Coolant smell
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More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 712
Likes: 1
Coolant smell
So everytime I shut the truck off after driving I notice a sweet coolant smell coming from the engine bay. I had it to the dealer for other things and asked then to check it out. They said they pressure tested over night with no drop in pressure. I'm thinking the rad is leaking ever so slightly and drying up. I don't see a drop in coolant level but this is driving me nuts. With the whole engine bay so tight its hard to see if the rad is leaking without tearing it all apart.
any ideas?
AJ
any ideas?
AJ
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 906
Likes: 107
From: Seattle area
I had the same thing on my ‘17. Coolant smell, but no loss (in the short term) from the bottle. I did start to notice some loss over a few thousand miles. The leak was a small hole in the upper radiator hose. I found it because the fiber insulation that is inside of the foil insulation around the upper hose turned orange/red. Was able to see it very clearly looking at the end of the insulation wrap on the drivers side forward of the main degas bottle. Dealer replaced it under warranty and after washing the engine compartment I no longer notice a coolant smell and the degas bottle is rock steady.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
I’ve had the exact same issue for the last year. 2 trips to the dealer and nothing found, even with pressure testing. I’ve looked everywhere I can think of and can’t find any source of the smell either. My truck has 18,000 miles and I’ve noticed no drop in the coolant level, but still have the smell. Seems like several people on here have had the same experience. I will just keep an eye on things for now and I’m not terribly worried since I’m not loosing coolant.
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 387
Likes: 105
Florescent Dye
Buy yourself a bottle of ACDelco GM coolant dye on Amazon. Also buy a UV flashlight. Add the dye to the radiator and run for a day and at night time go out to find the source of the leak. And you can use the UV flashlight at hotels to see how nasty the bedding is haha....
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 416
Likes: 76
From: Georgia
I got out of my truck tonight and noticed that sweet smell for the first time. I have 27k miles on it and have never noticed before. I actually bent down to see if anything was dripping because it had me concerned. Now I am not sure if I am relieved or more concerned.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,144
Likes: 273
From: Southwestern Pa.
I know it has no bearing here, but... I had a '99 Ram 2500 with the 8L V10 that I bought new and ran til 2008...about 90,000 miles. It would 2/3 empty the coolant overflow tank just about every oil change. We tested the radiator for exhaust gas, the exhaust for coolant, did overnight pressure drop tests, added die to the coolant and checked with UV light...never found where the coolant was going. The truck ran great the whole time I owned it, right up until I traded it on a 2008 Ram.
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Junior User
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 83
Likes: 1
From: Over yonder
I occasionally notice the same thing (antifreeze smell). Can't find anything on the ground or in the engine bay either, I'll follow nuctroopers lead here and see if I have the same issue.
Occasionally, I'll get a "somethings smells really hot" smell from the center of the truck. Can't pinpoint that either, as it only happens every so often. But when it does, even the kids make a point of mentioning that they smelling it. I'm at roughly 12K miles, so I doubt it's "new" burning off.
Of course, we tend to be hypochondriacs with our trucks from time to time.
Occasionally, I'll get a "somethings smells really hot" smell from the center of the truck. Can't pinpoint that either, as it only happens every so often. But when it does, even the kids make a point of mentioning that they smelling it. I'm at roughly 12K miles, so I doubt it's "new" burning off.
Of course, we tend to be hypochondriacs with our trucks from time to time.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,400
Likes: 15
The all-too-familiar hot antifreeze smell was coming from my passenger side wheel well on my 2017 F450 the other day when I parked in my garage. I didn't see a leak, both coolant bottles were full, and I haven't smelled it again (yet).
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,727
Likes: 12,873
From: Wyoming
On my prior truck the radiator cap wasn't quite up to snuff and it would allow a bit of fluid to spew out. Not enough to notice on the level in the bottle but enough to smell it and leave a small residue if you knew where to look.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,210
Likes: 11
From: California Mountains
Mine was the not the radiator cap
. It is the plastic overfill tank lid for the coolant. It’s a standard lid through out ford line up and they suck I got one through Napa and I have never smelled again my 2012 did same thing and so many others
Freshman User
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
I thought i was smelling things. Mine does the same thing, i have 16k miles on mine and noticed after plowing snow.
I will look at the coolant overflow cap as suggested, but so far no dropped in coolant level has been noticed.
I will look at the coolant overflow cap as suggested, but so far no dropped in coolant level has been noticed.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 275
Likes: 2
From: Nebraska
Well i guess its good to see im not the only one smelling coolant from the passenger side wheel well. During my first oil change at 5k miles i had the dealer service the fluid and it was fine until i just serviced it at 25k miles. It didnt take much, it was at the split in the degas bottle so i filled it up to the max mark so i could watch it. Im betting its either a slight amount of coolant going past a hose clamp or like a previous poster said a bad cap allowing just a bit out. If these were actual leaks the pressure would expel the coolant at a decent rate so it would be noticeable as a liquid.