Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Thursday March 28, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Technical > Factory 2.0L Turbo Powertrain (EJ Series Factory 2.0L Turbo)

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-26-2003, 05:09 PM   #1
SoLo OnE
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 9941
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: In hell, with the Waving Kitty
Vehicle:
- ---------------
www.djforums.com

Default My car is eating coolant and smells like there's a dead cat in my engine bay...

Ever since my 30k mile tune up I've notice my overflow tank is ALWAYS low. Doesn't matter if the car is warm or not, its always below the low mark on the bottle.

I had it filled at 30K mile when I noticed it was low. Then again at 33750 miles because it was low. After a day its back to below the low mark.

Also now when I turn my car off, after driving, I occasionally get a smell that can be described best "as a cooked dead cat".
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
SoLo OnE is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 09-26-2003, 05:30 PM   #2
tolnep
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 18602
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Planet tolnep
Vehicle:
2005 Moller Skycar
glow in dark purple

Default

Well. It's a well known fact that cats love antifreeze. If your girl friend has a cat and you hate the beast, you can put out a bowl of antifreeze out and the cat will suck it right up and croke. They apparently love the sweet taste. So perhaps you have cats that are climbing up into you engine bay at night, removing the caps and somehow slurping up the sweet fluid. Then they die inside you car somewhere where you can't find them and stink it up....
tolnep is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2003, 05:31 PM   #3
SoLo OnE
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 9941
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: In hell, with the Waving Kitty
Vehicle:
- ---------------
www.djforums.com

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by tolnep
Well. It's a well known fact that cats love antifreeze. If your girl friend has a cat and you hate the beast, you can put out a bowl of antifreeze out and the cat will suck it right up and croke. They apparently love the sweet taste. So perhaps you have cats that are climbing up into you engine bay at night, removing the caps and somehow slurping up the sweet fluid. Then they die inside you car somewhere where you can't find them and stink it up....
With what has happened to my car before, thats actually a possible answer.
SoLo OnE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2003, 08:52 PM   #4
HellWagon
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 16172
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by tolnep
Well. It's a well known fact that cats love antifreeze. If your girl friend has a cat and you hate the beast, you can put out a bowl of antifreeze out and the cat will suck it right up and croke. They apparently love the sweet taste. So perhaps you have cats that are climbing up into you engine bay at night, removing the caps and somehow slurping up the sweet fluid. Then they die inside you car somewhere where you can't find them and stink it up....
Now thats funny.
HellWagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2003, 09:37 PM   #5
SjpWrx
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 22554
Join Date: Aug 2002
Chapter/Region: South East
Location: Palm Coast, FL
Vehicle:
2007 Corolla no PW!
WHITE miss my WRX :(

Default

Maybe some mice decide to reside in your engine compartment and chewed through the radiator hoses? and for the smell maybe one of them died?
SjpWrx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2003, 01:27 AM   #6
jigga
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 9960
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: in bed...
Vehicle:
2002 Impreza WRX
WRBlue Perl

Default

If your car is eating coolant, perhaps you have a leak somewhere?
What colour is the fluid in your overflow tank? Is it brownish at all?
Or maybe a blown head gasket? If your car is not highly modded, why not take it to the dealer and have the problem diagnosed? Should still be under warranty right?

Good Luck with that. Hope it isn't serious though.
jigga is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2003, 01:35 AM   #7
mattjk
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16615
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Huntington Beach
Vehicle:
I ♥ my TE51
2009 Nissan 370z

Default

First thing I would do is do a coolant test to see if there are exhaust fumes in it. A radiator shop should have a test kit. Also check your oil for foam.

So you either have a blown head gasket or...

