WTF: Coolant leak?

I am a new owner of an 05 Legacy 2.5i with about 60,000 km. Whenever I pop the hood, I get a giant whiff of coolant! I noticed the reservoir was almost empty so I topped it off last week and the coolant level seems to be staying the same. There are no puddles under the car and I can't see any leaks.

 

Ideas on where to start? Is this a common problem?

 

Thanks.

You do know that the resovoir full marks are at the bottom of the bottle right? It shouldn't be filled to the top.

You do know that the resovoir full marks are at the bottom of the bottle right? It shouldn't be filled to the top.

I'm a n00b to this forum, but not to reading the coolant bottle.

 

It was below the low mark and I filled it up a bit past the full mark.

Hmm, I noticed the same thing with the car cold amost two years ago. Filled it up to full and it was gone after the next drive, hehe. Checked hot and the level was near full; cold, it was right around the low mark. Believe there was a thread about it a while ago.

 

No coolant smell and that was for the GT.

one possibility, which may or may not be since you have that smell...the fluid level may not have been full to begin with, not unheard of ..other than that i have no worthy input..best of luck.

Obviously the level in the overflow bottle varies if the engine is hot or cold. Check it consistently (always cold or always hot) and see if it varies. Seems to me like maybe when you checked it, the engine was hot and more coolant was still in the engine?

Are the radiator caps on correctly? For a new car, that would be the most obvious problem to me.

Everything checks out...and yes, I am aware that the reservoir's coolant level fluctuates. But the coolant smell is not cool!

update?

I took it to the dealership, they checked it out, and said nothing was wrong. But I know coolant when I smell it, and I'm sure I'll be back there in a few months when this hairline crack turns into a gusher.

I just started getting huge wifs of coolant day before last. I just got my 2.5 n/a a few weeks ago with 25K miles on it. I get it thru the vents and also when you get out of the car the whole engine reeks of coolant without even opening the hood.

 

There is still coolant in the resevior and no leaks under the car and I can't see any leakage or residue in the engine bay. I've heard of head gasket problems with these symptoms though. Oil looked ok to my untrained eye.

 

Can't get it to the dealer for about 3 weeks though as I'm going out of town. But I only need to drive it to the airport and back once before I can get it to the dealer.

are you absolutly sure its coolant you are smelling? Head gasket problems are on the older legacies, not the new ones, but hey, anything is possible. you wont be able to see anyleaks under the car without taking the undercover off. take it off and inspect it to see if ther is any dry fliud stains on it. also, inspect the exhaust pipes for any stains of fluid.

are you absolutly sure its coolant you are smelling? Head gasket problems are on the older legacies, not the new ones, but hey, anything is possible. you wont be able to see anyleaks under the car without taking the undercover off. take it off and inspect it to see if ther is any dry fliud stains on it. also, inspect the exhaust pipes for any stains of fluid.

 

I can't say 100% it's coolant. I'm not sure what else in this car would make that sickly sweet smell that overwhelms you. I did my best to inspect the undercover and exhaust pipes to no avail. Oddly enough, it's worse inside the car with the recirculating air ON (plus A/C, I've never had the A/C off). I smell it less when it's bringing fresh air into the A/C. If that give a clue?

I'm a n00b to this forum, but not to reading the coolant bottle.

 

It was below the low mark and I filled it up a bit past the full mark.

 

When cold, the coolant level is supposed to be at the minimum mark on the expansion tank.

 

IF IT IS BELOW THE MINIMUM MARK WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ADD COOLANT TO THE MINIMUM MARK, NOT "A BIT PAST THE FULL MARK."

 

When the coolant is at the minimum mark cold, it will rise to or near the full mark when the engine is hot.

 

What do you think happens when you start out "a bit past the full mark" with the engine cold? That's right, coolant will overflow the bottle when the engine is warm.

 

Congratulations for not being a noob when it comes to reading coolant tanks. Maybe you should crack open the owner's manual.

STG, It's okay to roll your eyes and scream newb, but don't chastice him for a mistake. I'm sure you did some stupid stuff before too; We all did.

Mine stinks of hot coolant sometimes; worse on hot days. It's not unheard of.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20851&highlight=coolant+smell

 

No noticeable losses however.

 

I reported it to the dealer, so maybe I'll have some ammunition if I suffer premature head gasket failure. Of course, the dealer guy didn't smell anything.

 

By the way, anybody see the new PEAK antifreeze commercial with DANICA :) ?

STG, It's okay to roll your eyes and scream newb, but don't chastice him for a mistake. I'm sure you did some stupid stuff before too; We all did.

 

I screamed newb? I dare say HE brought it up.

 

How many people posted on this thread without pointing out his mistake? What's the point of asking for help when everybody seems to be scared to tell you you're wrong?

 

The fact is nobody said anything and the poor guy is going to his dealer with a problem he created or is at least adding to.

 

(Why didn't YOU point out his mistake in a kind, charitable way that wouldn't have bruised his ego? Sounds like you recognized the problem, yet remained silent. I guess you would have prefered that he chase his own tail for a while you stand at the sidelines laughing.)

Mine stinks of hot coolant sometimes; worse on hot days. It's not unheard of.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20851&highlight=coolant+smell

 

No noticeable losses however.

 

I reported it to the dealer, so maybe I'll have some ammunition if I suffer premature head gasket failure. Of course, the dealer guy didn't smell anything.

 

I smell coolant also. Reported it to the dealer and they only did a cursory visual check. Last week, I added about 8 oz. of coolant to bring it to the MIN mark (cold) and e-mailed the service manager with milage and amount added. Will watch the level and continue to report amounts added and milage to service manager in order to establish record in order to have reason for dealer to do full inspection and pressure test.

 

The Danica commercial is pretty funny. The gel filter on the camera lens reminds me of how Capt. Kirk's love interests were filmed in Star Trek. Just how many times can Danica toss her hair in thirty seconds? Coolant is sexy!?!?

Bump from a year ago. So the problem never did go away. The other day, when I was driving on the highway, I noticed my temp needle climbing up, so I pulled over. The overflow was bone dry and the rad was lookin low too. I pulled into a nearby gas station and filled it back up. When I brought it to the dealership, they couldn't find a leak even with the pressure checker and UV dye. So here I am, stuck with slow coolant loss, the smell of coolant, and no one that has any clue where it's going. BGH maybe?

 

PS. It's good to see the douche above me is now banned.

If it is in fact a headgasket leak, then get your coolant tested for hydocarbons. combuston gasses leaking in to the coolant jacket will cause hydrocarbons to desolve in to the coolant.

There are many of those spring type constant tension clamps on the cooling system.

They tend to let coolant seep out while the car is warming up, then will seal when it gets hot. Look at every hose where a clamp is, if you see a mound of greenish stuff around the hose, you found your problem. Good luck...oh, and please don't add stop leak!!!!

I'd like to jump in and say I've got the same issue of coolant loss and odors through the ac vents. No puddles on the floor either. Dealer claimed there was a loose clamp initially, but now denies my subsequent loss of coolant. I'm watching the level like a hawk, so of course I bring the car with only a minimal loss.

I had the problem of coolant smell/slight loss of coolant on my Forester early this year. The shop I take the car to topped off the coolant along with a bottle of the Subaru "coolant conditioner" (stop leak?) and I haven't had the problem since. *shrug*

 

-Mike-

Did you by chance check your floormats up front to see if they were damp?

 

I had a very slow leak in my heater core which dripped coolant onto the drivers side floor on my previous car. Took me a while to figure that out since the rubber mats hid the moist carpeting underneath.

PS. It's good to see the douche above me is now banned.

 

Didn't get that right either, Jeff.