[cruze01]

I had the same smell problem, however, when the dealer changed the tank and cap it did go away. Apparently that small clear molded tube coming from under the cap was seeping vapors somehow, you could also see a line of residue under the tube leading down the side of the tank. I have not smelled antifreeze since they replaced it.

 

[cruze01]

I had the same smell problem, however, when the dealer changed the tank and cap it did go away. Apparently that small clear molded tube coming from under the cap was seeping vapors somehow, you could also see a line of residue under the tube leading down the side of the tank. I have not smelled antifreeze since they replaced it.

Update! The smell like the cat came back!!! I have continued to smell the antifreeze for the past several weeks and even tried to trade the care off but HURAY!!! for me I think I found the problem today... I took a flash lite and went over every inch of the motor and found a small puddle of antifreeze on a bracket of the motor back behind the drive belt. I cant tell if its coming from the water pump or a gasket but I will have it back to the dealer tomorrow for him to look at it.

 

[cruze01]

Took mine in today. The dealer acknowledged that he could see the coolant stains behind the belt as I had mentioned but said there was now "wet" coolant present. He put some dye in the system and scheduled me to bring the car back in a week so they could look for the leak. He also told me that GM is aware of our coolant smell issue and have a team of engineers working on it.

 

[cruze01]

Took mine in today. The dealer acknowledged that he could see the coolant stains behind the belt as I had mentioned but said there was now "wet" coolant present. He put some dye in the system and scheduled me to bring the car back in a week so they could look for the leak. He also told me that GM is aware of our coolant smell issue and have a team of engineers working on it.

Got it back today! As suspected the water pump was bad, the dealer said that the dye had revealed a small pressed in plug in the water pump (probably a freeze plug) had begun leaking. Very slow and really only enough to cause a smell. They replaced the pump, hopefully my dilemma is finally over!

 

[cruze01]

Add me to the list of people with this problem. After reading the thread, I went out to look at my car, and saw several dried drops around the belt drive area. Isn't the top pulley the water pump? Will be having it looked at soon.

Yes, that's exactly what I saw on mine that led to the water pump replacement.

 

[cruze01]

Where did you find this? I would love to see the pictures.

 

[cruze01]

I wonder if this is a fix or just a cover up? Seems that rather than rerouting the smell they could stop it. Sounds like the coolant is getting to hot and maybe the cap doesn't have enough spring to hold the pressure in???? I have been dealing with this for months now, they have replaced the reservoir tank and the water pump. I still have the smell.

 

[cruze01]

Here u go... View attachment 5959

Jerry rigg if ever I saw one!!!!

 

[cruze01]

The saga continues. my dealer called,and said what i am smelling is freon and they were replacing the evaporator core. When i asked if they were doing the fix per PI07040, they said no that they couldn't because the dye didn't show a leak. as far as i know fumes can't be seen. this is getting ridiculous. they have a fix but refuse to do it. go figure. i worked for a GM dealer for 40 years and know coolant when i smell it.

I doubt Stacy can help. Ive been in contact with my GM rep (Dora) and she tells me that there is no fix and that I'll just have to wait till GM comes up with something... She said to stay in contact with the dealer and when a fix came out they would be notified. I think GM just blew me off........

 

[cruze01]

You know I'm not very disappointed. I really didn't want that jerry rig anyway, I would rather wait for a true fix which I am sure will be a new coolant reservoir. And GM hasn't been bad to me, they have tried. They provided free service on my cruze for a year and a half, upped my bumper to bumper warranty to 70,000 just to make me feel better about the car, change out the water pump and reservoir. They just don't know whats wrong! They have tried....

 

[cruze01]

have they checked your Radiator overflow cap since if it cannot hold the 20lb presure then you will have that smell. To me that cap has a loose fit to it and at times I wonder if it is not sealing correctly.[/QUOTE]

I am still dealing with the smell to. They have replaced my whole tank and cap twice now and the water pump! Still I have the smell! I took it on a 1200 mile trip this week out to the east cost and when I got back it had lost about 1/2 the tank of antifreeze! GM and my dealer are aware of this and just tell me to hold on, eventually they will figure it out!

