Antifreeze scent anyone?

[fjroman2]

I know I have seen some articles on here about the scent of Antifreeze (coolant), but for some reason my search comes up with nothing, in fact I am not even sure the search works for me. Anyway, I asked my dealer the other day when I had it in to make sure everything was ok with the car and told them I frequently get a coolant smell when I am parked with the windows open (i.e. at an ATM or something like that). They checked and everything was fine, but they did tell me that Suzuki's have this issue because they have palced the fan right in front of the radiator. Not sure if anyone has had this issue, or was looking for an answer, just thought I would put it out there...

[KuroNekko]

All the cars I've owned had the fan BEHIND the radiator, including the Kizashi.
Many cars are like this: grill, then AC condenser, then radiator, then fan(s), then engine. Some automatics also feature a transmission fluid cooler.

While some cars do feature the fan in front of the radiator (like BMWs), the Kizashi is not one of them.

If you smell coolant, you may have a small pressure leak which could also lead to boil overs. Check around your radiator cap and the overflow reservoir.

[Ronzuki]

If a leak is small enough, like a weep, you'll get the scent w/o ever seeing anything 'wet' due to instantaneous evaporation. Look around above and below for any signs of this. Check around things such as the water pump, head gasket and t-stat housing. Over time, if it doesn't get progressively worse, you'll start to notice a light crusty discoloration similar to battery corrosion around the offending component in the weep area due to evaporation. In the old days, water pumps had a weep hole where you could visibly tell when the shaft seal was beginning to fail indicating time to start thinking about replacing. I guess it's not out of the question that a 2012 water pump could fail prematurely.

As long as you're not smelling it in the car w/ the windows closed and the HVAC set to recic, it's probably not in the heater core buried in the dash. (I'm assuming there is an actual heater core in the car )

[WESHOOT2]

I been smellin' mine since new.....

[fjroman2]

I have not seen a leak, or any signs of leakage. I guess I'll keep an eye on it...

WESHOOT2 - same here...I have been smelling it since it was new. Only when the windows are open and I have been driving it...

[WESHOOT2]

I suggest-but-cannot-prove it's simply an expansion/overflow stink, without concern.

[Ronzuki]

I guess my sniffer isn't working as good as yours!

[Sluggo]

My Kizashi has had this since new. Had the dealer check it out at the first oil change.
He said they pressure tested the cooling system and looked at everything and all was perfect.
He told me I was getting the smell because the rad overflow tank is vented to the atmosphere.

Its hard to see , but if you look at the top of the tank it has a small opening.
I know other cars I've owned have had sealed overflow tanks.

So even after a year of having the smell I have not seen the coolant level drop.

Oh yeah, the harder I drive the more it will smell when I park it.

[Woodie]

I've never heard of a sealed overflow tank, the whole point of it is to overflow, how could it be sealed?

My last Metro (of six) and my Aerio both had a very slight antifreeze smell inside. Neither ever had any problem because of it. Just keep a close eye on your coolant level.

[BxKizashiS]

No lie i went to the dealer cuz my antifreeze was always spilling and dripping from the reservior, the guy had the nerve to tell me thats normal. nothing is wrong.. I was like, nicca u cant be serious.. Smh. none of my cars ever spilled just cuz like what a rookie, didnt know nothing. I was schooling him