Santa FE SM (2001-06) :: Antifreeze Smell From Under Hood - Radiator Replacement?
Mar 19, 2012
2002 Santa Fe with 140K. Superbly well maintained.
I notice . Looked all around....then on the radiator toward the top where the metal meets the plastic. I noticed wetness across the entire radiator. Thought it may be coming from the upper hose and spreading across....Replaced the upper hose....Not the problem.
Still has anti freeze seeping across the radiator / plastic area. Does the mean the entire radiator needs replacing? I have searched the forums and seems like no one had replaced a radiator on the Santa.
Is the radiator breaking down. Oh, it's NOT the water pump.
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I have a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe with a 3.5L engine and 92,000 miles.
For the past week or so, I have noticed a very slight smell of antifreeze/radiator fluid every once in a while. I assumed that it is a radiator hose leak or possibly a leak in the heater core. But, the vehicle does not overheat, there is no steam or fog inside that would indicate a possible heater core leak, and the radiator fluid level seemed full or almost full (although the radiator overflow container was empty). I added a little water to the radiator and filled the overflow container to make sure there was plenty of radiator fluid in the system.
I haven't seen any radiator fluid on the ground around the vehicle at anytime. When I open the hood, I don't see any leaking hoses. I took off the engine cover to see better, and I don't see any leak around the water pump, or dripping from the pump, or dripping from any hoses, etc. But, BELOW the water pump is something made of cast metal that I am guessing is the automatic transmission(?) -- I really don't know what it is. And, sitting in some valleys or crevices in that part are small pools of green fluid that clearly looks and smells like radiator fluid with antifreeze.
I ran the vehicle for a long time while watching to see if I could create or see the leak or anything dripping etc. But I don't see anything other than
those pools of green liquid just sitting there. I tried moving or wiggling the hoses, and nothing changed. I also tried keeping it running with the heat on high, then later with the AC on high -- still no change. Then I tried using paper towels and sopping up what I could that was in these valleys/crevices, then I drove it again (but only for about 4 miles so far) and I don't see any new fluid in the crevices or anywhere else.
Here are 5 photos that I took with the engine cover off while the green fluid was still there. The photos go from a wider angle overall view down to a view of the green puddles from a slight angle and then down to a top view of the green puddles.
[URL] ....
Where you may see dark areas on the water hoses near the water pump, they are just shadows created by the flash or the sun or whatever. The hoses themselves are all one color and are not wet etc.
My questions:
Am I correct that where the small green puddles are is the automatic transmission?
Is it possible that there is some connection between that (the automatic transmission(?)) and the radiator cooling system?
Is it possible that the cooling system somehow also cools the automatic transmission (or whatever that is)?
If so, could the leak be right there -- maybe where that bolt or the other wire/connection piece is -- and the radiator fluid is coming UP from there? What this may be or where the leak is coming from?
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I can smell antifreeze under the hood, so I took it to be pressure tested. They found no leaks, but I can still smell it. When I add it to the reservoir, it goes down. What can I do ?
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Had numerous problems the last 9 months, and we've replaced the thermostat, water pump, clutch fan, flushed radiator. Last week we thought the heater core had died (air blowing cold, but gauge not indicating any overheating). But it just need flushing, had a clog. Has been kicking out the heat ever since.
What is bothering me though is that the temp gauge always seems to be right at the C, even after driving for a while. Before the van had issues, it stayed right between N and O.
Then this morning, I hear a loud pop, smell horrible burning antifreeze and smoke/steam pouring out from the hood (I managed to park it immediately, had just dropped son off at school). After I'm parked, all the antifreeze puddles underneath.
So hubby comes, and we see that the top radiator hose has blown, with a lovely crack/hole from one side to the other. Now, that hose was old, and probably was a big part of the problem.
We fixed it, and I just drove it again, but I am watching the gauge. And the van is blowing nice, HOT air from the heater. But the gauge is staying right at the C. Used to run between N and O. It is jumpy...not jumping towards hot, but little jumps...below the C, above the C, up to the N, back down to C...it just seems strange to me; it doesn't go past the N at all and spends most of its time at or below the C.
I guess I am wondering if there is any other reason why the hose could've blown this morning besides it being old and worn out....for example, excess heat and pressure building up that for some reason is not registering on the temp gauge? It's making me nervous. Is there something else besides the thermostat that could cause erratic temp gauge or cause gauge not to show me the true engine temp?
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Went to start my truck to leave work yesterday and blew the coil on #2. It's happened before and I can fix that. The other weird thing that happened was that the radiator leaked out some antifreeze. Not a lot, but a good 2 foot puddle. The reserve was still full and it leaked from the passenger side at the bottom (below the upper hose). Upper and lower hose show no sign of leakage. I suppose the drain is on the lower end of the passenger side of the radiator and it leaked from there. Would the compression from the engine cause that to happen? Or is it something more, dare I say, like the head gasket blew?
