Try this fix... (archive)

After I ran my car, a have a smell of antifreeze and I notice a leake underneath the car. My car had a recent recall for the heat valve fix. Could be air in the system or a blow up resiovoir cap not tight enough? I got a new cap and still leaking. Any other options gang?
Thank you.
Ferd

I had the same thing going on with mine. The problem on mine was coolant was leaking from the over flow tube running down the right side of the chassis rail and dripping from the sway bar bolts. It comes from not a proper seal between the cap rubber gasket and the ring on the inside neck of the coolant over flow tank. I too bought a new cap thinking this would fix it. It did not. My problem was that the plastic flange that the cap screws on to wears and weakens over time from the pressure. From a visual inspection of the tank I could see that this plastic lip was actually bending up slightly. The Even though you think the cap is on tight it is not making the complete seal. One sure fix would be a new cap and a new tank. I did'nt have the $55 for the new tank at the time so I took the old cap, removed the rubber gasket and then added it to the new cap. By streaching it and fitting it under the new gasket I created a double layer of rubber gasket. The new piece of rubber was on the outermost part which seals the cap to the inside of the tank neck. I installed the cap and my problem went away. Some day I will buy a new tank. I have also heard that some of the coolant tanks have a defective ring and ridge that meets the rubber gasket of the cap. Inspect your tank. Rub your finger around the ridge. Is there any low spots or grooves. If there is, a new tank is the only fix.
HTH, Chris

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