hey guys, new to the forum. i have a 01 f150 with the 5.4 triton . a couple of days ago one of the heater hoses broke rite at where the snap on fitting attatches to the hose.it happened about 2 blocks from my house so i drove it home and parked it. i got another hose and replaced it, refilled antifreeze and bled cooling system. truck doesn't over heat but now it has a antifreeze smell coming into the cab. i checked hoses again and no leaks at the wall i know when it came apart it shot antifreeze all over the top of the motor. so when i was looking for leaks i could see antifreeze puddled up in the valley of the block rite behind the alternator. could this be from the hose that broke and would it cause the smell in the cab or could it be the heater core going out. the smell is stronger when i turn on the heat .

 

The two times I've had that smell in the cab it's been a leaking heater core, but IDK what that would have to do with the hose breaking. Coincidence?

 

when the hose broke the antifreeze went everywhere. It could have got some sucked into the intake duct or puddle in areas where the intake air blows over it.. About all you can do now is wash off anything you see... without getting the coils / wires too wet. Fill the radiator overflow tank to the proper level and monitor this as you drive for a week. If there is no leak, the smell will eventually go away.

 

Do the interior windows fog up when you turn the heater on? That would be a heater core leak showing up. My guess is the smell comes from the odor of coolant that was dried on to the motor when the hose broke. Try to soak up all that coolant in the valley below the alternator. Any residual coolant will really stink when it gets warm. If no other leaks, it will just take some time to not smell. DO NOT power wash the motor.

 

ok thanks for the info i'll try to get the coolant sucked up with my shop vac. and after i changed the hose it did fog up the windows the first time i ran it after the repair. but it has not done that since, it's just the smell now.

 

Ethylene Glycol hangs around a long time and smells on and off a hot motor.
Ya Think!
Good luck.