Engine coolant is essential for regulating your vehicle’s temperature. A coolant leak can lead to serious engine damage if not addressed quickly. Below, we outline the most common symptoms of an automotive engine coolant leak and how to diagnose it.
CAUTION: Never open the hood when your car is overheating to avoid burn injuries.
Symptoms of Leaking Coolant
1. You may notice a sweet pungent smell coming through the HVAC vent system or outside of the car as the coolant is released or burned onto the exhaust system.
2. Steam will bellow out from under the hood, body line or grill at various times when the engine is hot.
3. One of the most obvious signs of a coolant leak is a puddle of bright-colored liquid (green, orange, pink, or yellow) under your car.
4. While driving you will notice the temperature gauge running warmer than usual or going into the red while causing the engine to overheat.
5. If you constantly add coolant to the radiator reservoir coolant is leaking internally, or externally from the system.
6. The HVAC heater system can stop and then start working due to low coolant levels.
7. When someone is riding passenger, they may notice a coolant on the passenger's side carpet which is telling you the heater core is leaking and needs replacement.
8. Your car may have an internal coolant leak which will be noticed by a continuous low level in the coolant reservoir, this can be noticed when performing a maintenance inspection or getting a low coolant light warning.
9. After you shut the engine off you may hear a ticking or crackling noise which is due to the extreme heat that has built up due to low coolant levels.
10. When first staring the car, or after shutting the engine off you might hear a gurgling noise which is air pockets inside the radiator or engine block.
Watch the Video!
Please watch this video of the job being done to glean additional helpful information.
Credits
This guide knowledge base was created by the 2CarPros Team, and by Ken Lavacot: Automobile repair shop owner and certified master automobile technician of over 30 years. If you have question or need help please ask one of our experts we are happy to help. Please visit our 2CarPros YouTube Channel.
Article published 2025-01-06
