otto06

Ok - so I am new to the water cooled P-car. I have an 04 c4s cab. I have noticed since I got it this past May- that if I run the car really hard for a while or on a hot day - that I smell coolant evaporating when I stop. Is this normal? My level doesn't seem to be dropping - still right in the middle cold after 3 mos of use.

Thanks!

OttO

silotwo

I had something similar on my C2 - but it was a faint smell of anti-freeze, only from time to time. I thought it was just my paranoia but during an oil change service the dealer noticed a small split in a coolant hose and took care of it. No problem since then. And no problem with my C4S.

dotframe

I had something similar (coolant smell from engine bay) but after about 6 months I also started to see a very slight drop in the coolant level.

I didn't want to risk it so I had the system pressure tested and it turned out to be the coolant tank cap.

San Rensho

Do a pressure test.

kromdom

possible you're smelling the cosmoline?

nick49

C4S shares the radiator configuration with the Turbo and for some reason the radiators seem to start leaking prematurely where the tank meets the core. Some Turbo owners have had to replace them at slightly over 20K miles. It's a common issue with these cars. The rads seem to last much longer on the C2 and C4 cars. Suspect the rads if you smell coolant from the front, cap or tank if from the rear.

agent325

Might be small crack in the reservoir

Shark Attack

Had this, it was my water pump leaking, it was odd, it didnt leak enough to drip for a while, because it would evap off from the heat. But I could smell it. It took about a month to leak enough to drip and the real problem to show itself.

otto06

I suppose it is possible - it reminds me of coolant - any advice on how to tell the difference?

Would I still smell cosmoline on an 8 year old car with 47k miles?

Waterpump, pressure tank and radiator cap were done a few years back @30k or so - along with RMS/Clutch.

The car is going in for an oilchange and front brake pads/rotors - I will have them do a pressure check.

LC MotorSports

The Pressure check is the best option to find a leak in the system.

nick49

Cosmoline may smell for the first few days of use on a brand new car. It doesn't smell at all like coolant.

Remove the bumper cover, inner fender liners and the rads are fully exposed. They probably need cleaning anyway as they do every year. This is easy.

I'd bet the rads are seeping, very common on C4S and Turbos