xpsscorpion

I dont know why but i checked my coolent level and its about half-way full and about 3 weeks ago i put it up to about full, and todayI came home and noticed that it is about half full, because I smelt something weird, and it was coming from my engine. It doesnt seem to be leaking onto the ground though what should I do?

RCars2

Well, here is the thing with coolant. The level on your collant is supposed to fluctuate with the heat of the engine. That is perfectly normal. Now you said that your coolant bottle was full. Was the bottle full to the top? If so thats your problem, the bottle was over filled and it burped out the extra through the overflow tube when the coolant expanded from being hot. Thus what you smell is coolant.Coolant is supposed to expand and get hot, thats just how it works. Now if you look at your coolant bottle there is a cold and hot mark. This refers to the temperature of your engine. When the engine is cold (basically when your temperature gauge on your dashboard is at the bottom measurement) the coolant should be right around the cold mark. When your engine gets up to normal running temperature it should be somewherebetween cold and hot. The only time you will ever see it at the hot mark is if its overfilled or if you are overheating.


Edit: somehow this posted before i was finished typing.

Now if this isnt the case then something else may be to blame. If the level is dropping then your engine might be eating it. Could be a slow leak from a water pump or hose, could be a bad head gasket. There are some easy things to check though. First the water pump. If you are unfamilar its on the side of the motor where the belt is and it has a big black hose going coming from it to draw in coolant from the radiator. Start the engine and have someone rev it a few times while you watch the area around it. Look for any leaks or fluid around it. If thats good thenfollow all thehoses from the water pump and the radiator around the engine. Look for worn hoses and leaks.If everything is good thenwe turn our attention toward the head gasket possibility. Easiest way to tell is to check the oil. Pull out the oil dipstick and look for any milkyness in the oil. If you see anything there then you need to get the top end of you motor pulled apart and the heads inspected, basically have a shop look at it and see if they can fix it with a new gasket or if they need to machine it because the heads warped.

xpsscorpion

Ok thank you very much im going to check it out as soon as I can.