Antifreeze Smell

SnapshotHero

SnapshotHero

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Apr 14, 2020
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Location
Columbus, Ohio
Good morning ladies and gents. I hope all is well. I just joined back up to the Jeep world this past week, purchasing a manual 2017 Wrangler JKU Sport with 35k miles. I made sure to do a very thorough inspection before buying it form the dealership, checking hoses, seals, undercarriage, belts, etc before and after test driving it. Everything looks tip top.

One thing I've noticed though is a distinct antifreeze smell after driving it, or for instance, sitting in a drive through line. I've checked under the jeep after driving and there are no puddles or leaks. I'm not noticing any hissing noises or experiencing overheating to signify a leak, but it is disconcerting.

Is this normal? Am I just being paranoid?
 
As long as you are 100% certain there are no leaks, I would say this can be normal.

I say that because if someone ever topped off the coolant recently and spilled some in the process (almost always happens to me), then the anti-freeze sits on the engine and cooks off as you drive. Last time I did this on my Toyota Tacoma, the smell hung around for at least a week.
 
Chris said:
As long as you are 100% certain there are no leaks, I would say this can be normal.

I say that because if someone ever topped off the coolant recently and spilled some in the process (almost always happens to me), then the anti-freeze sits on the engine and cooks off as you drive. Last time I did this on my Toyota Tacoma, the smell hung around for at least a week.
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Thank you for the response. Someone had mentioned to me it may be the heater core? But I'm not experiencing any issues with the heat in the vehicle and fluid levels seem okay. I'm tempted to take it back to the dealership to check it out.
 
SnapshotHero said:
Thank you for the response. Someone had mentioned to me it may be the heater core? But I'm not experiencing any issues with the heat in the vehicle and fluid levels seem okay. I'm tempted to take it back to the dealership to check it out.
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It could be the heater core, but if that was the case you'd have coolant all over your carpet and there would be wet spots. Feel around, and if you don't feel anything, that's likely not the case.

The heater core is a massive job. If it were that, you should take it to the dealership for sure. I've done one before and it's a real PITA job to do.
 
I had the coolant smell and minor coolant loss. No visible leak. I tracked it to the oil cooler, which has coolant running through it. Any small leaks there accumulate in the valley of the V6 and burn off or evaporate slowly. See Pictures below.

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62699874727--7D3C1530-B8B9-4D43-9AD5-83DF0EB649EF.JPG
 
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BLACKJKU said:
Thanks for passing this along .
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it is an easy check to see if the oil cooler is leaking, use a flashlight to look down around where the oil filter is. There are videos showing the spot. There is a path where you can see down to the block and see if there is any liquid sitting on top. The spot is at the front of the engine, so don't be parked facing up hill.
 
MacGuyver said:
it is an easy check to see if the oil cooler is leaking, use a flashlight to look down around where the oil filter is. There are videos showing the spot. There is a path where you can see down to the block and see if there is any liquid sitting on top. The spot is at the front of the engine, so don't be parked facing up hill.
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I bought an inexpensive fiber optic camera from harbor freight for a different project but it worked for this too. A long dowel can be used like a dipstick as well.

With the lift, winch, bull bar, and presbyopia (you pups wait until YOU are over 40)... gadgets are helpful ;)
 
SnapshotHero said:
Thank you for the response. Someone had mentioned to me it may be the heater core? But I'm not experiencing any issues with the heat in the vehicle and fluid levels seem okay. I'm tempted to take it back to the dealership to check it out.
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Sometimes a seep in the heater core will find its way down and in under the Carpet, , Been there with a vehicle I once had.
 
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MacGuyver said:
it is an easy check to see if the oil cooler is leaking, use a flashlight to look down around where the oil filter is. There are videos showing the spot. There is a path where you can see down to the block and see if there is any liquid sitting on top. The spot is at the front of the engine, so don't be parked facing up hill.
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I believe you, but I had a heck of a time spotting that leak visually until I had the upper & lower intake manifolds off. May have just take a bad angle, though. Was very relieved to have solved the smell mystery, though!

Another thing to look for is white streaks down the transmission bell housing. The coolant blows off the engine, runs down the bell housing, and dries before hitting the ground.
 
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Martial said:
I believe you, but I had a heck of a time spotting that leak visually until I had the upper & lower intake manifolds off. May have just take a bad angle, though. Was very relieved to have solved the smell mystery, though!

Another thing to look for is white streaks down the transmission bell housing. The coolant blows off the engine, runs down the bell housing, and dries before hitting the ground.
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it is possible due to the nature of antifreeze vs oil that this doesn't work for antifreeze because it evaporates away too fast, while oil fills the pocket on the top of the block and eventually drips down when moving.
 
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