labmd

Edit: coolant leak, throttle body bypass line. I drove about five miles and smelled almonds...five miles home and I smelled almonds and had engine smoking. What should I do?

Psionic

Burnt almonds smell = cyanide?

sc250tt

cheack for almonds .lol juk kiddin is it burning coolant or oil ?cheack fliud levels

labmd

I was afraid to check the fluids last night. Oil level is ok, but maybe looks a little yellow. I changed the oil 100 miles ago. The coolant reservoir is down 2/3rds. When I started it up for a minute steam/smoke is coming from the back of the engine and a steady stream of coolant is coming from the same area. The temperature level hasn't gotten past half way since I got the car. I can't see what is leaking. When I get it up on stands what should I be looking for?

96gti2.0t

if the oil looks a little yellow could be a headgasket check compression

sc250tt

there is a heater line behind the head .mines broke and did the same thing .its a pita without the right tools hope thats your problem good luck

labmd

The oil level hasn't changed since I changed it and (I think?) with a blown head gasket the oil level would've changed considering how much coolant is coming out. Shortly after I start the car with the climate control off, I have two steady streams running past the front and back of the piece that runs behind and parallel to the cross member.

I got under and on top of it while it was leaking, contorting my long, skinny arms everywhere but I can't feel or see the source of the leak. It is coming somewhere from above the right cat. Above that the firewall insulation is wet. Could the water by-pass pipe be leaking? Any suggestions of what is leaking and how I can find it?

sc250tt

i jus told you what it is

mikeloc24

Perhaps you weren't clear when you said the "heater line behind the head"

labmd

I think I found it. Its the rear coolant by-pass line for the throttle body (I think). It runs from under the TB toward the firewall, turns 90 degrees down then has a two inch rubber hose connected. I got the top squeeze clap off. The bottom one is going to take more patiences. What special tool would make this easier?

labmd

Yup, that was the problem, "heater line behind head", throttle body heater line behind head!

Almost three weeks later, I fixed it. I managed the bottom clap off with two different bent (angled? offset?) slip pliers. $45 for the right pair of hose clap pliers would have been excessive, I choose the pita way. A hemostat was the right tool to replace the bottom squeeze hose clap around the straight hose, eventhough I had bought worm gear drive claps.

Theoretically the problem was an extra long piece of hose under the TB that made the line longer thus bending the failing, other hose and causing the metal line from the engine to cut it from the inside through. I guess when I was testing the ABS, the engine moved forward enough to cut through the cords running through the hose and then failure was just a few stops away.

I had to replace the 2" hose with a 4.5" one. I couldn't get the metal line from the TB to the original size 2" hose and the 4.5" hose had less sharp bends. When the weather warms, I'll remove and overhall the TB, shorten the hose under it and replace it's missing clap.

In the meantime, I'll only take short trips and try not to drive too hard. Would it help if I took the reservoir cap off? I hope 5/16" ID is the right size hose for these foreign cars.