Engine Coolant Odor Present

[GTCX9WantOneBAD]

I have an 08 GT CX-9 with 2,200 miles on it. I recently starting noticing engine coolant odor coming from under the hood when the car is running at normal operating temp according to the Temp Gauge (at normal ops temp it reads slightly to the bottom half of the halfway hash mark). In my experience with cars, I've never smelled coolant odor unless the car was overheating. However, I've never seen the temp gauge go above the halfway hash mark. This leads me to suspect that either the gauge is giving me a false reading or my Radiator Cap pressure spring is weaker than it's suppose to be and allowing coolant to overflow into the coolant overflow container. Has anyone had any experience with their CX-9 and smelling radiator coolant coming from under the Hood?

Thanks in advance....

[AZ-CX9]

Actually I have noticed this as well. When I pick up mail from community mailbox area I can smell it and occasionally after parking in garage shorlty after. I have looked for leaks and found none. Nor have I seen any drippings. I do believe the temp is normal as well as both gauge and engine compartment seem normal. Perhaps the overflow bottle is not well sealed.

[GTCX9WantOneBAD]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it is the job of the anti-freeze overflow container to catch boil overs...however, in my experience, the engine should never boil over into the overflow unless it is overheating or the radiator cap is faulty. In other cars you never smell it until they overheat and overflow into the container.

Does anyone else have this problem?

[Force-1]

YES--I have noticed this too, especially after I park it in my garage.

I have an appointment for a LOF Thursday, and I'm going to mention this. Plus the grinding sound I'm getting from my brakes.

[OMF]

Check your VIN number whether or not it is in the range!

Shouldn't apply since yours is an '08 but still...

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/cx-9/bulletin/01-036-07-1754-MSP15b.pdf

[GTCX9WantOneBAD]

Thanks for the MSB...my VIN is not listed in the range, but I will still check the tank lot number to see if it matches any on the MSB list.

Thanks....

[Force-1]

YES--I have noticed this too, especially after I park it in my garage.

I have an appointment for a LOF Thursday, and I'm going to mention this. Plus the grinding sound I'm getting from my brakes.

Got my CX-9 back from the dealer. They did a full coolant leak and pressure test--no leaks. They called Mazda and were told this coolant smell is normal since so much plastic, aluminum, etc., is used in the engine area.

They also ordered me new brake pads to try and fix the grinding sound I'm getting. Apparently others have complained about this, so there's a TSB on it.

[DSherwood]

Hi all,

Hope this gets to you after you've gotten your CX9 to "not" continue to offer up that smell. I have a 2008 AWD GT and it has for a year now continued to smell from time to time (almost random) and the dealer -after three specific visits did not find or fix the problem. They state the last time that the problem was a lower radiator hose and added a clamp, yes, it still is doing the odor thing.

it is a rediculous problem, Friday of this week, i am going in there to give them a copy of comments from this page and get them to pressure test and replace that tank. It makes sense that it is coming from the coolant tank/reserve. The tank is suppose to allow expansion and contraction of fluid from the radiator on a continual basis. The engine rpm primarily dictates it when the water pump is speeding up and slowing down all the time, based on throttle imputs. If you've ever had the cap off and hit the throttle, the rush of fluid is forced through the engine block. (I have noticed this mostly from experience with my race car when breaking in a new engine.) So, the reserve tank is filling and draining whenever the pressured radiator cap opens and closes.

The excuse of "plastic and other materials around the engine" is pure crap, there is no reason for it to happen other than a faulty design. I strongly believe that the radiator reserve tank is the culprit, especially when the dealer pressure tests the whole system without testing the reserve tank separately. I think a series of 2007 tanks were put into the 2008 lot on the beginning of that run (I could be wrong)

Please respond back if anyone has found the culprit and if my rant here is correct.

thanks,

DSherwood

[bronco1]

DSherwood:
The coolant tank(also known as a degas bottle) is part of the main cooling system and is pressure tested at the same time,as the rad cap is on the coolant tank.There is not a separate recovery tank.I work at a Ford dealership(my wife won the CX-9).We add a floresent coolant dye,have the customer drive the vehicle for a month or 2 and then check for coolant leaks using a black light.Hopefully your dealership has access to this method.

bronco1

[DSherwood]

thanks Bronco1, I spoke with the general manager and the service manager today, i am just tired of the car's odor. I just want it fixed. I'll ask them about the dye, it makes perfect sense. I thought they might have just put the pressure tester on the rad cap, thus removing the coolant tank from the system. thanks for giving me accurate data.

anybody gets theirs fixed, please pass it on, this is very annoying on such a great overall car.

