Smelling coolent while sitting in my Taurus...

Hopefully someone will have seen this before...

OK. 1997 Taurus 65k.

Whenever I take a very sharp corner (usually a right turn) or slow down from a high speed I hear a 1 or 2 second long high pitched squeelling (almost the sound of whistle/air vaccuum sound) coming from under the hood in the direction of the passanger front wheel.

A second or two later I can smell what I think is coolent/anitifreeze coming from the air vents. It all goes away until the next hard corner / brake I make (usually 2 times on a 10 mile journey).

I have to keep adding coolent to the resevoir ever 3 days or so. Not much, perhaps a couple of cups worth, but I have to do it regularly as it does go down. I've checked for coolent leaks under the car and along the hoses and clamps with the radiator but can't see where it might be coming out. I even put paper under it to see if it drips but I can't find any drips.

Oh yeah, the engine temperature has never read anything other than normal.

Can anyone suggest what is happening? I'm happy to keep driving it and filling up the coolent ever couple days as I really don't want to spend any money on the car, but my wife thinks we are going to gas ourselves and end up with cancer from the occasional fumes unless I get it fixed.

Has anyone ever seen this before?

Thanks for the advice.

Reply to
slipandfall
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Umm.. very perceptive of you to put the two together.

Note the location of the 'outgassing/coolant' bottle to your accessory drive belts.

How full IS that reservoir kept?

Suggest you remove that bottle - if it's like the previous generation, pretty easy to do - and look under it.

"slipandfall" wrote:

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

I would suggest you stop using that vehicle and have the cooling system serviced before you do further damage

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Just a guess, but I'd say coolant is leaking from the overflow bottle, onto the belt (which is right next to the bottle)..causing the belt to slip slightly (squealing noise). The coolant hits the hot engine and burns off...out the edge of the hood and the smell is sucked in through the passenger compartment air intake vent at the base of the windshield on the cowl.

If your coolant bottle is like mine, it is old and brittle and cracked...I just bought a new one at

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for $29.50 + s&h. It is relatively easy to change since it is right there on top.

Good luck!

slipandfall wrote:

Reply to
Jeremiah Greer

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