Could anyone explain this?

It all started 4 days ago. I walk out of pep boys and i notice anti-freeze under the right side of my car. I investigate and decide it cant be mine. I go home and notice that my coolant reserve bottle is down to the min. mark. so I add some water.

Next day I go to 7-11 I get out and I smell the distinct odor of antifreeze. but no antifreeze puddle.

And just yesterday i leave my house and 5 minutes down the road at a red light i smell something (not antifreeze) And i think to my self "whos car is doing this awful smell" But then i notice some light smoke coming from under my hood. Well i pull over and check but dont see anything wrong.

I drove all last night and had no problem. What do I do?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help
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Ps its an 2003 with 34400 miles

 

It sounds like a hose (heater, radiator, etc.) has a small pressure leak somewhere. Sometimes they're hard to find until they spew a little coolant out and makes that little whisp of steam.

Worst case case it could be the heater core. Turn on the heater to blow on the windsheild and see if it steams up in a hurry and has that sweet hot anit-freeze smell as well as leaving an oily film on the windsheild. Also check the passenger side floor under the dash and see if there's anti-freeze on the carpet or under the floor mat.

After you run the car for a while shut it off and look under the hood for the steam whisps. After you shut off the engine pressure will build in the coolant system (normal) so that would be the time coolant would start leaking. Right after shutting off the engine (within a minute anyway) feel the upper radiator hose and see if it feels hard and tight or if it feels mushy and soft. If it feels soft for the next five minutes or so there is definitley a coolant system leak somewhere. If it gets tight and hard then there still could be a leak but it's not that bad....yet.

Also, if you've done a few engine mods to your car or have had someone else work on it they may have nicked a hose with something sharp somewhere. If Pep Boys or some one else worked on it I really don't doubt that some "mechanics" would actually PUT a small nick in a hose just so you come back to them and they can charge you to fix it. Sorry, just my dis-trust in a lot of people that work on cars.

 

I hope its not your heater core. I had that problem with a previous car. What a friggen mess. You never really get all of the anti-freeze out of the carpet without using a carpet cleaner. That smell just lingers.

 

Hey Thanks for the help. FYI i found the problem. I dont think I have an antifreeze problem. The puddle must have been someone eles. LOL

My problem is exhaust and smoke coming out of the front valve cover, you know where the front headers connect to the eng. There is also soot and grime building up right there. I think all I have to do is replace the gasket or seal. Its under warrenty but I think I can do it myself so I dont have to wait weeks for an appointment.

If any of you are mechanics or any of you have done this, please tell me if you wouldnt recommend me to try and do this. It looks like 1 bolt and 2 nuts.

 

well its good you found the leak. as far as doing it your self (if its the factory "header" yea you can do it your self, its not hard but i believe the gasket is kinda expensive, so you may just want to make an appointment to have it done. you will be in and out the same day that way and it wont cost you any thing.
and to set you a little straight on your info the VALVE COVER sits on the HEAD, which sits on the BLOCK. the EXHAUST MANIFOLD attaches to the HEAD hope the info helps

 

If your going to do it yourself pick up a pair of Comptech OBX or Stone Headers and install them... They come with new gaskets...