Hey guys! I need help. I noticed for like the past year I've had to add lots of coolant, about once every 6-8 weeks! I know this is tooooo often. I keep the car in the garage and haven't noticed any leaks. Lately I am noticing a strong smell of coolant after driving. Faint smell when I park outside but very strong when I pull in the garage!! I don't smell it inside the car either.
I also noticed in late summer that the fans ran alot when I'd run the a/c..

anyone have a clue on what i need to do

 

Both fans operate when the a/c is on. Have you tried tracking down and looking for any leaks at the hoses or clamps, or did you just check for spots on the ground? Most common place is leaks at the hoses. Do you notice any smoke or vapors from the exhaust, does the exhaust have a sweet smell to it like coolant?

 

Since you didn't see any leaks, have the cooling system tested for leaks and for combustion gases. Could be a simple thing as a bad gas cap or something serious like a blown gasket. Being that you can smell coolant, it could be coolant leaking on top of an exhaust pipe and getting vaporized, or coolant getting into the combustion chamber and coming out of the exhaust as bad smelling steam.

 

I checked today while getting a scan at autozone. An employee and myself looked under the hood with the engine running and everything appeared dry. I haven't noticed any smoke either

 

Do what Pete said, you can have the cap tested and they can also pressurize the system to help check for leaks and also do a test to check for gases in the system which would indicate a head gasket leak.

How's the oil level look, does it ever have to be refilled at random intervals like the coolant?

 

oil level seems fine. I burn about 2 quarts within 3000 miles.. ok, this may sound stupid but how do I test the cap?

 

They do that for you. Take the cap off and take it in and they pressure test it for you.

I thought the "accepted" amount of oil consumption was 1 qt. per 2000 miles, maybe someone else can clear that up.

 

Thanks!! I'm not sure on the oil thing..I drive alot, I thought it was normal to burn that much

 

ok, i did a test today, i checked the coolant level which was very low again, so I went and bought a jug. I added about 95% of the jug to the add coolant resivoir, closed it tight and started the engine to look for any leaks. After a few minutes I noticed coolant spewing from the vent hole of the add coolant cap!!?!?!? Any idea what this could be? I'm guessing some sort of clog... HELP!!!

 

There isn't a vent hole that I know of. There is a port hole right below the rad cap where a line should be attached. That line runs from the rad to the overflow tank.