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Noticed while driving I get this coolant like smell in the cabin. I get out and pop the hood, but before I get a chance to unlatch and actually open the hood I hear this, how do I describe it, hissing sound as if something spilled on the stove and is burning, definitely a liquid here not a hissing from air. Then my engine bay smells like coolant but I see no apparent spill anywhere help?

 

Check the overflow reservoir and make sure its at the proper level then look at it after the next few drives and see if it goes down significantly.

Check all of the hose clamps are attached properly and or no hose bulging or bubbling.

Take notice when you park your car and see if there are any leaks on the ground when you come back and start the car back up. If there are any leaks try to trace them back if you can.

Try to check all of your hoses and see if there is either a noticeable hole of any residue from leaking coolant.

Also look at your radiator for any damage or a leak possibly. Check the hose inlet and outlet, sometimes the plastic can fatigue and crack at these joints.

2 other issues:

might be the heater core going bad

or

On the back underside side of the engine block between it and the firewall there is an aluminum coolant pipe that is known to rot (I know this because I just replaced mine but it's a ***** and a half and I already have my car apart to do a clutch).

Best of luck I don't envy you and hope that you find an easy quick fix.

 

Top off your coolant and have it pressure tested will show where the leak is. Fastest way to find the leak.

 

Lol thanks I appreciate the quick, informative response

 

Could be you radiator cap is failing as well, not holding pressure anymore!

 

Hmmmm would I see coolant seeping around it?

 

Possibly, but not likely. If it got that bad, the car would probably have over heated by now. Check all your hoses visually and clamps. I had a small leak by one of the smaller hoses that hook up to the throttle body. But a pressure test is by far the easiest and fastest way to find out.

 

THINGS GOT WORSE. So now There's obvious coolant spraying. Upon inspection, I see the coolant leak to be from the hose that connects to the radiator and goes to the overflow bottle. In the reservoir here's a good amount of coolant in it. The spray is so bad I hear the sizzling and even my hood vent is all sprayed. My fan area is all sprayed up aswell and the car temp reads all the way to "H" and I hear the valves ticking very loudly.

 

subd for an answer. Have a similar situation with my evo as well. I would top the coolant off, drive the car around, couple spirited runs here and there and the coolant level would drop immensely.

 

Its not a good idea to drive the car in that condition.

 

Of ourse I'm not driving it. Just wondering if this should be a simple fix or indicator something else is wrong

 

I could be the hose going to the jug is loose. Since the hose is open at both ends it shouldn't spray. The engine pushing coolant to the jug and onto the ground is a sign of a blown head gasket.

 

Any idea why my valves would be ticking so much louder than normal? Winter maybe? Also it's dripping over lower part of radiator and I see some on the hood vent.

 

Mate I had same issue. I fixed, clamped the hose onto radiator from catch bottle and then it started pissing out other places like turbo water lines. I bleed intire water system to remove any air, still did it. New radiator cap, higher pressure rating, helped as it stoped it temporarily. Ended up I changed head gasket. Boost, high boost was lifting head and pressurizing water system but it sucked as it took a long time and pissed me off as gasket was not old, cometic and arp studs. Changed to cosworth gasket and cosworth studs. Worked for me

 

It sounds like your motor getting way to hot, thats why it will be ticking so bad. Any greyish colour to oil or oil in your coolant??? Pin hole bubbles in ur radiator also indicates head gasket failure. Have u tryed bleeding air out of your coolant lines?