I've had a relatively slow coolant loss from my V6 truck over the past
several months. I don't see any drips/puddles after I've parked, and
the oil doesn't seem to show any signs of coolant leakage into the oil
system (look for white/frothy oil from what I've been told). However,
there is the smell of coolant after I have been driving and park.

I've been staying on top of keeping the reservoir topped off, and I
have a short drive to work (5 mins), so I'm not overly concerned about
it, but I do want to track down the problem. I'm way out of warranty
(130k miles), but I'm thinking of still taking it to the dealer's shop,
but wanted to see if I could possibly find/fix the problem myself
before I do that.

I can do relatively easy maintenance items (oil change, spark plugs,
etc), but much beyond that and I don't have the tools or the tiny hands
(not to mention the aptitude) to get in there and tackle it if it is
going to be a heavy duty fix. So, any recommendations on trying to
find what/where the leak might be?

jonathan

Greetings,

Inspect the following:

1. The water pump couplings and shaft for signs of leaking or dried
coolant. There doesn't have to be a lot of coolant - or even enough to make
a drip on the ground - in order to have a noticeable odor. It may dry up on
the surrounding surfaces before it gets a chance to drip.
2. The radiator hose connections and couplings for the same.
3. Ditto for the connections and couplings for the heater core.
4. If the smell of coolant is from inside the cabin (check this by turning
on your heater to high temp and smelling the air that comes out) then you
may have a leaky heater core inside the dash.
5. Look for a cracked or leaky hose from the radiator neck to the overflow
bottle.
6. Look for signs of a leak or dried coolant around the radiator cap.

Some hoses and couplings are relatively easy to change yourself if you find
a leak, as is the radiator cap. But others take a little more skill and
daring, especially if the leak is from the heater core inside the dash. If
you do not feel comfortable with this type of DIY project then take it to a
trusted dealership or shop.

Good luck - Jonathan

whitelightning

Look for coolant on the intake manifold, especially the left front corner.
Its hard to see, but look for tracks on the front of the cylinder heads,
again especially the left front corner.

Also check the radiator close, they like to let go where the plastic tanks
mounts to the core of the radiator.

Whitelightning

jonny

Consider a pinhole leak in the heater core, or just prior to it in the
passenger compartment. That is, if that's where the worst of the smell of
antifreeze is.
--
Jonny