engine bay smelling funny
#1
engine bay smelling funny
ok so i start smelling something inside ny car it kinda smells caramely, and plus my battery gauge is reading in the yellow and its usually past. my car does have a lot of miles n the engine looks like its got a leak around the heads. i was thinking msybes the alternator or just replace the head gsskets
#2
ok so i start smelling something inside ny car it kinda smells caramely, and plus my battery gauge is reading in the yellow and its usually past. my car does have a lot of miles n the engine looks like its got a leak around the heads. i was thinking msybes the alternator or just replace the head gsskets
Then make sure you don't have power steering fluid dripping onto the alternator. It'll trash the alternator pretty quick and smell as well.......
If it is power steering fluid dripping onto the alternator.......get a can of WD-40 or SeaFoam spray..............and completely drench the alternator, inside, outside, everywhere, use the entire can till the crap starts dripping off. You'll need to break up all that crap in there. Let it sit for an hour. Tyhen rinse with a hose real good. You can spray the hell out of it with the hose, it can't hurt anything. I did it when mine got pissed all over and was totally coated in power steering fluid......WD-40 completely cleaned it and its been fine for 5 years.
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Last edited by LS6427; 02-22-2011 at 08:01 PM.
#3
alright cuz i do notice gthat my power steering pump does leak a good amout i have to add a little bit every month or so one time it was completly below the dipstick haha, but ya ill do that thanks for the into man really appreciated.
#4
Go get a 4 foot piece of 3/8" heater hose from the auto parts store to replace the leaking hose. Most likely its the hose thats attached to the port on the bottom of the power steering reservoir. It runs to either the rack or to the factory power steering fluid cooler (if you have that).
If its a high pressure line, you'll have to order it. Very easy to remove it and install the new one. Just have to pop the serpentine belt off first. They cost about $35.00 from PepBoys or Advance Auto. I think I got mine from Advance Auto about 6 months ago.
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#6
Your alternator is probably dying. Your best bet it to drive to the autoparts store and let them test it on the car. Get a NEW alternator, not a reman. Test your battery too because sometimes a dying alternator can take the battery with it, especially if it's older. Watch the plug on the back of the alternator. It's fragile. Very very very fragile. Unplug that before you unplug or unbolt anything else and move it safely out of the way. Otherwise you're gonna forget and rip it.
Also, do yourself a big favor. Check the power steering hoses and reservoir. It may be leaking. check the bottom/side first and see how far down any fluid has traveled. If it's oily or grimy, your reservoir may have helped destroy your alternator. You have 2 options.
1, weekly pop the hood, take clean paper towels/rags/whatever and wipe the reservoir down especially around the cap. Keep up on that and you should be fine.
2, buy a pack of hair scrunchies and put one around/under the installed power steering cap. That'll suck up fluid. Replace them as needed.
Also, do yourself a big favor. Check the power steering hoses and reservoir. It may be leaking. check the bottom/side first and see how far down any fluid has traveled. If it's oily or grimy, your reservoir may have helped destroy your alternator. You have 2 options.
1, weekly pop the hood, take clean paper towels/rags/whatever and wipe the reservoir down especially around the cap. Keep up on that and you should be fine.
2, buy a pack of hair scrunchies and put one around/under the installed power steering cap. That'll suck up fluid. Replace them as needed.
#7
If the alternator is already showing death signs by not putting out enough power, I can't see how anything short of replacing or rebuilding it could save it. You do need to fix the power steering leak though.
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#10
ok that sounds good after having 175K miles its probably about that time to replace it. I dont know what happend to the engine repairs or maintance since before i had it. soo yeah ill do that clean it up and take pics before and after
#11
Do you mean the low pressure hose?
and let me clarify.......if you have a factory PS fluid cooler (metal pipe in the picture below) you can just buy some 3/8" heater hose...attach to the port on the reservoir and then to the cooler port.
If you don't have the cooler........you need to buy the molded rubber/metal hose.
Hopefully the reservoir isn't cracked.
And the 3/8" heater hose I'm talking about is bought by the foot from the reel.
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Last edited by LS6427; 02-22-2011 at 10:25 PM.
#12
When I cleaned mine with WD-40 the black nasty puddle under my car was 2 foot in doameter, all PS fluid that was caked onto it.
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#13
ill post up pics of the underside of the car tomorrow, everytime i do change my oil the bottom of the engine has like an oily residue on it and the right side the rack n pinion is all oily also...there is a leak somewhere but not enough to where im losing quarts of oil. but ill def check the ps pump lines and clean it off with the formula 88 and wd-40
#14
if i need to replace that hose, how would i go about bending it, or are you tlkin about those 2 smaller hoses going into the metal thing? if thats the case i wouldnt have to bend them correct?
#15
One of the hoses goes to the rack and the other end of that line is metal. The other one goes to the bottom of the reservoir and the entire hose is rubber.
If you have the cooler.....this is great time to spend $40.00 and get rid of it and put an aftermarket cooler on the car. The factory coolers don't cool, they are complete garbage, and one day, like mine did, it will leak power steering cooler into your radiator and muck up your cooling system.
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#16
Do yourself a favor and make your power steering pump last longer...and no more worry about WHEN your power steering cooler will spring a leak.
Check this out...there's a couple options to do. It will cost about $40.00 in parts and literally 15-20 minutes of work with just a philips screwdriver and razor knife.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...g+fluid+cooler
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Check this out...there's a couple options to do. It will cost about $40.00 in parts and literally 15-20 minutes of work with just a philips screwdriver and razor knife.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...g+fluid+cooler
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#17
ill check tomorrow or thursday to see if i have it, thats a great little thing though. easy to do and cheap. but ill definitly be cleaning up the engine bay and alt. for sure
#19
Then you go to the parts store and get an upper radiator hose...but tell the parts guy you need the one without the PS fluid cooler. He will then hand you a complete and total one piece rubber hose. Thats it, then you clamp it on to the radiator and water pump.
Buy one bottle of power steering fluid.
Also at the store pick up any 4 channel cooler (or whatever type of cooler you like) like you see in my pictures and zip tie it to the frame. Then take those two ends that you cut off the pipe and clamp them to the new cooler. ((I personally bought a new 4 foot piece of 3/8" heater hose and replaced the hose coming off the bottom port of the reservoir. The hose coming from the rack is a specially made part, no need to replace it unless its leaking)).
Start the engine, turn the wheel a little bit left and right, then top off the PS fluid.
Done.
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#20
niiiice ill look under the car to see if i do or not, i ended up replaceing the alternator and the smell is gone and the volt gauge is up and normal. i used a whole can of degreaser and i still have some spots to clean on the engine haha DIRTY!!! No One here carries formula 88 either. and if i dont have the ps cooler ill go ahead and buy the cooler and 3/8's hose n hook it up.