Coolant odor sources?

[schspeedster]

Can smell coolant around radiator. No visible leaks or coolant loss. Installed new radiator cap, drained & refilled w/fresh Prestone pre-mix yesterday, still smell coolant. Hope radiator tanks arent ready to let loose.

[schspeedster]

I can loan a cooling system pressure tester from AutoZone for a $75 refundable deposit. Would this be a useful leak finder? Risk of blowing out the weakest link, like a radiator tank?

[professor]

you can get some optical brightener (fancy name: leak detection dye) and use a UV lamp (black light) in a darkened garage. This works very well for small leaks, the leak glows like crazy under the UV light

most car shops have the stuff in oil solution for oil leaks, but not water-based. it can be ordered on the web, its a bit of a rip off unfortunately

[professor]

here you go, 5 bux

http://www.autobarn.net/fluorleakdet.html

you'll have to borrow the nearest stoner's black light

[schspeedster]

here you go, 5 bux

http://www.autobarn.net/fluorleakdet.html

you'll have to borrow the nearest stoner's black light

There's my excuse to buy a UV light. Have a non-Subaru with AC leak keep meaning to fix. Then I can mount the light over my Pink Floyd poster and zone out on the marching hammers

Is Spencers at the mall the place to go? Have seen keychain UV LED's online for $20 no idea if bright enough for leak diagnosis.

"So ya
Thought ya
Might like to
Go to the show.
To feel that warm thrill of confusion,
That space cadet glow..."

[professor]

I have used a regular incandescent bulb loaded into my trouble light. I doubt the pen light is strong enough. Spencers should have them but at rip-off pricing.

We have the dry optical brightener here at work, so it costs me nothing to mix it into oil. The water based pigment is different, the stuff I have won't mix with H2O

the only crappy part is if you put it into the crankcase, it STAYS. You'd better get all the leaks taken care of, 'cuz the whole thing'll glow eventually if you have a lot of leaks. You shouldn't have this problem with water, but british sports cars and oil don't mix.

[IronMonkeyL255]

I won a fluorescent black light at my local kiddy fun park.