Had the 4Runner in for a timing belt and water pump change last week. Since then I have a coolant smell when the engine is hot.

Took it back to the shop and watched as they removed everything to check the new toyota water pump and found no leaks. Had the thermostat replaced also and still no leak found.

I even washed the engine to remove any residual coolant.

Still I smell the coolant when I pull it into the garage.

I am tired of scratching my head. I have only so much hair to gove up for my 4Runner.

Anyone else run into this puzzle?

 

hope you dont have a blown head gasget

what color is the exhaust? if its a lot of white its a blow HG

 

L33T35T 4Runner there is no color to the exhaust at all.

The 4Runner runs fine. I am going to drive it a few days
and maybe what ever is leaking will break so I can find it.

Thanks for the reply.

 

...could it be that some antifreeze leaked into the blower box somehow? I'd say your thinking of driving it for a while may pan it out to be nothing other than a smell. This happened several times to me w/ my '88 VW fox wagon.

Thoughts other than that would be heater core (?)

which, after a L*O*N*G time, turned out to be the case in the VW fox....a slowly going bad heater core....which was bipassed before the fox went onto it's 3rd owner at 27x,xxx miles!

here's to hoping it's only a minor smell!

aaron

 

I was also going to suggest the heater core. If it is the core connections then it would smell outside the truck, possible inside, but if it is the core itself you should smell it in the cab. Drive it for awhile and see if you are getting coolant loss, no loss, no leak. But remember, since the coolant system has been opened and things changed, the level may go down as air is pushed out, so top off once or twice then see if it keeps going down.

 

If they changed the water pump they probably got antifreeze on the rad and motor which is nothing unusual. Now when it heats up it smells of antifreeze. Thats common. Could last a week before the smell goes away. If you dont have a leak then nothing to worry about.

 

Thanks for the replies. I am going on a road trip
tomorrow, so should know if it is just residual coolant
or a real leak.

BTW I do not smell it inside the cab.

When I get out I'll just hold my breath and that should
fix it!

 

Keep an eye on your level. I had noticed it with my rig at work and one day while degreasing the undercarriage and engine a little water on the surface of the air intake shot out green slime. Ahh - they only dropped a little in there but man did it stink up the interior of the truck.

 

It looks like you have a 97. Did it qualify for the HG recall? Also a bhg that is leaking into the combustion chamber may not always produce white smoke in the exhaust once it's warm, it can just smell sweet and if your exhaust does smell sweet that is generally a dead giveaway that you have a bhg.

 

PuterPutter,
I had the samething happen when the dealer did mine. Went away in a few days.

 

I just bought a 97 4runner and the first smell I got was the heater valve up top dripping slightly. 20 dollar part at Rockauto.com but it saved a lot of buyers remorse! now I have an exhausty smell like it's hot but the temp never goes up and coolant is full . I actually haven't even replaced the heater valve because it stopped leaking with a tightening of the screw on the front but I highly doubt its coolant. Just smells like hot metal and exhaust. Also replaced the mass airflow inlet tube and pcv hose to pass the smog and it did it. Any ideas? thanks, first time post.

 

"Temp never goes up" is subjective..can either mean it doesn't overheat or its not reaching operating temp on the gauge.

Assuming the gauge is fine, coolant temp sensor is fine, and thermostat, this seems to be a post about an exhaust smell. Could likely be worn exhaust system gaskets. PITA to change. Depending on where the exhaust leak is, could also mean future issues with O2 sensor readings, as more air confuses the balance.