Along with the other issues that I'm finding and fixing on my 1998 Blazer, I've also noticed a strong anti-freeze smell coming from the front left side of the engine compartment past the fan and around the radiator. The smell is only present after running the engine. I crawled up under it yesterday (after the last of the snow and ice finally melted in my driveway) to investigate, and found that the radiator was dry all around with no wet spots. It's losing some coolant though since the reservoir was a bit low, and there was a very small amount of it dripping out of a hole in the far forward chassis. Any ideas as to where this might be coming from?

 

Fairly common for the plastic radiator tank on the driver side to crack. Usually happens toward the top, close to where the oil cooler line attaches. In the early stages it can be difficult to see the crack, so it requires a cooling system pressure tester to pressurize the system to locate the leak. Some auto parts stores rent/loan the tester.

Could also be a leak from the under side of the water pump.

Lower intake manifold gasket coolant leaks are very common on 1996 and newer. There several places they can leak, both internally and externally. External leaks are usually where the intake manifold meets the cylinder heads, and at each corner of the manifold, especially at the rear corners. The pressure test comes in handy for this as well. If the underside of the oil filler cap has a slimey, or foamy "chocolate milkshake" looking substance, it's a good indication of an internal leak.

 

Thanks for the reply and your insight. The oil cap is fine, and since the smell is far forward away from the engine, it sounds like a small crack in the radiator may be the culprit, even though it looks dry. But I'll keep my eye on the lower intake manifold gasket too, just in case.

Thanks again!

 

IMO...Manifold gaskets...use baby powder to find out, Top left radiator on frame side....pressure test or have some one rev engine while you look or heater core...place paper towels under passenger side floor mat and drive a couple of days then check to see if towels are wet...

 

Yep, it was a hard-to-find crack in the plastic radiator, left side, as predicted by others on this thread. Changing the radiator was a pain, but it's all good now. Thanks!