mstelloh

Every once and a while I notice a sweet smell while driving my 3rd gen. I have verified the coolant levels are fine and don't seem to be changing by taking the fill cap off while engine is cold. My question is what else can cause this? If it is a small leak what could it be besides seals or do you only smell coolant when it ends up in exhaust?

samjaza78

You'll smell coolant whenever the system gets an opportunity to vent to atmosphere at temperature. Smoke out the back means it's in the exhaust, but that's not the only place you can get coolant leaks from.
I'd start by getting eyes and fingers on all your hoses- there shouldn't be any dried coolant on the edges, and the lines should be tight, fairly stiff in your fingers, and not bulging- if you've never seen a bulging line, it looks like someone tried to shove a tennis ball in the line using the nipple for the hose, and now it's stuck that way. BAD juju. Make sure you check the heater and intake coolant hoses as well, and poke your nose around the edge of the radiator, looking for leaks. You're not looking for drips- you're looking for a flaky white crust, kinda like when your battery terminals corrode.