Chevrolet: Coolant smell, 1998 Malibu

Check the coolant resevoir. If it loses fluid, you have a leak someplace.
I solved the intake leak using Bars Leaks Heavy duty. My leak was about a
quart a month.

On Sep 2, 1:51 pm, "Sharky" <com> wrote: 

I had the same problem, thought the worst it was the intake gasket but
it turned out to be the top radiator hose. Had a pinhole leak.
Still waiting on the intake gasket going ;-)
David

UPDATE: I have still been noticing the coolant smell after long trips on
the highway, pretty much every day after work. The highway travel to work
is a 100 km round trip. The guy who travels with me said he thought he
could smell the coolant from the tailpipe the most. I popped the hood and
while he was watching, ran the engine and he checked for leaks. I have done
this before myself because I noticed a small puddle of oil on top of the
trans. case. He couldn't see any leaks anywhere and I took a look for
myself and could not find anything unusual. I also found that the coolant
reservoir was about a liter down on coolant.

I'm either thinking that the head gaskets are soon going to need replacing,
or the intake manifold gasket needs to be replaced again. The car is only
10,000 away from 300,000 km, so I think the next opportunity I get, I will
take it to an older mechanic friend and have him replace both head gaskets
and the intake gasket, seeing as how it will have to be removed to get to
the heads anyway.

There is no indication of coolant in the oil at all, no milky residue, no
discoloring, nothing. The carpet below the heater core is not wet, and the
smell is usually not noticeable until you get out of the car. I cannot
explain the smell of coolant from the exhaust, but I'm thinking maybe it is
leaking and dripping onto the hot exhaust pipe below the intake manifold.

Thanks for the help,
Sharky

"Sharky" <com> wrote in message
news:RZIMi.39504$.. 

The smell from the tailpipe would possibly indicate a head gasket leak.

Micheal

"Sharky" <com> wrote in message
news:RZIMi.39504$.. 
A pressure test of the coolant system has a good chance of finding the leak
and could save you some money. Water pumps will sometimes leak slightly when
the system is running and pressurized without it being evident.

Don Young

"Sharky" <> wrote in message news: 
done 
replacing, 
the 
is 
You're losing coolant someplace. More than just the intake manifold leak, I
think, since exhaust has coolant smell. The head gasket is leaking for the
exhaust smell, it wouldn't be dripping on the exhaust manifold/pipe.
I still recommend Bars Leaks, it is cheap and has a chance of fixing it.
Otherwise replace the gaskets, but you've already replaced the intake
manifold gasket once. I used Bars Leaks and have no more leak. I'm not a
Bars Leaks representative, it is a really old product, like from the '40s or
so.

I take that back. The intake manifold gasket could also explain the leak in
the exhaust, as obviously it leads to the combustion chamber. Bars Leaks
works if the leak goes to a source of air, like a leak from intake to
exterior, and probably a leak from manifold to the port chamber.

A little more.
Bars Leaks Heavy Duty is a liquid lubricant with pellets in it. You take
the hose loose from the top hose, losing some coolant, pour some out, then
add the Bars Leaks.
I wouldn't add it to the resevoir. And then you run the engine for 20
minutes, drive it. The pellets disolve completely in the warm coolant. Add
more coolant after running for a while, to top off. Don't add too much.