For the past couple of months, I have been getting a strange smell from my 99 camry after driving and getting out of the car. It smells like it could be burnt coolant. My son says it smells sweet. I only smell it after driving and getting out of the car (near the front end) and not inside the car. The closest smell I can think of is the smell from my ironing machine after I irnoed a full load of washed clothes. I went to the dealer and had the winterization service (coolant flush) done with the hope that might fix the problem. It didn't. Any one has ideas?
Look for green fluid somewhere. You have a coolant leak, wither in the engine bay or inside the car.
A leaking heater core will smell no matter what. Look for coolant up under the dash, and try this: put the heat on Recirc and see if it goes away. If it does, the leak is inside the car. This can be dangerous, because it means that something is letting go. My step father's '82 pickup had an elbow that let go...all over his leg. 2ND and 3RD degree burns. I didn't find out until after he died that this part was on recall, he probably could have gotten money from Toyota since he never got a recall notice.
At any rate, if the smell does go away, then the leak is outside the car. When air is drawn to the heater core some of the smells of the engine get past the rubber strip at the back of the hood. Have a good look; since you just had a service the coolant should be bright green.
The other thing could be a blown head gasket, with coolant weeping from where the head meets the block.
A sweet smell is usually associated with coolant. The dealer probably uses Toyota red coolant, but it could be green. Check the coolant level in the overflow reservoir. If the coolant level is low, then you may have a leak. Check for signs of coolant on the ground. If there are no obvious leaks, check or replace the radiator cap.
How long has the water pump been in there? Given the year I assume you already had a timing belt done, which the pump is recommended (some people say with every T belt, others say with every other T belt).
Didn't the dealer perform a cooling system pressure test like they're supposed to with cooling system service? That's some dealer. More common than people thought I guess.
It doesn't take a whole lot of leak to give off a noticeable smell. Turned out to be the water pump in my case. I could hardly notice the pink/white deposit deep in the weep hole. Swapped it out during a timing belt job and the problem was solved.
You can check for leaks around all hoses and near the head gasket area. Radiator plastic tank tops/bottoms may develop cracks as they age. Also check the bottom of the timing cover as the pump hides behind it. But in my case the small, gradual leak didn't result in any puddle. It was the mysterious coolant loss many owners had experienced.
Also if you have a radiator cap with a hanging plastic vacuum return valve then consider getting a cap with a spring loaded metal return valve. Stant is $8 at the local parts store, but come in batches with both types however.
If you are mechanically inclined you can try a pressure test using the free loaner tool from Autozone:
1) The dealer ripped you off. The coolant flush had not possibility of fixing the problem.
2) There is a leak someplace in the system. You need to take the car to a professional mechanic (not your dealer, but someone you can trust), have the leak diagnosed and fixed.
If the OP went to the servicing facility and asked for a winterization service or coolant flush and the servicing facility performed the requested service, then IMO, that is not a ripoff, especially if the coolant is more than two years old or the cooling system had a buildup of corrosion internally.
OTOH, if the OP described the symptoms and smell and then the service facility suggested a coolant flush as the cure, then I agree.
A very common mistake that people with a little or even a lot of automotive knowledge make is to go to the dealer or servicing facility and assume that their diagnosis is correct and ask for the fix instead of describing the symptoms. That is why most dealer service departments will write "Customer states..." on the repair orders to document what the customer asked for.
For example, someone may hear a noise from the back of the car when going over bumps, assume it needs shock absorbers, and go to the service department and ask to have the rear shock absorbers replaced. When they pick up the car, the noise is still there becase the noise was from the loose spare tire.
Very true, Ray. If you go to the dealer and ask for a specific replacement part rather than stating the problem and letting them figure it out, they can simply shrug and tell you "we did what you requested us to do". If you leave the problem openended, for them to determine the cause, you would have more of an option to tell them "Hey, I told you what the symptoms were, and it was up to you, with your knowledge and experience, to come up with a solution."
Could always be just some spilled coolant sitting somewhere. This happened with my Mazda when I did a full service, and went away when the spilled coolant evaporated...
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