Antifreeze Smell Thread
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jaszypoo,
I would suggest that you contact your local dealership and have them look into this for you. If you would like me to contact your dealer for you please send me a PM and I can get you an appointment set up. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
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Took my 2011 Cruze LT in today for coolant smell and film on W/shield. Dealer ordered a heater core. I have my doubts that this will repair it, since there are no signs of a leak. Also my A/C was not cooling properly. Dealer said it was cooling OK. Since it was 55 degrees, don't think they could tell. We shall see. I recently retired as a dept. manager for a Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealer. I purchased the Cruze due to the elimination of Pontiac. Not a great experience so far.
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I took mine in for the same thing and they put dye in it and said drive for a week or two and come back.
I took it back and they said they could not find any anti freeze leak but did find a transmission leak and replaced a transmission pump gasket. Started getting a lot better mileage after they did that.
I always smelled anti-freeze at the front of the engine after I drive home from work and always had from day one. The mechanic smelled it too but they could not find a leak and I haven't been losing any and there is non on the ground where I park. I have to get out and walk to the front of the car to smell it and I don't smell it while driving or inside the car.
Our mazda 3s has had the same thing since it was new and it has never had a cooling problem and to this day you can still somell some anti-freeze occassional after driving it. But no leaks and no coolant loss so I don't know go figure.
I took it back and they said they could not find any anti freeze leak but did find a transmission leak and replaced a transmission pump gasket. Started getting a lot better mileage after they did that.
I always smelled anti-freeze at the front of the engine after I drive home from work and always had from day one. The mechanic smelled it too but they could not find a leak and I haven't been losing any and there is non on the ground where I park. I have to get out and walk to the front of the car to smell it and I don't smell it while driving or inside the car.
Our mazda 3s has had the same thing since it was new and it has never had a cooling problem and to this day you can still somell some anti-freeze occassional after driving it. But no leaks and no coolant loss so I don't know go figure.
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Didn't I read on here that the issue with the antifreeze smell is caused by the antifreeze boiling in the turbo after shutting off the engine? If I remember correctly the smell is coming from the coolant overflow tank & more than one person said they have lost a few inches of antifreeze in the overflow over 10,000-15,000 miles.
Only thing you can do until they design a pump to circulate the coolant after shutoff for a bit(like ford has) is to drive easy on the car the last couple miles of a drive & idle for 30seconds to a minute after reaching your destination to keep the coolant circulating a bit longer to help cool the turbo.
This explanation made sense to me, reminded of some of the old turbo tractors idling for 30minutes after leaving the field because the turbo was so hot it causes early turbo failure if shutting off when hot.
Only thing you can do until they design a pump to circulate the coolant after shutoff for a bit(like ford has) is to drive easy on the car the last couple miles of a drive & idle for 30seconds to a minute after reaching your destination to keep the coolant circulating a bit longer to help cool the turbo.
This explanation made sense to me, reminded of some of the old turbo tractors idling for 30minutes after leaving the field because the turbo was so hot it causes early turbo failure if shutting off when hot.
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expontiacowner,
I understand that this can be frustrating. I would like you to keep me posted on the outcome of these issues. In the meantime if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
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jtk33;83368,
I would suggest that you contact your local dealership and have them look into this issue for you. if you would like I can contact your dealer for you and make you an appointment. If you would like me to make you an appointment please send me a PM with your name and VIN. I would also like you to keep me posted on the outcome of your appointment at the dealer. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
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Hello I have a 2011 1.4 LTZ auto same issue 24150 Miles so far had to fill up over flow 2 nd time, am loosing 1.5 inch of coolant per 10 to 12 thousand miles due to ether boiling off or evaporation or the antifreeze fairy, asked dealer twice they say nothing is wrong. OK but why do I have to add coolant every 10000 they had no answer. I guess will have to live with it will treat it like routine maintenance change oil, add coolant. Should just add it to the owners manual.
Stacy, thanks for the offer but I will contact the dealer when I have some time. I also want them to t/s why FM reception is so bad with the factory radio when I live in the flat lands of Illinois.
jtk33, I agree, the radio reception is not very good. Stations that came in crystal clear on my last three cars (2004 Taurus, 2000 Contour and 1993 Saturn SL2) come in with noticable static on my 2012 Cruze LT RS. I don't listen to the radio all that often, but when I do it would be nice if the stations came in clear, without static (like they did on my other cars).
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Hello,
I bought my Cruze 2LT one year ago. I live in Canada and all winter long I had issues with windows condensation even though I was pulling air from the outside. The heat setting was about 1/3 of the way from the middle position, the fan on 1/4 or 2/4 and the windshield/floor setting was used almost all the time. Also, my windshield and front windows seem to have a slight film, it doesnt freeze but smears around when wiped.
Right before the winter started, I got tinted windows installed and I assumed they must have used a dirty cloth or something; thats how I explained why my windows were getting foggy. My windshield doesnt get foggy but it seems to have a slight film too.
On top of that, after owning the car for a year, I can still smell that "new" car smell and I find it weird. I have put 12500km on it. I came across this article regarding coolant leaks and antifreeze smell and decided to look into it. Tomorrow I will look for coolant leaks inside the engine compartement and the cabin.
I found a picture of my engine back in July 2011. I shows my coolant tank full, right up to the level mark which is normal when the engine is cold. Today, it is 8C outside and I drove the car for 30 minutes. I let it idle for 5 hours and the coolant level is about 3/4" lower. I will leave it overnight and recheck it tomorrow to see if it will come back to the level mark. Even after not driving the car for two days, the level is about 3/4" to about 1" below the level mark. My GM dealer is closed on weekends and this Monday, but I will try to contact them next Tuesday.
