zoomboomgr8

After searching the forum, I couldnt really find a solution to my problem.

Problem: My car is burning coolant. It smells sweet and a little bit of white smoke comes out of BOTH tailpipes, which makes me think that its not burning a lot of it. Other than that, there arent any problems. No powerloss, no warning lights. I have no clue what to do. Theres got to be a little leak somewhere.

But is it really necessary to get a new engine or are there alternative solutions. I havent went to the dealership in mississauga because i heard it was crap. Where should i go? If i need a knew engine, will mazda cover it? I have all of the receipts of maintenance.

georgemagana

the only way to fix this is to rebuild the engine. The engine has i think 2 types of gaskets for the coolant and when they break 1 leaks to the outside of the engine ( it happened to me and got a new engine under warranty) and 1 that leaks into the engine thaats why it smells sweet and you see the white smoke! take your car into the dealer and WATCH your coolant level lol dont let it go below normal

RXeligion

There is a possibility, given the symptoms you've mentioned, that your inner seals may be leaking on the intake portion of your motor. If it were the compression or exhaust portions, you would have WAY worse problems than white smoke in your exhaust.

Having said that, there is also the possibility that your engine may just be running rich. This will also cause white smoke and a sweet smell in your exhaust. You should definitely take it to Mazda for them to determine which it is, if you can't figure it out yourself. Running rich is MUCH cheaper to fix.

Like the original reply says, check your engine temp and coolant level frequently. If your engine light comes on, pull over and shut it off, especially if your engine temp spikes.

Mazda has been replacing engines for 04's lately. I can't tell you if they will replace yours, or not.

R.P.M.

iTrader: (1)

I just replaced an engine for a customer with the same problem, once I had his engine out and on the ground about 1/2 L of coolant poured out the exhaust ports.
He bought a re-man engine through my local dealer and I swapped it in. It was cheaper than having it rebuilt.

BTW, his car ran and drove totally fine but it was inevitable that something was wrong and was only going to get worse. He decided to get a new engine in before the summer so he didn't miss any driving when something catastrophic happened lol.

zoomboomgr8

Thanks for the replies guys. My car has never overheated. I always watch my temp gauge for no particular reason while I drive. Its just a habit. My coolant light did come on but then it went away once I topped it off, and its never come back since. I thought coolant seals were the problem if the car has been driven when its been overheated? You don't think there could be a leak somewhere else?

zoomboomgr8

Also, the smell is coming from the front. If I sit in the car and turn on the vents, that's when it smells the most. So I guess there really is a leak in the intake? The exhaust smells normal.

s3raphic

I was running with coolant light on most of last summer. A few weeks ago I just went ahead and replaced the whole unit $282 all together, its nice to have peace of mind...

R.P.M.

iTrader: (1)

So now your describing an external coolant leak.

No puddles on the ground?

Have the coolant system pressure tested.

RXeligion

/\ What he said.

Also... Is it possible that you spilled a little coolant or filled 'er too full? That will also cause a sweet smell.

If you're only smelling it in your car... you could be leaking though your heater core but I think you would have picked up on that from the puddles at your feet.

RPM... do you think he could be leaking into his throttle body? Have you ever seen that before?

If your internal seals get bad enough, you will pressurize your coolant system with exhaust pressure and blow coolant out of your resevoir. That will cause a sweet smell, puddles, spiked coolant temp (almost instantly) and and a CEL.
My point is... make sure your resevoir doesnt overflow while your engine is running... Its a BFD if it does.

zoomboomgr8

damn.. i definitely filled her too full.

BlackRX82006

iTrader: (1)

New engine!

zoomboomgr8

update: external coolant leak + leak in radiator lines + water pump leak +leak in oil pan = no need for a new engine but pricey repairs. I get my car back on tuesday. thanks for the inputs

RXeligion

Thats one leaky engine! At least you know! Good luck with the repairs!

P.S. reconsider the coolant you put your motor. Bad coolant chemistry could have caused all of these issues.

zoomboomgr8

will do! thanks=)

tonik

I assume its the mixture (50/50 or something) not the brand..so what is the right chemistry because I will flush my coolant soon..

R.P.M.

iTrader: (1)

The right chemistry is 50/50 mix with distilled water.

Now the color and brand of coolant does matter, go with whatever Mazda recommends. I believe it is normal green coolant concentrate.

BMW uses blue
Porsche/Mercedes uses clear
VW/Audi uses pink

I've come across enough Euro cars recently using normal green coolant that have leaking water pump seals, corroded rad hose connections, leaky/bulging hoses, damaged aluminum cylinder heads to know that following the manufactures recommendation is key!

zoomboomgr8

Damnit that's probably why that happened to me. Well, now I know. FML

zoomboomgr8

P.S. I got my car back today from the dealer. I missed it so much. My car hugged me after I said I was sorry for f*#!?ing it up. Rx-8 love for real

tonik

You've used the wrong color or wrong mixture?

zoomboomgr8

wrong colour...

R.P.M.

iTrader: (1)

What colour did you have in it? and what did Mazda put in it now?

zoomboomgr8

i put in blue. i dont know what colour i have in it. but only use fl22 from mazda!