Getting rid of the coolant smell in your old car

As your car ages, it will start to fall apart, and your heater core will become damaged at some point if it hasn’t already. What often causes this part of your vehicle to not work as well is a coolant leakage.

The olfactory result of this leakage is a sweet smell that is actually quite pleasant, but it’s not one that you want to be smelling due to its cause. Ingesting sweet-tasting antifreeze is dangerous as it can cause kidney failure in both people and pets. For the health of your car as well as any animals that might get near it, we highly recommend that you get any antifreeze-related issues fixed.

Your car’s internal coolant leaks

Clearly, the one benefit of antifreeze leaking internally is that no animals will accidentally ingest it. However, the damage to your old car can be significant.

If antifreeze is mixing with oil, your engine could be destroyed quickly.

Coolant that is being released into the combustion chambers and turned into air before heading out into the environment with the car’s exhaust is not as significant an issue, but it could still corrode pistons and damage cylinder walls, especially if the coolant leakage is significant.

Your vehicle’s external antifreeze leaks

Of course, it’s much easier to determine if you have an external coolant leakage than an internal one. The smell is an obvious sign, but you should also keep an eye out for stains or puddles. If it’s leaking externally, consider placing some cardboard under your car and then, several hours later, coming back and seeing more clearly what part of the engine that the coolant is dropping from. Also take some time to open the hood and check for any unexpected wetness, especially any that is coming from the radiator hose.

Fixing your old car’s coolant smell

In addition to the above issues, overheating often results from coolant leakage and is something that can really damage your car and turn it from an old one into a junk vehicle. So, how do you go about getting this issue fixed before these things happen?

If the leak is coming from your radiator or hose, simply replacing that part should do the trick.

Another likely cause and one that is especially serious is a blown head gasket. The most common indicator is an issue with an overheated engine and oil that contains some froth. Unfortunately, this will likely be a costly repair as the labor involved to fix the head gasket is usually quite extensive. If that’s the case, the cost to get rid of the coolant smell in your old car may not be worth it. It depends on if your car has any other issues and whether it makes more financial sense to get it fixed or to junk it and get a new transportation source. If you decide to sell you car call [namebrand], we will take take of draining the fluid from you junk car. We will also tow from anywhere, including Montana. 

The purpose of coolant is to keep your car not too cold and not too hot and, as a result, it’s one of the most important things that goes into your vehicle. Thanks to that and its toxicity if ingested should make it clear why it’s so important to get rid of the coolant smell in your old car, so make sure to get any antifreeze issues taken care of as soon as you smell it or notice it leaking or your car unexpectedly overheating.

References

http://www.startribune.com/coolant-leaks-when-to-fix-it-or-just-live-with-it/94311884/

https://www.angieslist.com/articles/how-fix-coolant-leak.htm