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Our Elantra never overheats or shows hot on the gauge but every couple months it is a little low on coolant. When I shut it down I sometimes get the sweet antifreeze smell. I see no leaks. Never a spot on the driveway. Just need to add a little. Car has about 80,000 miles. as a matter of annual maintenance I drain and fill the coolant and trans fluid once a year. Hoses are in good shape. The oil is clean and shows now sign of contamination. We Love this little car.
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My 06 Elantra with 115K miles on it broke down in the middle of the road on Thursday. The smoke was coming from under the hood. Towed it in to a Hyundai dealer, they looked at it on Friday and told me I needed a new radiator, the old one cracked at the upper seam line (whatever that means). I told them to go ahead with replacing a radiator, which they did. Today, Saturday morning, same problem, the car is blowing smoke from under the hood, spilling the coolant on the road. Towed it back to the dealer again. They say that the new radiator broke down, it cracked in the same spot as the last one and they're trying to figure out what's going on. Haven't heard from them again today and they're closed right now. I hope they will fix it on Monday. What might be causing this problem? Are there any other parts that might be causing the radiator to break like this? Is this a common problem for Elantra XD?
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We now have a new problem. Motor is leaking antifreeze out of what i will call a weeping hole in the on the #5 cylinder side of the block. The hole, which is manufactured in the block. Is where the antifreeze is seeping from. The hole is located above the bottom bolt an just below the top bolt for the transmission. the hole is on the block. I think that there might be a freeze out plug on the back of the motor block where the leak is coming from. The block was not leaking before we removed the heads for valve job.
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I have a 2006 2.7 gls awd santa fe ,the alternator bearing went bad and got stuck took the alternator to a repair shop to get fixed, put it back on the santa fe the alternator worked just fine now i have the radiator fan and ac fan not working, I turn the ac on and none of then work I wait for the car to heat up and nothing happens I check the radiator fan by connecting it directly to the battery and it works fine ,i have swap the horn relay with the radiator relay and it is working fine. I will check net the fuses, then the thermostat and later on the temperature sensor.
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My daughters radiator fan would not turn on, and I isolated it to this connector that connects the radiator fan to the wiring harness. The problem is that I've tried for a hour trying to unplug the darn thing, but it won't come apart. I've opened the two covers on each side and see the burnt wire, but I've been pinching the little pincher thingy and pulling and it won't come apart. I see Hyundai has a replacement connector (91200-26000-fff) but the dealers are now closed till Tuesday. Need to get it apart & is replacing with another connector from an auto parts store advised?
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Today I noticed my 2003 santa fe was leaking coolant. I got under it and noticed it was coming from a small red cap under the radiator on the driver side. I figured it was the drain cap. It's kinda hidden so it will be hard to remove and replace so any tips on how to do this.
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I've noticed that my radiator hose doesn't have any pressure anymore, even after a long drive you can squeeze it nearly together, it is still hot like normal and the heater puts out hot air, the temperature gauge sits between half way between 1/4 and 1/2, would this be the radiator it's self, the thermostat or the water pump that may need replacing, there is no leaks that I can find or see...
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My 2005 Santa Fe, 2.7 liter, automatic, FWD. with 180K miles had a cracked radiator. The leak is in the front of the radiator about 6 inches right of the filler neck (as you stand looking at the front of the car).
I've found an OEM replacement radiator and looking to replace this weekend.
I can see I need to remove most of the front grill and support, drain the radiator, move some parts out of the way and disconnect to hoses and fan electrical leads. Is there anything else I'm missing? Is there a good write-up on a radiator change that I'm missing?
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So a few days ago, I decided to check the anti-freeze for adequacy. It was just replaced with the timing belt / water pump job; but I'm a pilot, and I'm accustomed to checking things for myself. Lo and behold, the hydrometer didn't even register. I thought it was stuck, but then I noticed the oily film, and got scared. And then as I investigated further, I got puzzled.
The car had been driven maybe 500 miles since the timing belt / water pump job, had not overheated, and had not lost any coolant. The level in the radiator was up to the cap. Also, there was no oil at all in the radiator (at least that I could detect), and the concentration tested fine. But there was oil in the reservoir -- but it didn't look like crankcase oil. It was clear -- like water -- and felt a bit thinner than crankcase oil. Also, the outlet at the bottom of the reservoir was clogged.
There also was some sealant in the reservoir (it looked like the BarsLeak tablets), but none that I could detect in the radiator. That in itself doesn't bother me because a lot of people (including me) routinely toss a few tablets in the coolant -- Saturn used to do it from the factory -- but it does suggest at least the possibility of a previous coolant leak that someone treated with BarsLeak.
At the moment, there's no evidence of coolant loss, no water in the exhaust, no water in the oil, and no oil in the radiator. I haven't done a compression test. I did change the plugs, and there were no obvious coolant deposits on them. They were carbon-fouled, but considering that the PCV valve was clogged and the mileage on the plugs, that didn't surprise me.