[DSherwood]

got my car back from the mazda shop, when I got there, I put up the hood, the service manager came out and I took my finger and reached under the lower coolant hose to the overflow tank, and sure enough there was fluid on the bottom of it, end of story. Yes, mine is a 2008, and they pressure tested it at previous trips and wow amazing, no smell on the way home from installing a new tank! I have everyone to thank for responding to this as I printed it out, left the documentation on the dash for them to read (don't know if they did or not) the main point is, I got resolve and definitely know it smells like leather in the car, not a sweet hint of antifreeze. Now if we could get a blizzard to try out these new blizzak winter tires. Anyone using stock tires in ice conditions, well they deserve three season traction.

Thanks again,

DSherwood

[DSherwood]

Well, to no avail, the problem is still there, new coolant tank, pressure tested cap and it is coming out because the pressure is more than the 16 psi cap. the 48 hours of no smell was good, and back to mazda we go.

What would cause it besides something pressurizing the system beyond the norm (doubtful its a head gasket)

Bronco1, please if you have any suggestions, I'd certainly be happy to hear back.

DS

[DSherwood]

Any suggestions as to why the pressure is too great for the cap, they replaced the tank and sealed that up, it is something to do with the overall closed system, it pushes fluid out, when I slow down (25-30mph) the cabin fills with the smell of coolant. We know it is coming out the short hose at the pressure cap.

[bronco1]

First off,make sure the cooling system is not over filled hot,then proceed to step 1.(1) An air line pressure regulator and an accurate pressure gauge should be tapped into the cooling system.(2)The cooling system should then be pressurized slowly until the rad cap bleeds off pressure and note what the release pressure of the cap is.If it is lower than the specifications for the cap,then replace the cap and recheck,once this is ok then continue on with step 3.If there is leakage between the cap and the degas bottle,then lightly sand the sealing surface smooth and recheck,if it still leaks under the cap,then replace the cap-once any leakage from under the cap is stopped,then proceed to step 3.(3)If the cap is with-in specification or has been replaced,remove the pressure regulator and leave the pressure gauge hooked up and go for a road test.If the pressure exceeds the release pressure of the rad cap,the cooling fan operation needs to be checked,if this is ok then proceed to step 4.(4)Check the cooling system for the presence of combustion gases with a cooling system combustion gas tester.I don't know if Mazda has a tech hotline for the tech's to contact,but if they do,they should be contacting them for some additional factory engineer assistance.This is the proceedure that i would use in trying to find the cause of the coolant loss.Of course this would be after dye had been added to the cooling system and the vehicle driven until the coolant smell was evident and a black light was used to determine that the coolant was leaking from the cap vent hose.

Good luck; bronco1

[DSherwood]

could it be as simple as the fans are not coming on when slow in traffic? I never hear them come on.

Have appt on Monday, oh so tired of this.
thanks Bronco1,

It amazes me that people are willing (on here) to offer realistic advice when the troubleshooters should be the ones at the dealer. They have been acting like their doing me a great favor.

DS

[DSherwood]

it looks like the dealer has fixed the car, they kept it for four days, pressure tested it from dusk to dawn and it went down from 20 or so to 6 pounds. It ended up being the upper radiator hose, replaced it with a real clamp. I drove a new acadia, wow a good vehicle but felt like a tahoe and couldn't wait to get back in the '9. I sure missed the personality that the mazda has. nothing bad on the gmc, just lacking when compared to how the mazda feels.

DS

[cccx9]

the Acadia lacks zoom zoom

[DSherwood]

FYI, it sill leaks coolant, back in the dealership next week.

[TRXSandRacer02]

what is your vin, i am almost positive yoru vehicle is covered under the coolant sub tank recall, you should of had them check for open recalls first

[DSherwood]

Boy I wish that was it, they already replaced it, this one has Mazda stumped at the moment.

