When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi, just got a 2005 convertible with 98000 miles. Runs great but the last time I went for a short ride and stopped to talk to a friend and let it idle, I started to smell antifreeze but didn’t see any signs of it on the ground. What should I be looking out for. I had an 82 and a 96 corvette and knew what too look out for on them. This is all new beast.
I have a 2005 base with 150K miles.. Same thing over the last couple of weeks.. Leaking around the water pump just a bit. wasn't enough to make it to the garage floor, seemed to be evaporating before that. But could def smell it.
Just replaced the water pump. Seems to have done the trick.
Mine is fairly new to me.. Still learning her subtle needs myself..
Best of luck!!
PS just moved to FL from Hunterdon Co myself just a few years back!
Check all the hose connection points to make sure they are tight. If you still have the OEM tension hose clamps on the hoses, they could be losing their compression strength.
The other thing to check is the tee connection from the overflow tank that goes to the heater line and to the thermostat. The tee gets brittle and cracks and starts to leak.
The other check point is the water pump seal itself. This is very hard to locate a leak, because the drip goes behind the hot pulley, and evaporates on contact, giving the smell but no drip.
That's where I had my smell from. It took a cold engine, and a coolant pressure tester to finally get it to drip. As you know, if the pump shaft stops at a certain location, the drp may not be noticeable, even from the pressure test. I left pressure on my system for 24 hrs, it dropped about 10 psi in that time frame, and I finally saw that drip.
Here is the cake of coolant behind the water pump pulley after i removed it from the vehicle. There is vitually no way to see behind that pulley with it still attached to the block.
Good Luck.
Pressure test your system. Also may I recommend immediately replacing your T hoses that go from reservoir tank, engine vent nipple, and top radiator. You'll know what I'm talking about. Its 3 hoses that meet up to a T connector. That little sad plastic peice is gonna be cracked or will crack soon.
mine was fine, then I touched it and it cracked. I was suprised how my car ran that way
After running the car and smelling coolant, take a flashlight and look down both sides of the radiator, front and back... You will probably see a place where coolant has leaked and is running down. Most times it evaporates before getting to the ground... I had this same problem for weeks before seeing the small leak on my drivers side plastic side tank...WW
.
.
.
Here is a replacement for the disintegrating tee connector mentioned. Everyone with a C6 should replace this if you haven't already. It takes 3 minutes to swap out for a metal one and peace of mind.
The leak is probably outside of the passenger compartment, but just for grins I would check the carpet on the passenger side to see if the heater element is leaking.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
that is also a place to check. The pressure tester will find that leak as well.
Smelling antifreeze