So what I'm postulating is that the previous owner's son (who was the primary driver of the car) mistakenly poured some sort of engine oil additive, power steering additive, or something else intended for use elsewhere, into the reservoir; and the mechanic who did the timing belt and water pump didn't notice it (which also kind of bothers me).
The fact that the power steering pump had a bit of chatter would tend to reinforce that hypothesis. I've been doing a gradual replacement of the power steering fluid, which seems to have quieted things down. It was black as tar when I started, so I probably should completely replace it. I may do that this coming weekend. In any case, I removed, cleaned, and unclogged the coolant reservoir, replaced it, refilled it, and everything seems fine. It's kind of baffling, though.
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As I fill my radiator it quickly leaks on top where the black plastic area is. Does that require a radiator replacement? 2005 Santa Fe ....
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2.7L V6 here. It's got a loud ticking noise under the hood that sounds like it is coming from about the middle of the head closest to the front. It's been doing this for a long time now and is finally bugging me. The noise is related to RPMs meaning that as you rev the motor it gets faster (but not really louder). When I pulled the valve cover about a year ago both heads had lots of gunked up old burned oil which I cleaned up as much as possible. It doesn't throw any codes and runs just fine.
I'm about 99.9% sure I've got a collapsed lash adjuster(s). Is there a way to test it without pulling it? Can I pull the valve cover and have someone turn the engine over a few times to check for oil pumping from the lash adjusters? Is there a way to press it and see if it moves without pulling the cams? Any options to try and clean them while still in the motor?
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Last thursday night my wife said she had no heat in her car (03 gx470). I didn't know what to do so on Friday I did some research at work. On Friday my wife drove the car to work and back. Before she left work I asked her to look at the temp gauge and she never noticed it going over normal temp. On Saturday morning, I checked the radiator and it was practically empty so I drove it 3 miles to a shop to have them diagnose the leak problem. while in front of the shop I noticed antifreeze leaking from the radiator so I drove the truck home without them doing anything. Temp gauge never surpassed the middle.
I drove the truck home with the intention of replacing the radiator but I can't get the part until tomorrow (Monday) so to save time, I drained the radiator and pulled it out. I got less than 1/2 gallon from draining it. The coloring was red and green, which made me think tranny fluid and coolant but it wasn't milky and as I thought about it I recall when i did the 90k service with my bro (former toyo mech) the blocks where never drained so I'm guessing that I absent mindedly mixed green prestone with toyo coolant. Probably the reason my radiator is leaking?
After taking the radiator out, I didn't drain the coolant from the block valves, but I think it would be good to do that just to get an idea of whether or not its empty.
This morning i was thinking i should do a full flush after i replace the radiator, but since it would be impossible to open the valve on one side perhaps a flush isn't the right thing to do. Not sure if I should do a tranny dump and fill.
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I've got some dripping of antifreeze on my 2000 Explorer. I figured maybe I'd try a recommended "stop-leak" product...
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I have a 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe 2.4L that keeps blowing the ECU fuse under the hood when the ignition is turned on. We have replace the fuel pump and the inertia switch. I have tested the relay, ignition failure sensor, both coils and O2 sensor wiring.
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I was teaching my kid how to drive in a parking lot and noticed white smoke coming from the front when parked. There seems to be a leak on the top side of the radiator, where the plastic top connects to the aluminum body. I also noticed that radiator fan does not come up at all. Outside temp was around 40F but I would think it should have come on when driving at 5-15 mph in a parking lot for 1+ hours. Temp gauge is on the left side of the middle indicator so technically the engine is not overheated, unless the temp probe is bad. What's the best way to troubleshoot this? I have a 2005 Santa Fe 3.5L GLS FWD.
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I went for a hour drive tonight after i brought car back to garage i could smell a distinct odor of anti freeze or fumes that would exit the radiator. I checked under the car no leak i looked in the engine compartment looking for perhaps a spill of antifreeze that might be resting on top of the front engine pan. I could not find any liquid.
The temp gauge when i was driving was a bit below mid way it usually as I remember is there or a bit lower. Where the smell is coming from I had the heat on for a bit in the car while top was down and i have no leaks in the interior of the car . The car is a 2005 I have 5940 miles on it . I bought it new in 2005 and I only drive it in good weather and on weekends .
I have not had any major service since the mileage is so low other then state inspections oil and filter regular changes done once a year Mobil 1 . Should I consider flushing the radiator and changing the anti freeze. As I said I don't drive it on long runs but I do use it a bit around town. When I lift the hood i can smell the anti freeze but cant find any.
What to look for. The coolant overflow reservoir cover was in place and all hoses looked good and there was some residual coolant in the tank as there should be and i could not see any steam or vapor coming off these parts.
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