whilst my o2 was in for PPP last week i asked them to investigate the smell of warm coolant from engine bay which has just started. They say they pressure tested the system and found no fault. I am still smelling coolant occasionally when i park up - no steam, no visible leaks, no noticable coolant loss - apart from dried residue on that platformy bit around the filler cap base.
I did remove filler cap b4 it went in and found 'paint flakes' on the rubber seal on the filler cap - cleaned these off - but smell still around.
any 1 else have these symptoms?

 

oh dear - no responses - looks ominous

 

this thread is sinking faster than the titanic

 

If you're only getting the smell when you park up, it seems like there's only a small amount of steam etc which is dragged through the ventilation system - the natural airflow through the engine bay gets rid of it when driving.

Have you had a stone or similar through the rad - bent fins and small hole in an area rather than bomb crater?

Have any coolant pipes been disturbed at their connections e.g. jubilee clips moved/changed and one is weeping? Things like this might only show up when the system is hot and pressurised so can't easily be checked cold...

Is it part of the heater system / matrix that could be leaking and letting the whiff into the cabin? (might be a different setup with aircon though)

I once had a rad go on a previous car but it was a bit obvious as there was a pressurised steam jet and corrosion round the hole - it had rusted through from the inside rather than an impact

You could try some of the radweld type stuff and see if it stops but make sure you read the bottles as some are better than others and some aren't suitable for aluminium engine blocks etc...

Apple

 

hey Apple
no holes (i think the pressure test mita found them if there were any?) - smell coming from rear of engine rather than front.
will check clamps and jubilees, but i kinda figure it is eminating from the filler cap - thx for your response