 

[cruze01]

2012 LT2 RS. I have smelled coolant from the 2nd day I bought it. I contacted the dealer on the 3rd day and was told it was the new car smell. I just took it in for the first servise @ 3000 miles and had a recall fixed. I made an appointment for tomorrow for the windshield leak (whistle) at highway speeds and I have them look into the coolant smell as well. Ill get it documented. 3300 miles today.

Good Luck Dieseljunkie! I've been fighting this issue for almost a year now with no luck. GM has basically hung me out to dry. If your dealer does anything for you let me know on a PM.

 

[cruze01]

cruze01,
I am sorry to hear that you are still experiencing this issue. Have you been in contact with customer service regarding this? If you have can you please send me a PM with your SR#? If you have not can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

Stacy,
I sent you a PM twice over the past week but you have not answered me back yet.

 

[cruze01]

Stacy,
I sent you a PM twice over the past week but you have not answered me back yet.

Administrator: Why can I not communicate with Stacy via PM?

 

[cruze01]

I never could get the dealer to do the fix to mine, even after contacting Stacy here on the forum. I finally done it myself, no big deal, 7 dollars and 15 minutes. Its been done for several days now. I haven't decided if its fixed yet or not, I think I'm still a little paranoid!

 

[cruze01]

I never could get the dealer to do the fix to mine, even after contacting Stacy here on the forum. I finally done it myself, no big deal, 7 dollars and 15 minutes. Its been done for several days now. I haven't decided if its fixed yet or not, I think I'm still a little paranoid!

OK, I'm not paranoid! Its been a little over a month now since the fix and I definitely still smell the antifreeze! I guess there's no hope for this!

 

[cruze01]

To all who have antifreeze smell, have you changed the cabin air filter? My ECO MT used to smell like dirty feet when I got in it and turned the blower on. Changed the cabin air filter last month and the smell went away. For instruction on how to do this (no tools are required), see the thread http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-chevrolet-cruze-general-discussion-forum/1034-cabin-air-filter.html. There is a comment in the thread about air bags - ignore it as there are no airbags or airbag equipment in the way.

Yes, Ive changed it but the smell is not inside the car, it's outside, you smell it when parked in the garage and at drive throughs.

 

[cruze01]

I took mine back to the dealer again Monday. This time I took it to a different dealership hoping for better results but no such luck. They agreed that they did smell antifreeze but played it off as very insignificant and said that they could not locate the source! I give up.... I guess if I want to keep this car I will have to resolve to tolerate the smell forever! I have to admit GM has tried, they have allowed me to take it to 3 different shops and it has been in several times for this same problem but nobody can seem to figure it out!

 

[cruze01]

Took my car in this past Monday to get this fixed a FOURTH time. This time dealer used epoxy for the tube. This seemed to work as it survived a 6 hour round trip yesterday. However, I still smell a strong coolant smell under the hood even with the fix. I attached a pic of the latest fix. View attachment 8823

I have had numerous issues with this Cruze. My problems are summarized here: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...9559-advice-how-deal-my-cruze-situtation.html

The coolant issue in particular has been a problem since April 2012 and it took me until Nov 2012 to have it repaired correctly but I am not convinced this is solving the issue as a strong coolant odor is still present in the engine compartment. I am just disgusted by all of this now and have been patient with GM and the dealer through all of this. I am grateful for the extended warranty but that does nothing to help me when I have to keep going back to the dealer and spend time out of my day dealing with repairs, whether they are paid for or not. For those who have 1.4L Cruzes, do you routinely smell coolant if you lift up the hood?

Man I feel your pain! I dealt with this for 2 years with no fix.... I finally got sick of it and my dealer offered me a deal to trade so I did. I love my new 2013 LT RS and I love even more that it does not smell like antifreeze!

 

[cruze01]

So you don't smell coolant at all with the 2013? Even with my fix I can smell it as soon as I lift up the hood.

No, there is no smell at all. I had been trough everything with my 2011, all the testing in the would, a new water pump and a new reservoir 3 times, nothing fixed it. Really GM should have traded me for a new one but would not, I had to buy it on my own.