Coolant smell 2020 Corolla with 7,000 miles

[Shel_B]

My sister just sent me a text asking about a slight coolant smell she's experiencing in the subject Corolla. I had her check coolant level, smell and smoke from exhaust, hoses under the hood, check oil for milkiness. Nothing negative to be found. She notes that smell is inside car, but hasn't found a leak (I had her check under the dash, heater connections, etc). Maybe it's a very small leak?

Any suggestions? Is there such a thing as a coolant smell detector that she could use to trace the smell?

 

[TheOilWizard]

If the smell is inside the cab, then perhaps the heater core is leaking? If under warranty, I would suggest having the dealership look it over. Also ask her to keep an eye on the coolant level, checking weekly, to see if the level is dropping at all.

 

[Furious]

There is UV dye for cooling systems available.

You will need to use it and try to find the leak, it is likely a small leak at the heater core that is drying/evaporating.

Is it still under warranty being a 2020?

 

[Shel_B]

There is UV dye for cooling systems available.

You will need to use it and try to find the leak, it is likely a small leak at the heater core that is drying/evaporating.

Is it still under warranty being a 2020?

Thanks. Yes, the car has the CPO Toyota warranty ...

 

[JavierH19]

I once had the coolant come out of the vent hose in the overflow tank and the smell went into the cabin because of the blower. Could just be something like that.

 

[daves87rs]

I once had the coolant come out of the vent hose in the overflow tank and the smell went into the cabin because of the blower. Could just be something like that.

Was jousting thinking that myself. Hope it is cheap and painless!

 

[dishdude]

Thanks. Yes, the car has the CPO Toyota warranty ...

Time for a dealer visit. It doesn't take much coolant to generate a lot of odor.

 

[SatinSilver]

Since the automatic climate control system is always on, have her turn it off and see if that makes a difference. First button on the left should completely turn it off.

 

[Shel_B]

Time for a dealer visit. It doesn't take much coolant to generate a lot of odor.

She's reached out to the dealer to check her warranty status. In the mean time, she'll check a few more things herself. She probably won't attempt a fix on this, but it would give her satisfaction if she could track down the cause. It would also help her to sleep better if she knew the problem was minor, which it most likely is

 

[Shel_B]

Since the automatic climate control system is always on, have her turn it off and see if that makes a difference. First button on the left should completely turn it off.

She's looking into that ... good point.

 

[SatinSilver]

She's looking into that ... good point.

When turning it back on, have her turn the fan speed dial up. Otherwise the AC is always on when turning it on the conventional way.

 

[Lubener]

I would pressure test the system to see if it holds pressure.

 

[Trav]

Time for a dealer visit. It doesn't take much coolant to generate a lot of odor.

+1 Absolutely, why mess with it when it is under warranty, let them repair it.

 

[wavinwayne]

My 2018 Subaru Forester always faintly smelled of coolant, but there was never a leak. I never figured out why before I sold it. My MIL owns it now and hasn't had any leaks. No idea why the smell is there. Maybe some cars are just weird like that?

 

[Shel_B]

+1 Absolutely, why mess with it when it is under warranty, let them repair it.

It seems that you missed the part where I said she contacted the dealer and that she probably won't attempt a fix on this, but that it would give her satisfaction if she could track down the cause. And if she does discover the problem, and it's an easy fix, she knows how to turn a wrench and make minor repairs.