11 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHcoolant smell?
Reported or suspected cause
coolant tank cap
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
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Reported cause
I didn't want to risk it so I had the system pressure tested and it turned out to be the coolant tank cap.
Leading evidence: 'coolant tank cap' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'coolant tank cap' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Clean anyway as they do every year' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Discussions that suspect a cause
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Suspected cause
Suspect the rads if you smell coolant from the front, cap or tank if from the rear.
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Suggestion
They probably need cleaning anyway as they do every year.
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Suggestion · Original poster
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.
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Suggestion
Cosmoline may smell for the first few days of use on a brand new car.
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Suggestion · Original poster
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.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
11 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T144035Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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