I Smell Antifreeze

Hello all. Most of the time I smell antifreeze when I start up my AV. I keep checking and the antifreeze level is always fine. I thought it may have been a leaking head gasket and it may be sending the antifreeze out of the exhaust.

The problem is not just at startup. I smell it sometimes after I have driven the truck also. I looked everywhere and cannot find a leak. Anyone else have a mysterious antifreeze smell without finding a leak?

My AV is a 2003 2500 series. It's going in on Tuesday to have the shield put around the exploding gas tank. I'm having it looked at then. Hopefully they find out what the problem is. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

I had the same problem with my 2500. The dealer couldn't find it, so I did. My leak was a brass plug on the left head. It is 1/2 way down, just above the exhaust manifold. Three turns with a 3/8 square drive, and the leak stopped.

Thanks for the info. I will check that before I bring the vehicle in for the recall. I wonder if that's it. I smell antifreeze but I don't see antifreeze. Would have been easier if it was a hose fitting. I'll post again after I find out what it is. Either something I find or something the dealer finds.

You did see the picture I attached, didn't you?

OK I will bite

exploding gas tank? I haven't been on the board in a while and this was news to me. Can you give me more info?

Blueruck said:

exploding gas tank? I haven't been on the board in a while and this was news to me. ?Can you give me more info?

Click to expand...

03 Av recall notice

Avalanche recall! 2003 models with...

-- SS

Thanks SS ---- I was thinking I owned a Pinto

Hey, thats the same place i have a leak from ?it looks like im not alone. Isn't kind of embarassing when you pop your hood to show off your truck and you smell antifreeze! THis happened to me sooooo many times already. I like the truck, but the comments i get from people make me cringe No new car should be leaking antifeeze, period
Frank

Darn I had the same problem, same plug. ?The dealer fixed that but I still get the smell, so the dealer installed dye into the system last week. ?I am scheduled to take it back next week. ?Hope this finds the culprit. ?Has anybody else found antifreeze leaks on the 8.1 in some other location? ?My smell seems to be coming from the left front around the radiator.

Looks like a TSB may be in order for this issue, I didnt realize it was so widespread
Frank

JoeZ said:

You did see the picture I attached, didn't you?

Click to expand...

Thanks JoeZ. Yeah. I saw the picture. I got home late and didn't have time to check for the leak. I just dropped the truck off for the gas tank shield recall and I left a note for them to check for the antifreeze leak and also the winding sound coming from the power steering pump. (Sounds like it is low on power steering fluid but it isn't.)

-Santo

Blueruck said:

OK I will bite

exploding gas tank? I haven't been on the board in a while and this was news to me. ?Can you give me more info?

Click to expand...

Sorry about that. I was trying to be funny. When GM called to ask me about my customer satisfaction survey, they asked if I knew about the recall. I told them "You mean the exploding gas tank recall? Yeah, I know about it."

?Frank You complain too much!!! ?I think you just want a new 03 model.

I'm complaining within my legal rights Im just a college kid who doesnt want to get screwed out of a 40k investment. I think i have a right to demand a good reliable product
Frank

The Cookie Monster is still at the dealership. ? They said that they wanted to keep him until tomorrow . I was told that they found something loose. They didn't say what it was though. They finished the gas tank shield and I have to find out if they were able to remove the "groaning moose" from the power steering pump.

-Santo

The Cookie Monster is back home. Fuel tank shield was installed. The groaning moose is still in the power steering pump. Dealer said that the sound is normal. As far as the antifreeze smell, I have to call them back and see what I have to do. They put a dye into the antifreeze to check with a blacklight for leaks. I'm assuming they didn't find the leak.

-Santo

I Smell Antifreeze when I start and stop my AV Z71. I can't find leak or a drip spot on the ground. Is this something I need to have checked? Any known problems that I can tell my Dealer to help him find it?
Thank you!

Dirk

If the dealer opened the cooling system and exposed that stuff to air, you're gonna have a major problem down the road. It turns to the consistancy and color of butterscotch pudding. Ask him how they installed the dye and make him document it so they can pay for the radiator rodding when it's time. There's a big thread on here somewhere recently. check it out.

ducksface said:

If the dealer opened the cooling system and exposed that stuff to air, you're gonna have a major problem down the road. It turns to the consistancy and color of butterscotch pudding. Ask him how they installed the dye and make him document it so they can pay for the radiator rodding when it's time. There's a big thread on here somewhere recently. check it out.

