Smelling antifreeze after a drive

[jonrjen]

2013 SHO with approx. 34,000 miles on her. Have owned her from new, other than a few recalls and TSB there has been no issues.

However, as of late I am noticing a slight smell of antifreeze after parking it in the garage after a drive. It is as mentioned a very light sweet smell. I have looked, searched and bent myself into unnatural positions trying to find the source of this smell, but no luck.

My gut tells me it's the weep hole on the water pump, but I can not confirm this one way or the other.

My extended Premium ESP expires in 3 months and would sure like to get this taken care of under this warranty as I understand that a water pump replacement is a pretty major repair bill.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

 

[luigisho]

Can you get a piece of poster board or something under the waterpump weep hole to confirm it dripping from there? Best after a drive I would guess.

This is an expensive procedure. If you catch it while it is failing early then you are good. If there is an issue that goes unaddressed, there is a chance that the seal on the other end that goes directly into the engine can fail and cause coolant to leak internally and blow your engine.

With the complexity and cost of repairs I would suggest you at least look into the cost of another extended warranty. At least for the engine and drivetrain. I usually advise against those, but this car has complexity and design weaknesses and can be expensive to repair/replace major components.

 

[krewat]

Have you had any service done lately that (maybe) involved the coolant? if it was topped up, and some was dripped somewhere, you might smell it for a while.

 

[luigisho]

Agree. Also could be pinhole leak in a hose or anything coolant related. The key is to get it done before any warranty expires. They can always put dye in it to help track it. Just get on it before your coverage expires.

 

[jonrjen]

Have you had any service done lately that (maybe) involved the coolant? if it was topped up, and some was dripped somewhere, you might smell it for a while.

No services on the car for the last few months, and then that was an oil change at the dealership. The smell started recently so it should be non related.

Not to change the subject here, but did I ever send you one of the "Triton V10 Fords Best Kept Secret" hats from over on the truck enthusiast site?

 

[krewat]

t did I ever send you one of the "Triton V10 Fords Best Kept Secret" hats from over on the truck enthusiast site?

yes, I believe I still have it Thanks!

 

[SHOdded]

Not usual for the turbo coolant lines to leak but worth looking there. Are the fans running correctly? Is the coolant in the degas bottle in the COLD FILL range and steady at that level over the course of days, at ambient? How does the oil look/smell, is the oil level good?

 

[jonrjen]

Thanks for the impute. I did take it out a couple of times today, and of course since I was all ready to trace that smell down to an exact location...nodda, zilch, nothing, not even the faintest of a sweet antifreeze whiff.
I'll keep an eye on it and be ready to run it to the dealership at that time. But then, we all know what the result of that will be.....I'll get the report back of , "unable to duplicate customers concern"...LOL Murphy's Law!!!

 

[Jeff2017]

Take it to the dealer and let them pressure test your radiator. If you have a leak this might show it.

 

[luigisho]

If you pay for diagnostic they can pressure test, look for leaks while running and even run UV dye in it to make sure. Better than the cost of waterpump replacement out of pocket.

 

[SM105K]

If you pay for diagnostic they can pressure test, look for leaks while running and even run UV dye in it to make sure. Better than the cost of waterpump replacement out of pocket.

This all day long.

 

[SHOdded]

Pressure tests need to be conducted for 15-30 minutes IMHO in such early stages of a problem.

 

[Tim Brand]

Check oil filter coolant lines I had one leak at a clamp from the steel line to rubber hose wasn't very noticeable took a little while to trace but haven't had that smell since fixing it