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  • coolant smell

    have a 96 3.8l 5 speed, when i turn the heater on i get a faint smell of coolant. i also smell it out side the car, no puddles of coolant under car,
    new water pump, oil is clean, lowest cyl. compression is 160psi. any thoughts
    before i get the tools out?

  • #2
    Re: coolant smell

    have you checked you coolant to see if its low?

    -Y87
    Lid,K&N Filter,PaceSetter Headers,Magnaflow Cat 2.5in S-pipe,Flomaster :(,3.42 LSD

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    • #3
      Re: coolant smell

      its a little low but not very mucy

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      • #4
        Re: coolant smell

        could be the heater core... but then again theres about a billion other things it could be.

        all i can do is tell you that you should keep checking the coolant and see how abundantly its leaking. BAR'S STOP LEAK. it works good but if your coolant system is dirty itll clog up all the plumbing.

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        • #5
          Re: coolant smell

          sounds like a heater core... you may notice some foggish smoke coming out of the vents or see coolant leaking into the floor.
          Welcome future UK stars... Darius Miller, Deandre Liggins, Kevin Galloway, Josh Harrellson

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          • #6
            Re: coolant smell

            96 3.8L M5 Series II motor here too.

            I had the exact same problem last week and like mentioned it could be "one of a billion" other reasons why youre gettin that smell lol.

            For me it was that little plastic 90 degree elbow thats behind the idler tensioning pulley assembly, sure enough it was cracked, allowing a few small drops to escape and made that notorious burnt coolant smell after any commute.

            NAPA may sell it separately, give them a call.

            Autozone sells the idler assembly as a whole package with the black elbow with gaskets included. I chose to replace the entire assembly due to a rusty and noisy bearing. It's not difficult to access it. Just wiggle the assembly out towards ya, chuck it and install the new one.

            Results are a cleaner and quieter engine.
            Black \'96 RS Camaro, 3.8 V6 Series II, M5, Stock 200 HP, 204K miles! Stock \'91 Firebird 3.1 V6 automatic w/ overdrive. 266,400 miles on it. \'83 Pontiac Trans Am,305 LG4, Cowl Induction,Borg Warner 5 Speed,T-Tops,Gale Banks Exhaust System:$800 obo

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            • #7
              Re: coolant smell

              Originally posted by 96RS Alex
              96 3.8L M5 Series II motor here too.

              I had the exact same problem last week and like mentioned it could be "one of a billion" other reasons why youre gettin that smell lol.

              For me it was that little plastic 90 degree elbow thats behind the idler tensioning pulley assembly, sure enough it was cracked, allowing a few small drops to escape and made that notorious burnt coolant smell after any commute.

              NAPA may sell it separately, give them a call.

              Autozone sells the idler assembly as a whole package with the black elbow with gaskets included. I chose to replace the entire assembly due to a rusty and noisy bearing. It's not difficult to access it. Just wiggle the assembly out towards ya, chuck it and install the new one.

              Results are a cleaner and quieter engine.
              Pep Boys carrys it, thats where I got mine one time, dealer also has it. Its only a few bucks both places
              Originally posted by kala
              I'll have buttsecks with Richard Simmons!

              TEAM BLACK!!!
              parting her out

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              • #8
                Re: coolant smell

                found a small leak from a heater hose o-ring coming off the engine, but i dont think thats all of the problem, probably going to have to remove the heater core.i appreciate the help

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                • #9
                  Re: coolant smell

                  Originally posted by crushedout
                  Pep Boys carrys it, thats where I got mine one time, dealer also has it. Its only a few bucks both places
                  Do you know the part number? Mine cracked after I installed the new Tensor Pulley Assembly.

                  I was so happy to think that it didn't break as so many say it should. Bleh, after 20 minutes of driving a puff of smoke coming out from under the hood. It's the one right under the TB too. Damnit.

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                  • #10
                    Re: coolant smell

                    Originally posted by IICODECll
                    Do you know the part number? Mine cracked after I installed the new Tensor Pulley Assembly.

                    Its in the help section in those red packages that say help on them. On the package it says 3.8 coolant elbow or something of that nature.
                    Originally posted by kala
                    I'll have buttsecks with Richard Simmons!

                    TEAM BLACK!!!
                    parting her out

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                    • #11
                      Re: coolant smell

                      Had the same problem. Solution was a new radiator cap. I recommend it as a good place to start as its cheap.
                      Doug<br />1996 Camaro RS M5 Y87<br />SLP Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, 1LE frt/rear sway bars

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                      • #12
                        Re: coolant smell

                        after riding in the passenger side, i discovered that the carpet is damp and smells like coolant. looks like ill be replacing the heater core, slave cylinder and trany mount. its been a good week

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                        • #13
                          Re: coolant smell

                          Originally posted by 96camaroguy
                          after riding in the passenger side, i discovered that the carpet is damp and smells like coolant. looks like ill be replacing the heater core, slave cylinder and trany mount. its been a good week

                          Be thankful that it didn't giveout completely in the middle of nowhere. Spring is almost here, you could just bypass the heater core until next fall. If you do replace the heater core, be sure to flush the system and replace the hoses to the heater core with new ones while you got everything apart. Just my 2-cents.

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                          • #14
                            Re: coolant smell

                            i have had a heater core get a whole in. same thing happened
                            Heady Navy Blue Metalic<br />Heady Catback Flowmasters<br />Heady Bilstien HDs, PAnhard rod, LCAs,SFCs<br />NGK\'s and MSD Wires, K&N flowin + Smooth Bellow<br />Y87 3800 GT Performance.<br />I love the way this car makes turns!<br /><br />1989 black Camoaro RS. R.I.P.

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                            • #15
                              Re: coolant smell

                              just going to bypass it for now, when it gets warmer im going to tear the car down and fix (more like upgrade ) everthing that ive broken or getting ready to

                              Comment

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