coolant smell in 2001 Brava SX 1.2l

[Bill]

Hello all, My 2001 Brava SX 1.2l saloon has a smell of coolant in it, when I run the heater (with the temperature up). There is, however, no sign of leakage on the floor in front of the front seats. The smell has grown worse, lately, though it has been present for quite some time. The car seems to be using coolant. There is no sign of a leak in the engine compartment. In addition, the engine is performing well -- not overheating, accelerating smoothly. The head-gasket was replaced about 20,000 miles ago. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks,
Bill

 

[Dark Lurker]

you may be over filling it. it will throw excess out throgh the overflow pipe. level should be checked at running temperature. mid way between the min-max. if checked when cold it will look low and give the impression that it needs topping up. this is normal.

 

[Bill]

Thanks for your response. As you suggested, I expect the coolant level to look low, when the engine is cold, and I keep it at a level where it shows midway between min and max when at running temperature. What concerns me is that after I hadn't checked it for a while, the heather stopped blowing warm air, and I had to add about a litre to bring it up to normal. I guess that my real question is whether the smell of coolant through from the heater means that I need to replace the heater radiator or whether my head gasket has given way, even though the engine seems to be performing well (no missing or stuttering). Thanks again.

 

[axle]

i would try bleeding it first, If you are not blowing steam from the exhaust i doubt the head gasket has gone, You could have a leak on one of the hoses in the engine bay when the pressure is on

 

[axle]

also you could try some radweld, or other rad sealant. it's good for small leaks

 

[Bill]

Thanks for the suggestions. Would a leak in the engine compartment explain the increased smell of coolant from the heater when I'm driving?

 

[axle]

it could do, i have smelled coolant a few times although i have never had reason to top up, i bet you have smelled diesel fumes when following a bus, it gets in somewhere so stands to reason if coolant is escaping somewhere the fumes will find a way of getting in the car

 

[Bill]

Thanks, that's a good point, and I don't mean to be contentious at all. The only thing is, the smell only happens when I turn up the temperature on the heater in the passenger compartment. That makes me wonder whether there might be a leak in my heater radiator (matrix?), but there's no leakage out onto the floor of the passenger side front. I'm assuming that the heater matrix is on the passenger side, even though Sven's photos show it on what would be the driver's side in a right-hand-drive model. Is that correct?

 

[Dark Lurker]

thats right. does the smell vanish after a while? or is it there all the time the heater is on? As i said earlier, if you have a small leak in the matrix radweld should fix it, Save a lot of work and it will not do any harm to put a bottle in