Alright, for those of you who can identify a problem by smell, I got one for you.

A friend of mine has an '88 Supra, and he and I have noticed on several occasions a very sweet, sickly smell coming from under the hood after having driven it. Hard driving, easy driving, doesnt matter. My guess is that there is a coolant leak somewhere and it's dripping someplace hot. Any other guesses as to what the cause of this mysterious odor would be, and how to diagnose and fix the problem?

 

That sweet, sometimes odiferously sweaty smell is coolant.

Warm up the car and look for the steam?

 

Does it smell like burning pancake syrup? It is coolant. You know the drill, check the hoses and check the radiator for pinhole leaks.

 

If the coolant is burning off of hot surfaces, it'll leave a white residue.

Pooling coolant on dished surfaces on the engine or mounts is a good place to start looking too.

 

And if you still can't find it, pressurize the cooling system cold. That way it won't evaporate immediately. That's what those air-pump adapter things are for, you put them on your radiator in place of the cap.

 

i have a nice exhaust smell in mine...........would be nice if i would quit running open header

 

They also sell dye that can be seen with an ultraviolet light. You should be able to kind the leak without it though.

MMMMMM, radiator fluid. Not only does it smell like burning pancake syrup, it tastes like it too. Mmmmm delicious


(note to idiots: do NOT drink radiator fluid)

 

I'd say coolant..