Coolant Smell After Driving and Temperature Gauge Reading

[richord]

I just purchased a 2015 LR4. After driving it and parking I can smell coolant. It is a faint smell and there are not leaks. The cross over pipes had been replaced by the previous owner. Is this smell normal.

The engine temperature gauge displays a bar about 1/4 of the way up the bar. Is this the normal operating temperature display.

Thanks!

 

[Nechaken]

If it was *just* replaced, sometimes there's a bit of smell as coolant that may have spilled out during the replacement evaporates/burns off.

I've had 2 LR4s, once it warms up, the temp gauge reads pretty much right in the middle of the bar.

How's the coolant level in the expansion tank? I'd keep an eye on it and see if it goes down over time.

 

[richord]

Thanks. The cross over pipes were changed in 2022. The coolant tank is full now.

I'm concerned about the temperature gauge if it's reading that low. Will try to locate the sensor and use a infrared thermometer to see what it reads for comparison. Or look at the OBD if it shows temperature readings.

 

[ugmw177]

did po replace rear heat manifold [rear crossover] at the same time?

 

[jlglr4]

Regarding the temp, mine also sits right in the middle of the gauge. 1/4 up is a little low. Not sure that it would have much impact.

The v8 thermostat runs a little cooler than the v6 thermostat, so it might be that the previous owner had the wrong t-stat installed. Some people have done this on purpose thinking that it is better to run a little cooler, but I can also see this happening by mistake. I have no idea whether it is better to run the car a little cooler or not.

 

[richord]

The rear cross over pipe was changed.

My bad. I wasn't reading the dash temperature gauge properly!

I have the Gap IID tool and looked at the live temperature and its fine.

Still concerned about the smell of coolant. I suspect it might be burning off so there are no visible leaks. I'll monitor the coolant level carefully.

Not sure if dye would be of any help in this case?

 

[powershift]

I'd have the system checked because there are many con men out there. But I too smelt coolant after I did all mine. Smelt it in the Mohave desert heat while off-roading, doing a turn around or whatever. I was confident there were no leaks so I let it go. It took months really, but now I don't smell it at all. Last summer it was 122F in the shade for a week, not a hint of a problem.

 

[timc930]

Just to be safe, I’d be cking the coolant tank every morning before I drive for a while until you are confident no leak.

 

[mm3846]

I'd have the system checked because there are many con men out there. But I too smelt coolant after I did all mine. Smelt it in the Mohave desert heat while off-roading, doing a turn around or whatever. I was confident there were no leaks so I let it go. It took months really, but now I don't smell it at all. Last summer it was 122F in the shade for a week, not a hint of a problem.

My truck smelled for years and then the front crossover finally let go a little over a month ago. I barely added any coolant before that.

I replaced everything and it still smells in extreme heat. But so does my wife’s brand new VW.

 

[ugmw177]

factory coolant is able to be seen with a UV light. You can poke around with that and see what you can find but with supercharger in place, you will not be able to see much of the suspects