No sign of coolant loss, it did leak at the sub tank, but no more, now just when the speed is right (relatively slow, traffic...)the odor is drawn into the fresh air by the w-shield, or if I have the window open, hit the recirculate, the odor goes away. Or if it has leaked when in the garage and upon start up the odor is present. Love the car, great in the snow (with real winter tires) and fun to toss around on curves, former mazda racer here.

thanks for the reponse.

D

[tomiller97]

Are there many others with this issue on an 08? I have an 08 FWD Sport and can smell the anti-freeze almost reguarly when I park it in the garage. I get out and walk past the hood and can easily smell it! I haven't seen a leak yet but it's interesting to hear that others do have this issue with 08s.

I as well have my first LOF appointment coming up and have started a list of questions to ask them. This will be one of them.

Thanks for keeping us updated D.

[SeCX-9]

Are there many others with this issue on an 08? I have an 08 FWD Sport and can smell the anti-freeze almost reguarly when I park it in the garage. I get out and walk past the hood and can easily smell it! I haven't seen a leak yet but it's interesting to hear that others do have this issue with 08s.

I as well have my first LOF appointment coming up and have started a list of questions to ask them. This will be one of them.

Thanks for keeping us updated D.

I have always parked in a garage every night and I have never had this smell problem with my 08 GT.

[Force-1]

Are there many others with this issue on an 08? I have an 08 FWD Sport and can smell the anti-freeze almost reguarly when I park it in the garage. I get out and walk past the hood and can easily smell it! I haven't seen a leak yet but it's interesting to hear that others do have this issue with 08s.

I as well have my first LOF appointment coming up and have started a list of questions to ask them. This will be one of them.

Thanks for keeping us updated D.

Yes on my 08. Same garage smell issue as you. I had it checked out almost a year ago, and was told it was due to "all of the plastic parts under the hood." I am not going to worry about it, as there are no leak spots on my garage floor, and no indications od coolant loss in overflow tank.

[DSherwood]

The dealer had the car for 12 days, tested everything, found nothing. Technical department has not an answer. It is very cold here in Minnesota, the "issue" does not rear it self as much when cold. I drove it twice in the past few days, no odor. Frustrated and not sure what to do at this point. I will talk with the dealer next week. I do believe that they have done work towards fixing the problem, good communication / service. Just wish they would find the culprit, any consumer shouldn't have to deal with this. The car is wonderful to drive, especially with the winter tires/awd.

This a great car, minus the "odor issue". which makes it not acceptable.

I will post when I get anything worthy to share on this issue,

D.

[nomadlee]

I'm new here...this is my first ever post...I had that coolant smell on my 08 CX-9 AWD GT. I first noticed puddles on my driveway, in my garage, in-laws house...then I realized it was me leaving all those puddles.

Brought it in, it was diagnosed to have a leaking water pump. No problem, just replace it. It had 11,000 kms on it and it was covered under warranty. I spoke to one of the mechanics who was working on my car for over 6 days!!! That's right 6 days!!! Turns out they had to drop the engine to get to the pump. A master Mazda mechanic was called in to over see project. Worst thing was they wouldn't give me a loaner car (because I didn't purchase the extended warranty; is the BS?) and the dealership was very reluctant to tell me what was really happening.

The dealership said they've never done this repair ever before. The engine works fine but the alignment is bugging the crap out of me....I brought it back 3 times and they just can't get her straight.

Long story short, the smell is now gone.

[cccx9]

Drop the engine to replace the water pump? Wow.

Loaner car policies vary from dealer to dealer. That being said, most of the dealers in my area offer a loaner car for any warranty work.

[not_too_shabby]

Drop the engine to replace the water pump? Wow.

Loaner car policies vary from dealer to dealer. That being said, most of the dealers in my area offer a loaner car for any warranty work.

That makes me nervous for the future when the water pump goes out. Hopefully they didn't use the cheap ones with plastic impellers that only last 50-60K miles. Imagine how much that would cost out of warranty to get fixed. You might as well just hand the dealer the keys.

