Coolant Smell & Silicone Hoses?

[ViperTony]

I smell coolant after a good run but I can't find any leaks, anywhere whatsoever. Coolant level is fine, I haven't had to top it off, the overflow bottle is fine. If I shove my nose in the engine bay, I swear the smell is coming/eminating from the silicone radiator hoses I recently installed. Am I insane or is this a strong possibility?

 

[plumcrazy]

no leaks ? wet under the engine anywhere ?

 

[ViperTony]

no leaks ? wet under the engine anywhere ?

Nope, nothing, everything is clean. The silicon hoses smell of coolant.

 

[dave6666]

Yes you are insane. Did you retorque the clamps after a few heat cycles. I also have the Roe hoses and smell coolant all the time but my car eats radiators too

 

[ViperTony]

Yes you are insane. Did you retorque the clamps after a few heat cycles. I also have the Roe hoses and smell coolant all the time but my car eats radiators too

LOL...mine is not eating radiators yet. I didn't retorque the clamps yet, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Steve-Indy]

We have had Roe silicone radiator hoses on 5 Vipers for several years (about 7 years)...have not seen hoses weep or delaminate. I have seen small drip from one hose on Gen II car about a year after installation. As posted, one needs to lightly "nudge" the clamps periodically...realizing that on initial installation, one is cautioned against use of vigorous champ tension as this may damage the hose at the outset.

I have seen a small leak around the bleeder valve on a friend's Gen II upper radiator hose that occurred about 4-5 years after installation. Sean offers a fix kit...can be done as a "minimally invasive" procedure..as I have posted ithe past.

 

[ViperTony]

Thanks Steve. These are not the Roe hoses but SnakeOyl. They don't have the bleeder valve on them, frankly, I never had a problem properly filling/burping the system so I decided to not get Roe's bleeder upgrade. I used smooth clamps so they won't dig into the material once torqued. I probably went a little light on the torque. There are no signs of weeping but if I follow the smell it leads me to the clamps so I'll start there. Thx.

 

[JonB]

Thanks Steve. These are not the Roe hoses but SnakeOyl. They don't have the bleeder valve on them, frankly, I never had a problem properly filling/burping the system so I decided to not get Roe's bleeder upgrade. I used smooth clamps so they won't dig into the material once torqued. I probably went a little light on the torque. There are no signs of weeping but if I follow the smell it leads me to the clamps so I'll start there. Thx.

It only takes a tiny amount of that acrid coolant aroma to attack your nose....the weeped fluid evaporates and does not show wetness.....but if you looked inside the post-clamp lip, there will likley be green [or red] residue...

The smoothe no-bite clamps reguire more torque than the standard hose clamps.

 

[Jack B]

It only takes a tiny amount of that acrid coolant aroma to attack your nose....the weeped fluid evaporates and does not show wetness.....but if you looked inside the post-clamp lip, there will likley be green [or red] residue...

The smoothe no-bite clamps reguire more torque than the standard hose clamps.

My car had the same issue since the day I installed the silicone hoses.

 

[Viper Specialty]

I have seen this many times. The silicon hoses permeate the coolant smell. You likely dont have a leak.

 

[gsav69]

I'll give you my assessment. I have a coolant smell most if not all the time. I actually took the front fascia off thinking it was the overflow bottle on the passenger's side under the light to find that the overflow bottle was fine but is vented to the atmosphere. I really smell it when I drive the car on super hot days or more aggressively. I bet if you were to sniff your driver's side wheel well you don't smell it nearly as strong as you do when you sniff your front passenger's side wheel well.

Oh...i have an overflow bottle I bought from chuck now sitting on my shelf if anyone needs one! mine was fine...it just needed a lil coolant!

 

[Randy Forbes]

JohnB (& I) chased a miniscule leak after I installed silicone hoses. Yes, they must be retightened after a few heat cycles.

In John's case (94 R/T10) the hose with the bleed was weeping a bit, but where it fit onto the thermostat (not at the air bleed). The drops would land in the V and evaporate. It took us (John) a while to figure this out.

That was about 2-3 years ago; I changed his coolant over the weekend, and I'm waiting for the phone to ring...

So, when he asked me to do his annual oil change, fresh coolant and belts, I thought he meant the serpentine drive belt...

... not these belts!

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[ViperTony]

It only takes a tiny amount of that acrid coolant aroma to attack your nose....the weeped fluid evaporates and does not show wetness.....but if you looked inside the post-clamp lip, there will likley be green [or red] residue...

The smoothe no-bite clamps reguire more torque than the standard hose clamps.

I retorqued my clamps today (smoothie clamps and no residue) and while I was checking everything out I noticed a drop or two of coolant along the heater core area. I didn't pay much attention to it until I was burping her and as I was squeezing the upper rad hose I can see more coolant pooling up. Took off the air inlet thingy and found a puddle of coolant around the heater control valve. Upon checking the clamps they were all loose. I must've had premature ********* when I was eager to start the Viper with the new engine work that I forgot to torque down these clamps after replacing some heater core hoses. Doh!

Thanks for the tiips but at the end of the day I've come to the conclusion that these silicone radiator hoses simply wreak but don't leak. Not a fan of them and I'll probably put my stockers back on at some point. Besides the smell of diff fluid...I despise, even more, the smell of coolant. Although truth be told, I was hoping I had a leak with my radiator so that I could undertake the Radiator Journey of Enlightenment that Dave went through.

