[socrates75]

Ok my car has been running fine, but i have noticed that my coolant level was way below the fill cold line so i would add some coolant and top it up to the line, then with in like a week i would notice the level would be way at the bottom again when cold, so i stuck a card board box under the car for the night and found no leaks at all, the engine looks clean, the only thing i can think of is that when driving the car and after driving it the car smells real bad like burning exhaust or something...any ideas? also my coolant is real dirty looking, i am going in for a full coolant flush in a few days.

 

[jmoschetti45]

Dissapearing coolant + odd smell from exhaust = burning in motor due to bad head gasket.

 

[socrates75]

But its not the normal bad smell that smells like burning antifreeze, kind of smells like the engine is running hot but my gauge says its right in the middle and i have never seen it go anywhere above normal range also the smell isnt coming from the tailpipe, its more along the lines of the side of the car and the front of the grill, basically the engine compartment.

EDIT

Ok i havent driven the car since yesterday so i went out to mark the level with a marker so i could keep an eye on it but as soon as i popped the hood i got a smell of antifreeze real strong, right above the water pump area???

 

[jmoschetti45]

What motor do you have? I can picture the Vulcan's water pump, but not the Duratec one.

Gasket for the pump or the
thermostat leaking? Thermostat housing cracked? Hose leaking?

 

[socrates75]

its the vulcan, and i have looked the entire engine over and theres no sign of leaks that would explain half a jug of anti freeze dissapearing in a week, i do have an engine light on but i had the code checked and it came back a p442 i think, either way its was a small leak in the fual line or vapor or somthing, i am 100% sure thats due to me having a non oem gas cap so i just left it for now, anyways i marked the tank where its at now and i will check it again tommorow morning, i had a grand am do this to me to, nothing leaking but i was always loosing coolant, turned out it was leaking internaly, my taurus on the other hand is not telling me that its low on coolant so i dont know.....i dont like this car anymore

 

[jmoschetti45]

This could happen to any car. You don't have a low coolant sensor on the Vulcan.

Don't give up on it yet, it's a good car.

 

[Hornswaggle]

Take a close look at the pressure tank, they are known to crack after a while and leak under pressure. The smell is probably because it is leaking off as steam but not enough to show up on the ground. I had a tank that had 3 or 4 cracks in it and would lose about 16oz between oil changes but it never showed a drop on the ground. Replaced tank and no more coolant loss and I don't get the smell of antifreeze once in a while after stopping.

 

[socrates75]

I thought of this also as i had read a lot of threads about the pressure tank failing but mine is the clear top one not the black top, theres no sign of wet spots on or around the tank, but i can smell the antifreeze around it even with the lid on, is there a way for me at home to check for cracks if i cant see them with my bare eyes?

 

[sheila]

Check the water pump weep hole on its nose.

 

[socrates75]

The top hole right? ya i looked and it looks and feels dry, i also just checked tha tank all over with my eyes and hands and found no sign of cracks, all i can figure is like what hornswaggle suggested, maybe theres a small hairline crack in the tank OR the lid and its vaporizing out the crack, cause all around my engine its bone dry, theres a lot of sand and dry dirt on my engine cause of all the road work so i would see if it was wet

 

[zzman]

Stop pulling your hair out and have it pressure tested. The quickest way to find where you are losing it.

 

[socrates75]

Will do i was going to get the coolant flushed anyways so might as well get them to test it before hand right? thanks for the help guys i will let ya know what comes of it

 

[socrates75]

Was at work and just finished and started the car to go home and the strong smell of antifreeze filled the air, the smell from the tail pipe was real bad and the rad fans kicked in after having only been running for about 8 seconds......is this it? is this the end?

 

[jmoschetti45]

Get it pressure tested and do a compression check on the engine, without that info we can't really help you much...

Cooling system should be close to 16psi when hot, can't remember what the cylinder pressure is supposed to be. Search, I know it's on here because I've asked before.

 

[socrates75]

I might be getting the pressure test done today, but i had topped it up on Monday and i just checked it this morning and its down by about an inch, is that normal wear and tear? i do drive a lot.

 

[sheila]

No, its going somewhere unless youre checking hot and then checking cold.

 

[Vashthestanbeto]

possibly a head gasket problem.

 

[socrates75]

Ok just got back from the shop,he did a pressure test and said it held 15PSI for 5 min, he said he could smell a faint smell of antifreeze when he started it and it stumbled a tad when he started it as well, but thats about it, so he said for the next few days keep topping it up to the right level in case its air pockets but after a few days if its still loosing coolant then theres a leak somewhere and then its tolate.....

 

[Hornswaggle]

You might pull the spark plugs and examine them. If coolant is leaking into one cylinder it may show up as a different color or residue on the plug. The back ones are kinda tough to get to but you can get them without removing anything.

 

[zzman]

That does concern me if no obvious exterior leaks were discovered.

However they do make some pretty good head gasket repair products now that go into the coolant. Might keep it running a while longer.