Given that inhaling antifreeze is totally unhealthy for adulds and extremly toxic for children, if this is a real problem, I hope GM will fix it asap.
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I bought my Cruze 2LT one year ago. I live in Canada and all winter long I had issues with windows condensation even though I was pulling air from the outside. The heat setting was about 1/3 of the way from the middle position, the fan on 1/4 or 2/4 and the windshield/floor setting was used almost all the time. Also, my windshield and front windows seem to have a slight film, it doesnt freeze but smears around when wiped.
Right before the winter started, I got tinted windows installed and I assumed they must have used a dirty cloth or something; thats how I explained why my windows were getting foggy. My windshield doesnt get foggy but it seems to have a slight film too.
On top of that, after owning the car for a year, I can still smell that "new" car smell and I find it weird. I have put 12500km on it. I came across this article regarding coolant leaks and antifreeze smell and decided to look into it. Tomorrow I will look for coolant leaks inside the engine compartement and the cabin.
I found a picture of my engine back in July 2011. I shows my coolant tank full, right up to the level mark which is normal when the engine is cold. Today, it is 8C outside and I drove the car for 30 minutes. I let it idle for 5 hours and the coolant level is about 3/4" lower. I will leave it overnight and recheck it tomorrow to see if it will come back to the level mark. Even after not driving the car for two days, the level is about 3/4" to about 1" below the level mark. My GM dealer is closed on weekends and this Monday, but I will try to contact them next Tuesday.
Given that inhaling antifreeze is totally unhealthy for adulds and extremly toxic for children, if this is a real problem, I hope GM will fix it asap.
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I just dropped my car off at the dealer because of this smell and the film on the window.... granted i recently cleaned my windshield so it was safe to drive and see out of so they didn't notice that as bad as it normally gets, and while going for a test drive the guy from the dealership said he couldn't notice the smell, even though to me it was clearly there.
Im not very hopeful that this will get fixed on this trip to the dealer after the ride i had today, but we will see i guess.
Im not very hopeful that this will get fixed on this trip to the dealer after the ride i had today, but we will see i guess.
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The coolant loss may be due to a leaky turbo. The Turbo is both oil and liquid cooled. Did they check the exhaust for coolant? There is a notice on GM's TechLink (all dealer service folks are supposed to read it) that talks about replacing the turbo if they can't find any other coolant leaks. It's reference bulletin PI0675. You should never have to add coolant unless there is a leak or the car has been overheating and boiling off coolant through the tank overflow.
haha. Just got a call from the dealer, and they told me that they know that GM is looking into the burning smell, and the film on the windows, but all they can do is just look for a physical leak, and if there isn't one there is nothing they can do right now.
On a side note, while I had the car in to look at this, I figured I would get them to look at a rotational squeak noise the car has had since new. They told me that there is rocks/dirt around the rear brakes, and they would be more then happy to do a brake service for me at additional cost. Since I declined the service I now get to pay them for the time they spent diagnosing the issue since it isn't a warranty issue! I still wont have my car back until tomorrow morning at the earliest but if they don't find a physical coolant leak, it looks like I also have to pay for the rental they put me in as well, since they don't have a repairable warranty item. Reminds me why I love taking my car to the dealership....
On a side note, while I had the car in to look at this, I figured I would get them to look at a rotational squeak noise the car has had since new. They told me that there is rocks/dirt around the rear brakes, and they would be more then happy to do a brake service for me at additional cost. Since I declined the service I now get to pay them for the time they spent diagnosing the issue since it isn't a warranty issue! I still wont have my car back until tomorrow morning at the earliest but if they don't find a physical coolant leak, it looks like I also have to pay for the rental they put me in as well, since they don't have a repairable warranty item. Reminds me why I love taking my car to the dealership....
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stormbine,
I would like to look into this for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealership? I look forward to hearing back from you. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me with them.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
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412 Posts
Regarding the coolant leak, say it could be caused by a leaky turbo or not, would this cause lower MPG?
Driving the same roads to work like 6 months ago and using premium gas my MPG has gone up by 25-30% over the winter. I assumed cold temperatures and winter tires were causing this, but those factors do not apply for over a month.
I am doing 24MPG with 30% highway, 70% city and 31 MPG on the highway. I was doing 31 MPG with 30% highway, 70% city, and 42 MPG on the highway. Something must be wrong.
Today I realized that the antifreeze smell is more obvious in two situations:
1. Driving on the highway, with the heat on at about 40%+ and the fan at min.
2. Driving in the city with the heat on at about 40%, the fan between min and middle while hearing the turbo working.
I am going to make a list with all my findings about my Cruze and go to my GM dealer on Thursday or Friday.
Driving the same roads to work like 6 months ago and using premium gas my MPG has gone up by 25-30% over the winter. I assumed cold temperatures and winter tires were causing this, but those factors do not apply for over a month.
I am doing 24MPG with 30% highway, 70% city and 31 MPG on the highway. I was doing 31 MPG with 30% highway, 70% city, and 42 MPG on the highway. Something must be wrong.
Today I realized that the antifreeze smell is more obvious in two situations:
1. Driving on the highway, with the heat on at about 40%+ and the fan at min.
2. Driving in the city with the heat on at about 40%, the fan between min and middle while hearing the turbo working.
I am going to make a list with all my findings about my Cruze and go to my GM dealer on Thursday or Friday.
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