Windscreen wash?

Air con also pongs sometimes.

Coolant smells occur in both my cars when on max level...I think they burp sometimes.

 

I thought I had a very minor leak one time, had it all check, couldn't find anything, turned out one of my kids spilled some of their caramel frappe in my car and it smelled exactly the same.

 

Washer fluid, interesting thought. I'll take a look at that system. I topped washer fluid off a few weeks ago so it's possible I spilled some, but the smell didn't start until much later.

Thanks for the suggestions,

-T

 

How long have you noticed the smell. I'm asking because just a little coolant can give off it's distinctive odor. It may not be leaking enough to bring the coolant level in the reservoir down noticeably.

 

You should immediately begin praying that it's not your heater core. Check under dash for any signs of leaking coolant. They're a PITA to replace. Part is cheap, labor is brutal.

 

I am sure it leaks inside the heating core, you probably smell more when turn on the heater. Sorry for you, you need heating system in your car. Here in tropical zone we need don't the heating system, then we just plug up the hoses goes inside the cabin. You have to remove the dashboard panel to get into the heating core to inspect and it's pain of the ass. Good luck

 

Thank you everyone for your comments. No resolution yet to the problem, but it is very faint. If it's the heater core it does sound like a pain of the ass. The car has been very little trouble to me, so a big repair bill is something I can suck up and move past.

-T

 

Small update here. I may be crazy, but I've noticed that I only really smell the coolant at the same intersection every day on the way to work. It's a stop light on a decline, so it might be that tilting the car forward allows the leak to happen, and on level ground the leak stops.

Or...perhaps there was a collision at that intersection that spilled a lot of coolant, and because we've had no rain for several weeks it's still on the ground.

-T