I can smell it but I can't see it...

[davew833]

Coolant, that is! We've had unseasonably warm temps in Utah (high '80s) the past few days so I've been running the A/C. After normal driving I can smell hot coolant, but no signs of leakage-- no steam or puddles. How worried should I be? Where could it be going/leaking if I can't see it anywhere? It hasn't overheated (yet).

[thumper_svx]

Is the smell inside or outside the car?

Inside... you might have a busted heater core. Does the level of coolant look low in the overflow reservoir?

If outside, you might have some seepage somewhere that's putting coolant out of the pipes. Again, check the reservoir and see if it's low.

You could throw some UV dye into the coolant (they make special stuff), then run the car a little and go hunting for glowing places under your hood. I'm getting ready to do that to my Chevy in the next few weeks. Now that my SVX is fixed up, the Chevy's my next project

[Earthworm]

It's also possible that vapour can be escaping from the overflow tank. A bad headgasket allowing exhaust into the coolant will only exaggerate this smell.

[ensteele]

My guess would be vapors from the overflow tank. I had that happen on a hot day and the only place that I found anything different was more coolant in the overflow tank. No problems other than being able to smell it.