Ok, so the box has about 700 mi. on it now and I thought the new car smell is what it could be but my wife disagrees and believes there's been a coolant leak issue all along. Her sense of smell is far better than mine so I can't refute what she says. No hoses are seeping and the collant is still full, no signs of loss. Just got back from the dealer and they couldn't find anything either. There's no film accumulation on the glass or surfaces. She all but refuses to ride in it and I can't find anything wrong. Seems to be most noticeable with the defrost on. Could it still be new plastic? Any ideas? ....chris

 

700miles, you still ahve new car smell lol. That is what is it is trust me. My car has 7000miles and it still has it.

 

not necessarily.


i often smell something chemically in my boyfriend's altima. I don't say it's coolant- what it does is remind me of acetone; chemical in nail polish remover.

 

Does it make you want pancakes? If so, it's probably coolant (many coolants smell a lot like maple syrup). If not, it's probably something else. Considering your mileage, it's the "new car smell".

However, ask your dealer if they "pressure tested the cooling system". If so, that will expose any leak anywhere in the system almost instantly. That should give your girlfriend some piece of mind.

Mmmmm, pancakes.......aaaaahhhhhh.......droooool.

 

Agreed, if you had a coolant leak, you'd KNOW it. I had an '89 Topaz that the heater core went bad, coolant leak, what a mess. (Of course only on a Ford, didn't even known what a freakin' heater core was until this P.O.S.)

 

Coolant smell in the cabin is almost invariably a heater core issue, although it could be as simple as a small amount of fluid spilled during installation or a slight leak, say at a connection. Have the dealership check it out.

 

I would bet a dollar this where you will find a problem. It is probably a very small leak and the defrost is blowing it squarely in your face making it more noticeable.

 

I hate the thought that it might be a heater core problem since removal could be a bit messy: then I'll have coolant in my carpet to smell. The dealer won't go that far yet, or even do a preassure test since they don't believe there's a leak at all. Probably doesn't take much of a leak to be noticable once it atomizes into the ductwork. Though the level in the tank IS full and I'm not getting the usual film on the inside normally associated with a core leak.

I thought at first that we were smelling someone elses coolant while in city traffic, but we've noticed it out on the open road with no one around also.

The guy across the street is a mechanic at the dealer where I bought the car. He's away on vacation till after the 1st so I think I'll get him to check it out when he gets back and give me a straight answer. He's a good guy.
Thanks for all your input .........chris

 

Well, you can test yourself by just checking the fluid levels.
I have a Maxima that had this happen and it WAS the heater core. Maximas suck for maintenance - half of the freakin' engine has to come out for really simple things - but the heater core thing was going to cost me about $500 to fix - I said hell no and went without heat in the car...it rarely gets below 50° here and it was a second car anyways.

Definitely take it in...

Scott