when you had some hard runs and just driving it too cool down.

Sounds familiar?

 

I use to got my new Koyo in and i havn't noticed it, but i also have all new hoses and what not. I would say to check everything.

 

I think I'm running the same setup as you but using Evans NPG (not +) and YES I do smell some coolant. It is very light but I do smell it. No leaks, no coolant usage, no smoke. I wonder if it's just the Evans being a bit smelly. I did not smell anything on my last FD running regular coolant/water.

My temps have not gone above 90C.

 

I run Evans and I too have a coolant smell. When I smell it inside the car I dont know if it is the bottle I keep in the starage bin leaking or something coming through the vents. Then when I smell it outside I dont know if it is coolant still burning off from the last time I fixed a leak (lots of Evans on top of the LIM, may take some time to completely burn off) or if I still have a small leak somewhere. If there is a leak the only place it could possibly be now is the line on the back of the motor up to the throttle body.
Maybe Evans really does just smell stronger and my paranoia is all for nothing. I know I havent had to add any coolant since I fixed that last big leak 1000 miles or so ago.

 

^^ well I'm glad I'm not alone in my paranoia. previous owner also mentioned that i would smell the coolant but I didn't really believe it.

 

nope. if you smell it it was spilled, leaked or the gnomes that steal my damn socks are putting it in at night. you should not smell for any length of time without a leak from somewhere

 

I use to smell it alittle before the rebuild. During the tear down we found a small leak on the upper inlet of the radiator. It seems that the RX7fashion/m2 box put pressure on the inlet of the radiator causing the mild leak and smell.

Since the rebuild, no smell. Also recently switched to Evans with 0 psi and again, no smell.

 

Little hint: When your engine is cold, remove the radiator cap, AST cap and filler bottle cap. Look at the point where they seal to the filler necks. Odds are nothing is wrong. Then reseat them and tighten them down, properly. I noticed a tinge of coolant in the air last summer and this fixed it. No smell since. I suspect they have a tendancy to work themselves just a tad loose over time, enough to blow back a little vapor under pressure.

 

i used to smell it from mine, but it ended up being coolant that had dumped onto the a/c condensor area (possibly from the previous owner when he changed the rad?) oddly enough

 

I have always smelled Red Line Water Wetter from my car. Especially when I 1st bought it. There was never any leaks from the car but the smell was always there. Oddly enough, the smell has died down a bit but took many months.

 

Did you fix the issue??

I used to smell coolant in my engine bay (couple of years before I blew my engine, no way it was related) It ended up being the line that ran to and from the throttle body. It was leaking slightly when the engine got warm. Never saw any coolant leak. Except when I took the UIM and was acturally looking for the leak.

Best way (Shown my SPOautos) was to completely bypass the throttle body. Ever since, NO smell and no leak.

 

Is the question to me? The smell used to be very strong. It would fill the whole garage with it's stench. Awkwardly enough, I have never found a leak in any of the coolant lines that I have checked: Turbos, Radiator, AST, throttle body, thermostat housing, and overflow tank. Water seals are also fine as well and there would always be coolant in the thermostat housing.

I never found the answer to the smell but after adding a new radiator, radiator hoses, and eliminating the AST the odor has dissipated quite a bit.

 

I was smelling it when I first got the car and it was the thermostat housing leaking VERY slightly. not hardly enough to lower the level or anything until it started leaking badly a few weeks into owning the car. Maybe check there.

 

I've always wondered if the gunk on hard pipe ends is enough to slowly leak a little coolant to cause these types of things.

Dave

 

Hey guys thanks for all of the feedabck,

I am going to try the cap(s) removal and reseat and see if that does the trick.
Drop the belly pan anc check for leaks underneath.
And lastly check the TB coolant line. I recently messed removed the UIM and may not have tighten things enough.

Thanks again...
John