Click to expand...

OK, so who knows the real truth about the GM antifreeze?

This type of scare post just doesn?t make sense to me, after all how is it possible to keep Antifreeze from ever hitting the AIR! At some point it must be loaded into the vehicle and at some point it had to be exposed to air.

Sorry I do not believe that my dealer, who also recently installed dye into my system, compromised my cooling system. I can tell you that my service manager is my brother-in-law, who has been working for GM for 20+ years, he would not do anything to my truck that would result in him having to live with me if it went sour.

So quit this scare posting and let?s get to the facts about this antifreeze. I could find it feasible that heated Dexcool under pressure might gel if it were exposed to constant air, but for it to do so when you open the system to fill or to add dye just sounds like pure unjustifiable rubbish.

Let's get the official GM answer!

I have to call early next week to set up an appointment to bring the Cookie Monster in for a recheck. They want to check with a blacklight to see if they can find any leaks. The service dude didn't know if they found a leak when I brought the truck in for service.

As far as the dye messing up stuff in the cooling system, I hope not. I would think if it does damage to stuff, they wouldn't use it. Unless it is just a short-term thing and they drain the cooling system and refill with new antifreeze after they find the problem. I don't know the procedure on what they do with the dye after the problem is found.

-Santo

Ok. The Cookie Monster is at the dealership and here is what they found...

The intake manifold gasket is leaking , which means they have to change the gasket. That means the top part of my engine has to get taken apart. (Intake manifold, fuel injection stuff, etc.) They ordered the part today and it will be in tomorrow. The truck should be ready on Friday. I was told 7 hours labor.

The leak was to the outside of the block, so the antifreeze didn't mix with the oil. It kinda sucks that I only have 1998 miles on the truck and I have a problem like this. But I guess it's better to have this problem now and not at the 36001 mile mark.

same smell here...not all the time,just occasionally?

I would get that checked out. My AV had the antifreeze smell alot, but it wasn't every time. Here's how my receipt was written up...

It doesn't say anything about them changing the intake manifold gasket though.

A C/S COOLANT LEAK WE INSTALLED DYE
CAUSE: FAULTY
J6368 SENSOR, ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE
REPLACE
682 W94 2.30
1 12346290 COOLANT
FC: 2K
PART# 88893911
COUNT: 1
CLAIM TYPE:
AUTH CODE:
VN


The good part...


Please pay this amount $0.00

According to this, it sounds like they just changed a sensor on the engine.

-Santo

I think I solved the antifreeze smell on start up. I changed the cabin filters-all the dust and debri with moisture in the air cause the smell-now is gone.

I was doing some research regarding a coolant smell coming from the engine compartment of my 2500 Avalanche for the past month or so.? After searching the forum, I have decided to post in this thread (last post was in 2003, if you didn't already notice.

Today, 23 Feb 2006, the smell was really bad after a short drive.? After I got home I crawled around under the front of my Av, and found no wetness or indications of any leaks near the radiator or coolant hoses.? Then I spotted this (see attatched pic).? The leak is on the driver's side cylinder head,? in the area near the threaded freeze plug and cylinder head bolt, above the exhaust manifold.? I cleaned all of the congealed DexCool antifreeze (here is PROOF that this stuff DOES turn into a crusty, gellish substance when exposed to air over time).? I may be buying some good old-fashioned green name-brand antifreeze to replace the DexCool soon.
Next step is to drive it for awhile and see exactly where the leak is.? Hopefully it is the threaded plug.? That will be a quick fix that I can do myself.? I'm concerned that the leak is coming from the head bolt, which threads into the block and typically down into the water jacket.? Coolant may be coming from the water jacket, up the shank of the bolt, and out from under the head of the bolt.? I will know soon enough.?
I took it to Mr. Goodwrench earlier today and the service writer said they might have to pull the head? which is just what I DON'T want to hear.? Of course I know better than that, having worked on engines for years myself.? Most likely the leak can be stopped by removing the plug or bolt, and reapplying the correct sealant.? I'm 99% sure that I'll have to drain a considerable amount of coolant out regardless, to dry off the threads for the sealant to work correctly.? If I end up doing this myself, green Prestone antifreeze will be circulating in this engine when it's all finished .? ?

I'll be able to sleep better when this is all over with!