 

[dave6666]

I was hoping I had a leak with my radiator so that I could undertake the Radiator Journey of Enlightenment that Dave went through.

Better check that bullship I've had the same one in the car for 2 weeks now

Oh and the last known Alan's 3-pass NIB is $1,000,000.00 cash I keep it in the vault next to my bottle opener

 

[Vipuronr]

Interesting discussion! I've been contemplating changing over to silicone rad hoses and maybe the heater hose on passenger side air box. Still not sure if I would like all that red in the engine compartment.

Has anyone changed their hoses to red? If so, would you mind posting a couple of pics!

Having recently heard Tony's RT, that is what I want my RT to sound like when it grows up!

 

[dave6666]

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[AZTVR]

Still not sure if I would like all that red in the engine compartment.

Has anyone changed their hoses to red? If so, would you mind posting a couple of pics!

I replaced mine with black silicone hoses. Red would be a bit too much for my tastes on a gray car; but, doesn't look out of place at all in Dave's car !

 

[ViperTony]

Better check that bullship I've had the same one in the car for 2 weeks now

Oh and the last known Alan's 3-pass NIB is $1,000,000.00 cash I keep it in the vault next to my bottle opener

I think you've cornered the market on quality radiator supply, LOL.

Oh, and I should mention to everyone (if it matters to ya) that I have the SnakeOyl silicone hoses and not the Roe silicone hoses. Don't know if there's a difference but mine are stinky. But I've learned to live with them today and so long as I'm traveling xxxmph I don't smell anything anymore.

 

[RT/ED]

I switched to the silicone hoses a few years ago (Roe Racing hoses). Antifreeze smell after most drives. Happy to see this thread to learn that I am not the only one with this issue. No loss of fluid, drips or any signs of seepage around any of the hose ends. Based on others experience, it appears that this may just be a characteristic of the silicone hoses.

 

[AZTVR]

I switched to the silicone hoses a few years ago (Roe Racing hoses). Antifreeze smell after most drives. Happy to see this thread to learn that I am not the only one with this issue. No loss of fluid, drips or any signs of seepage around any of the hose ends. Based on others experience, it appears that this may just be a characteristic of the silicone hoses.

I just installed silicone hoses a few months ago, before some very hot weather driving. I have NOT noticed any coolant smell. I couldn't say who made the hoses. I bought them through PartsRack.

I did use the constant torque Breeze clamps. I wonder if that is the "trick" to getting zero seepage. I figured that was a good solution.

I find it difficult to believe that the coolant is going through the hose material.

 

[dave6666]

I've been in the chemical engineering field for just half a click short of 30 years, and you better believe it, permeability is a constant issue in materials of construction.

 

[jdeft1]

Your engine looks pristine Dave... Do you drive that car??

I have a slight coolant odor and silicone hoses (Snake Oyl)... No drips and the system holds pressure cold for at least 3 days. But..

I'm starting to think about the permeability of the crossover casting.... I think I read somewhere that some of the early crossovers were suspect.

Maybe I'll have a closer look over the winter.

 

[AZTVR]

I've been in the chemical engineering field for just half a click short of 30 years, and you better believe it, permeability is a constant issue in materials of construction.

I've been in electrical engineering for 30+ years and I can attest to the fact that no matter what they use to insulate wires with, it is never good enough to keep all of the smoke inside when used under extreme conditions.

(Thanks for the input, Dave.)

 

[dave6666]

Your engine looks pristine Dave... Do you drive that car??

My car has 41,500 miles. None of which are on jack stands.

 

[dave6666]

I've been in electrical engineering for 30+ years and I can attest to the fact that no matter what they use to insulate wires with, it is never good enough to keep all of the smoke inside when used under extreme conditions.

(Thanks for the input, Dave.)

Electrical permeation, or resistance to current flow aka insulation, is much different than molecular permeation by a liquid chemical compound. My industry is electrochemical manufacturing, so I have to deal with both. Electrically charged liquid chemical permeation. I can turn stainless steel into a rusty mess in a few minutes at the office with our process.

I don't deal with glycol as a engineering issue even though we make chemicals with propylene glycol and have chilled water systems using glycols, and the same thing with silicone. Not much of it within my sight either. But I have to be careful what's on the other side of my solid Teflon pipe because what's on the inside goes through it. And so on.

 

[vancouver-gts]

Guys , the factory spring clamp at the radiator is a thick and perfectly round piece . The neck it goes on is oval , so I've noticed after a spirited driving there's a small steam blowby appears with my car and I can smell it. A regular s/s wormscrew type clamp should conform much better to the oval shaped neck.

 

[Greg 99ACR Red and Silver]

In addition to these inputs, check the heater valve inlet hose clamp (at the right rear of the engine compartment).

This was the culprit on my GTS. You could smell the small leak because it is close to the interior air intake. I sliced a little off the hose and put on a new screw type clamp.

 

[crazyspeed]

I'm hoping Chuck Tator will weigh in on this...I believe he is aware of a problem with the heater hoses.

Also, someone mentioned to me recently that GM recommends and sells "sealant tablets" to be added to it's alluminum engines....I've never heard of this until just recently...would this be a good idea for a alloy V10 engine?