If you had your coolant flushed with a cleaner, it can cause the coolant to foam and overflow, and when the car cools back down, the coolant from the resevoir tank will get sucked back into the engine showing a lower level each time.
mattjk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2003, 11:45 AM   #8
4or2wheels
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 14112
Join Date: Jan 2002
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: New Jersey
Vehicle:
2002 wrx wagon
2010 STI DGM

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by tolnep
Well. It's a well known fact that cats love antifreeze. If your girl friend has a cat and you hate the beast, you can put out a bowl of antifreeze out and the cat will suck it right up and croke. They apparently love the sweet taste. So perhaps you have cats that are climbing up into you engine bay at night, removing the caps and somehow slurping up the sweet fluid. Then they die inside you car somewhere where you can't find them and stink it up....

4or2wheels is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2003, 12:01 PM   #9
WRXpkr
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 13607
Join Date: Dec 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Dekalb, Il.
Vehicle:
82 Suzuki GS 1100E
Gold-ish

Default

Check your lower radiator hose clamp where it clamps to the radiator side.
mines been leaking since around my 30k checkup as well... ive got 79+k miles on it now... i really should go tighten that clamp...
WRXpkr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2003, 01:04 PM   #10
TheMirror
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 37564
Join Date: May 2003
Default

I can think of several instances offhand where a rodent has crawled into a car's internals and couldn't get out. Death and bad smell ensues. My buddy's Cherokee, an Audi 5000 at a dealership, etc. etc. etc.......
TheMirror is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2003, 02:21 PM   #11
SoLo OnE
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 9941
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: In hell, with the Waving Kitty
Vehicle:
- ---------------
www.djforums.com

Default

I've never noticed any coolant on the ground under my car. I check the area I park in every day when I leave work. So its not leaking out the reservoir tank.

The radiator tank is always full, the coolant tank is always empty.

It has to be going somewhere???
SoLo OnE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2003, 05:51 PM   #12
WRXpkr
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 13607
Join Date: Dec 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Dekalb, Il.
Vehicle:
82 Suzuki GS 1100E
Gold-ish

Default

MInes never leaked out onto the ground either (unless im opening the rad cap while hot )
It seems to collect sporadically on the plastic front underpan and i assume the exaust manafolds dry it up and subsequently makes it stink evey once and a while.
WRXpkr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2003, 07:35 PM   #13
T3/T4 WRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 25919
Join Date: Oct 2002
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: St. Louis, MO
Vehicle:
12.8 second 1/4 mile
at 111mph

Default lol

Quote:
Originally posted by tolnep
Well. It's a well known fact that cats love antifreeze. If your girl friend has a cat and you hate the beast, you can put out a bowl of antifreeze out and the cat will suck it right up and croke. They apparently love the sweet taste. So perhaps you have cats that are climbing up into you engine bay at night, removing the caps and somehow slurping up the sweet fluid. Then they die inside you car somewhere where you can't find them and stink it up....
T3/T4 WRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2003, 01:35 AM   #14
z
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 41762
Join Date: Aug 2003
Chapter/Region: International
Location: House of Pancakes
Vehicle:
04 STi
in ur Floriduh

Default

I had a BMW that was leaking fluid at the heater core. (inside the firewall, no visible leaks under car.


Besides that problem- at one point the radiator cap wasn't making a good seal. Loss of pressure was making the coolant boil and then it would purge out the hose coming off the overflow tank.

When I pressure tested the system, it checked out ok. but it ended up being a coolant resevoir cap.

Or as was suggested, you have a blown head gasket. Any major white smoke coming from the back of your car?
z is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Gee, I wonder why my AC is blowing slowly and smells vaguely mouse-ish. Strider Off-Topic 19 06-27-2009 07:35 PM
There's mother****in' cats in my mother****in' crawlspace! Strider Off-Topic 48 01-08-2009 02:33 PM
I found a cat in an engine bay kspeed Off-Topic 75 11-18-2008 03:48 AM
My car is officially fast and furious!!!! VSM EXtasy Mid Atlantic Impreza Club -- MAIC 31 12-19-2002 04:11 PM
My car is a POS and i wanna kick if off 211. VSM EXtasy Mid Atlantic Impreza Club -- MAIC 15 05-31-2002 06:08 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:27 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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.