I have an 02 Blazer 4 dr 4wd with about 65k miles. I'm getting a coolant smell once in a while after driving. No overheating, no leaks on ground, nothing that I can notice. Coolant isnt low......its got me wondering what it could be......Any info is appreciated....

 

Do you smell it on the inside or outside? How is the heat output of your heater? Is there any buildup on the underside of the radiator cap?

Sorry for the onslaught of questions, but the answers help us to better recommend solutions.

 

Check for a damp carpet at the front of the passengers foot area.....possible heater core.

 

Lets see to answer some of your ?'s
1st I smell it only on the outside
2nd Great heat output, no problems at all maybe to hot
3rd no build up on cap...
4th carpet fine, checked underneath thats fine too...

another quick question on top of my last one....when I 1st start driving from a stop I hear almost like a liquid some where behind my dash.....could that be part of the problem , i have a feeling the nose is coolant related...thanks

 

You have air in the system, check your overflow bottle level. Then check areas where coolant might leak like hose connections, water pump weep hole, etc...

 

Yup, I agree, air in the system due to a leak. That's the gurgling in the dash area. Check under the water pump, the back of the block (from the intake manifold), the frost plugs in the sides of the block, heater and rad hose connections and the radiator.
Check the level in the radiator when it's cold also.

 

Alright, lets see, thats what I figured, I've looked everywhere and can't find a leak, so guess I'm gonna have to bring it some where to get looked at.....the overflow bottle level is fine, coolant in radiator when cold is probably a couple inches below the top but once it warms up its to the top.....(Chevy Lover, you mentioned to check the radiator level when its cold, what might that tell me? just curious) I know a little about things but not as much as probably most of you guys..) Does it help to narrow this down, that it doesnt smell all of the time, only once in a while. I just hope this isn't anything major, especially with the damn holidays, I already went through a manifold gasket on my 2000 Impala and that cost me an arm and a leg so I can imagine how much with the blazer.....

One last thing, Its not running hot, so I'm suppose to be driving to Buffalo,NY on saturday, probably a 400 mile trip total roundtrip, as long as it doesnt over heat should I be ok?

 

I have the same problem on my '96. Gurgling noises, definately air getting into the cooling system and a whiff of coolant odor after driving. No signs of coolant leaks tells me that the coolant is being evaporated by the hot engine while driving so there's no coolant left to drip on the ground. I've changed my water pump (it was leaking) and all my connections to hoses (etc) are good so the coolant HAS to getting out somewhere else, BUT I HAVEN"T FOUND THAT PLACE YET. It's obviously leaking somewhere from a dark, hard to see place.

I guess if you give up trying to find the leak, then keep an eye on your coolant level and keep it topped off and live with the odor. I personally don't like leaving a known problem to linger though.

 

I have not personally done this but I believe you can buy a flourescent dye that you can put in the cooling system and check for leaks with a black light. Might be worth a try.

So long as you keep the system relatively full of coolant (and you keep an extra gallon of 50/50 mix with you), you shouldn't have a problem with your road trip. Weather is supposed to be crappy in Western NY this weekend, possible snow by Sunday, raining now.

 

i had a problem with disapaerring coolant myself, i had no leaks, i know this considering that i replaced most of the hoses, and the rad, thermo, etc.. but for the life of me i could not find any leaks and i didn't have any smells. i quickly chalked it to up the pressure from the cap to be pushing the coolant through a pin hole some where internally? just my logical reasoning! but i went with a 13psi cap and a 180* thermostat due to the lowering of the boiling point(from lower psi cap). needless to say i have not lost any coolant since, maybe an oz every few months. nor do i have any other temp associated problems. but before trying my theory(im not a mechanic), make sure u flush the system including the core and try and discover the leak. my quick fix will only prevent it from happening again, u need to make sure that its not a major leak first.


yea ive seen the dye on horsepower tv/spikes auto shows, and it seems to work but would definitly want to flush after that.