weird issue after replacing radiator hoses
 

So I had Nissan dealership change the 2 major radiator hoses and had them put new fluid in the car and flush the old. Ever since then each time I drive it I smell radiator fluid and u can see where a little bit of fluid comes oin.t of the top if the cap on the reserve tank. I have the tank from LcR autoworks. The cap has a really small hole at the top for some reason and it looks like fluid is coming out a little bit.

I ran the car and watched for it to leak out and it never did so I dont know what else to do. Is it normal to smell that strong after u put new radiator fluid in?never had this problem until they put the new hoses on and fluid I

Maybe they overfilled it? Or your radiator car is shot?

Didnt look to be over filled.

Car has 27000 miles on it only. Never smelled this til they put new fluid in

I would keep an eye on your cold fluid level after the car cools down but maybe nothing to be concerned about. The smell could be caused by something as simple as the fluid dumping out on the motor when they pulled the hoses and you are smelling the coolant residue when it heats up.

When I swapped out my hoses for silicone hoses a few months back I smelled coolant for a few days afterwards. The source was a little bit of spilled coolant during the hose swap. It went away.

I concur that you need to check your level (when the vehicle is cold) periodically to ensure that you do not have a leak.

^^ as winning captain of battleship movies posted above. :tup: even the slightest of coolant will generate some smell when engine gets hot.

:iagree:

:rofl2:

I had coolant coming out the overflow on my car once it got hot, it would overflow the reservoir but that was because my headgasket was blown, take it for a 30min drive and pull in somewhere and check the fluid level in the reaservoir if it went from good to over flowing you may be F'd.

I drove it for 15min then checked and the level in the tank did go up a little. Im gonna drive it longer now to see how bad it gets. If the level goes up even a little does this mean its a head gasket?

Does your oil look milky? That's usually a sign of coolant leak at head.

It will go up a little when it gets hot. This is natural.

no it will go up A LOT if the HG is blown, and on these cars when the gasket goes you won't always get milky oil, they more commonly blow out between cylinders and dump compression to the waterjacket. a key that your HG is blown is once the car completely cools off are the hoses still rock hard?

K let me do some driving and see whats up. Oil looks perfect btw

As onzedge says, it's normal for it to rise/fall a bit as the engine heats/cools.

Since you haven't reported any drips on the driveway, I'd say that it's just some spillage from the hose change. It's all but impossible to avoid spilling some a/f when you pull a hose.

Just keep a close eye on it for a few weeks, in case it is a leak of some sort. Might help with the smell to rinse the area and the tray with plenty of water.

The other thing to do after a fresh fill is in the morning pop the cap on the coolant neck off and make sure the level in the motor hasn't dropped and an air bubble formed in the neck.

I also, for good measure, appease the gods by sacrificing a chicken (ore is it a goat?) prior to checking my fluid levels to help assure a correct reading.

I always preferred a human sacrifice on the Z, the coolant systems on our cars need that like extra divine help to work properly.

Take a look at the CO (Engine Cooling System) section of the FSM for more info on what is supposed to be going on. Link in my sig.

as others mentioned, it's most likely spilt coolant during the replacement process. they shouldve hosed down the engine bay afterwards to remove all thd spilt, sticky smelly mess - because it's coolant it wont evaporate like plain water so it just has to be washed off.

could be a chance some coolant is leaking in your heatercore? can you put the cabin air intake to recirc and see if the smell subsides?

It is probably nothing but I'm jus letting you know what it could be.

Thanks guys for the posts. I drove it pretty hard tonight and when I pulled it into the garage there was no smell. Very weird cause thats the 1st time in 3 weeks it hasent smelled. The resovoir tank was at the same level as before so it didnt drop or rise at all. I will take off the under tray and clean it just to make sure and il clean the engine as I always do each month anyway. Im a freak about the engine bay being clean. I will keep this post updated.

When they put the new coolant in was it supposed to be 100% fluid or was there supposed to be water mixed in also?

Can't tell from here. Many antifreezes, including the stuff from Nissan, come pre-mixed nowadays.

If you are seeing two liquids that aren't mixing, one of the fluids may be oil. If so, you need to track down the source.

Some come premixed and some are full strength and require a 50% dilution with DISTILLED water. Check the bottle.

I use the Nissan "long life" blue stuff which comes pre-diluted.

Il have to ask the dealer what they used. I dont see 2 liquids I just noticed its very bright green and seems to smell stronger than the stuff that was in the car when I 1st baught it.

You can get an antifreeze hydrometer at most auto parts stores. WalMart has one for $2.54.

Thank u I will definitely pick one up. I drove the z on a road trip this weekend and noticed each time the temp git above 200degrees I could smell the coolant strong. Under 200 degrees no smell?? Thats strange and its making me crazy cause it was perfect until I had nissan drain the old fluid and put new stuff in.

Only smelling it when the engine is warm is normal. Assuming it's just a spill, it should clean up with some water. Pull the tray and rinse it off then take a hose to the engine compartment.

Cleaned everything I could and realized the strongest smell is coming from the antifreeze inside the main hose. When I bend over to smell the radiator hose u can smell the antifreeze inside very strongly. Factory hose I couldnt smell thru the rubber tosmell any antifreeze. Are these Z1 HHoses thinner?

Is it normal to have the new z1 hoses let the fluid smell come thru stronger than the factory ones?

I've never run across a radiator hose that would "let the fluid smell come thru" but I haven't seen them all. Find someone that knows what they are doing and get them to inspect the cooling system.

Got the car back from the nissan dealer today. They did a pressure check and theres no leaks. They couldnt find any visual leaks and couldn't see any areas of spillage. They also said the smell seemed to be coming from the big 2 hoses that carry the radiator fluid. I cleaned both hoses and still u can smell the fluid inside of them very strong?? I may have to put the oem hoses back on.

Are you sure it's not the new hoses that you are smelling? Many plastic/rubber parts will smell for a while until all the volatiles boil off.

Sounds like your dealer is an idiot... nothing should be wrong with the Z1 hoses.

When u put ur nose down to the big radiator hose u can smell the fluid and its not just a hint of smell, its very strong. I dont know what else to do at this point. Iv cleaned everything in case their was a spill and iv had it pressure tested. Iv googled for hours and others have had this problem but I found no answers.

I was told by LCR Autowerks that the tank cap isnt made to come off more than a couple times so fluid prolly leaked from the top of that tanks cap once or twice thru the little hole on top. (Lcr made the tank for me) . I was surprised to hear the $350 tank I paid for doesn't have a durable cap?? Anyway, kinda back to square one with this problem.

I also have an 09 and noticed a coolant smell after installing the full Z1 silicone kit. Kit was installed in August 2021 and it still smells to this day.

From what I read in 370z forums some silicone hoses weep coolant and is why I have EPDM (oe rubber) ready for a weekend project.