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Car Forum / Chevrolet / Chevrolet Malibu / October 2007Coolant smell, 1998 Malibu
Well, before I bought this car, I had done my reasearch and knew they had problems with the intake manifold leaking coolant. But, I was also under the understanding that this problem usually showed up ~100,000 kms. My car has around 285,000 kms, 3.1L V6. So I assumed this issue had been addressed at least a few years ago when the original owner had it. Recently, I could smell coolant, not strong but faintly, especially after a long trip on the highway from the city, about 100 km round trip. There is no leaking that I can tell of from underneath the car. I haven't noticed any wet spots on the carpet (heater core). I'm thinking head gaskets might need replacing but I also wanted to ask if once the intake manifold is fixed the first time, will the leaking come back again in the future, or will the first time fix it for good? Any other opinions are welcome. My wife has the car right know, so I can't check anything out. But once she gets home, I plan to check it over better. BTW, the water pump was also replaced when I first bought the car. Thanks, Sharky 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. > Well, before I bought this car, I had done my reasearch and knew they had > problems with the intake manifold leaking coolant. But, I was also under [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Thanks, > Sharky 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 > 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 [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > maybe it is leaking and dripping onto the hot exhaust pipe below the > intake manifold. The smell from the tailpipe would possibly indicate a head gasket leak. Micheal > 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 [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > Thanks for the help, > Sharky 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: > 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 [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks for the help, > Sharky 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. Bars Leak is a mixed blessing. It may fix your leak (not likely if on a cylinder head gasket leak {to much pressure} ) or...... It can plug passage ways in the heater core and radiator. It is a temporary fix. You should flush the cooling system after the leak is repaired with the proper part so that you can remove that. Micheal >A little more. > Bars Leaks Heavy Duty is a liquid lubricant with pellets in it. You take [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Add > more coolant after running for a while, to top off. Don't add too much. No offense Russg, I appreciate your suggestions concerning Bars Leaks, but I really don't like adding stuff that's supposed to fix a leak and can possibly harm something else. If the product was intended to be added by removing the top rad. hose, and whatever else you mentioned, they should damn well put that on the label. And if they don't, they should give you fair warning that it may cause trouble otherwise. I tend to stay away from those products as the majority don't work and some may "help" sometimes. With nearly 300,000 kms on the clock, I think I'm just going to go ahead and get all of the gaskets replaced, including the intake manifold and whatever else should be replaced while replacing the head gaskets. I really don't want to chance ruining this engine or clog up the cooling system. I don't need the car all next week and I usually take my car to an older retired Chevy mechanic who only charges me $20 an hour to fix it. I use this car to travel on the highway, usually 50 kms or more each way, so I can't chance having it break down on me. I'll buy the complete gasket set and tell him to do whatever the kit includes. I've only been smelling the coolant for about a month or less and I only lost about 1 liter of coolant, so the head gasket is probably just starting to seep through now. Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated. Sharky > It may fix your leak (not likely if on a cylinder head gasket leak {to much > pressure} ) or...... [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Micheal re:Bars Leaks. I believe replacing the gaskets is a temporary fix. The OP said he replaced gasket before. The problem is a design fault and I don't believe there is a better way to install the gaskets. We're talking a $8.00 solution, with 1 hr time from auto parts place to completed job versus $800 job taking a week or more, and it will likely leak again. I put the Bars Leaks in several months ago and no leaks. The product does not clog up the radiator and heater core, if there isn't a leak to someplace with air, the chemical doesn't solidify. I'm appreciative that you heard my solution and responded, and hope your car is fixed good. I remember using Bars Leaks when I was 18, almost fifty years ago. The product is well established, and I admit I don't know about its' reputation. I remember using it, incredulous that a bunch of pebbles in a dark brown solution would do anything, but I never had a problem with it, but my cars only lasted about 1 year back then. The product has been around long enough that it isn't well known what its' side effects are. I believe the dark oily solution may rot the rubber hoses, causing hose failures, that may be. I probably won't be able to report whether there are overheating, poor interior heating, hose rot, or other things. Replacing the gaskets is a reasonable solution and what I'm saying is not even in the same realm as that. I certainly repect replacing the gaskets, perhaps there is a better way to seal them, and perhaps someone here has knowlege of clogging/rotting/not working problems with it. A fifty year old product, maybe I'm just nostalgic. >I remember using Bars Leaks when I was 18, almost fifty years ago. The > product is well established, and I admit I don't know about its' [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > working problems with it. > A fifty year old product, maybe I'm just nostalgic. Actually, some manufacturers , including Jaguar, have recommended adding Bars Leaks to the coolant and I believe they actually add it at the factory originally. Don Young |
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