[benben01]

just curious.. what are the manf dates on the 08's with the coolant odor issue?

[DSherwood]

Back on this thread with no good news, the odor is still present and getting more frequent as the Minnesota weather warms up.

I found out that the car does have lines going to the rear heater, so it might be there, Mazda is sending their regional guy out at the end of the month to identify the odor problem and search for a solution.

Still unacceptable, let's hope that they can get it right.

D.

[sbmrinaldi]

I have the odor as well. Mine is an 07 and they have checked it and claim this is not an issue or recall on my vin. The odor is there and annoying to me since I can smell that a mile away. No leak whatsoever, but the smell is there and seems to become apparent after a 20-30 minute minimum drive.

[CX9 SportOwner]

Have you added any coolant yourself? Sounds like some got spilled and is burning off. Try a good engine cleaner and thorough rinse, preferable high pressure.

Coolant, like oil takes a long time to burn away.

[sbmrinaldi]

Never added any coolant and it's been there since new-almost 2.5 years.

[CX9 SportOwner]

They still could have spilled some when it was originally filled. Otherwise, you have a leak somewhere. If it's leaking onto the engine, it would burn off (the smell) before it could drip. Direct drips onto the ground don't typically smell.

[cx-7driver1]

I bought my CX-7 in October 2008 and immediately noticed an odor inside the car, especially when the weather was warm. I drive about 200 miles a day and the odor clings to my clothes. During the winter the problem went away, but now that the weather is warm again, it is happening again. I called the Mazda dealer Friday and they said they had never heard of this problem. Any ideas?

[badself]

You might get more information on the CX-7 thread, though there are also folks here in the CX-9 thread experiencing similar issues.

[CX9 SportOwner]

Is the level going down? Could be a tiny pinhole leak in the heater line. It's doesn't take much to stink up the car.

[DSherwood]

I believe the culprit just might have been found, Mazda sent their regional guy out last tuesday, we all drove in it (3) around town for 10-15 minutes and stopped, I pulled the hood (outside temp was 60-65 degrees) and the smell was evident up by the radiator.

They kept the car for four days, replaced radiator and hoses, even pressure tested the rad, well I have had the car since then (6 days) and haven't noticed the odor. I sure hope sharing this doesn't jinx it!

Anyone who has read all the posts I have done-knows what a pain this has been. I think that the radiator core (aluminum) when glued to the plastic tanks, gets the right temp/pressure and lets just enough out to cause the odor in slow traffic/ in the garage overnight/ etc.

I talked with Griffin radiator years ago, they had a similar problem (racing radiators). I mentioned that at the beginning, but pressure testing didn't show anything, that is why I say the right temp/pressure causes a pin hole to open up, and that is possible with epoxy/aluminum/plastic bond. expansion/contraction.

I highly doubt anyone could challenge this result, and don't care as long as the problem stays away. it has been this way since new (18 months ago)

Kudo's for Mazda if this works, you have to get the service manager to witness it and forward the story, otherwise you'll just get the "could not duplicate symptoms" line, which is a cop out for lazy service team.

good luck,

D

[CX9 SportOwner]

Mazda seems good about picking up the slack when their dealers don't want to get off their butts. So far with me they have.

Too bad they can't exert a bit more pressure to treat owners better.

[DSherwood]

It's July, had the car since October 5, 2007. Coolant odor then and now. Mazda seems to think I am the only one with the issue, so its not important. They replaced the radiator, and hoses, to no avail.

Too bad, this is a cool car to drive, the dealer is empathetic, yet nobody wants to step up and be accountable. So, I just drive it and it acts up several times a week in traffic or slow commute, hit the recirculate button and the odor goes away.

Hey, what do you expect for 40k? If anything shows up as a fix, I'll report.

D.

[ceric]

As someone mentioned in previous post, to replace water pump of CX9's engine, it is required to raise the engine up. It is the procedure in the workshop manual. Apparently, there is not enough space w/o doing so. The labor cost could be very high (near $800+) if it fails out of warranty. Bad design if you ask me. Ford should pay more attention to small details like this.....

[badself]

As someone mentioned in previous post, to replace water pump of CX9's engine, it is required to raise the engine up. It is the procedure in the workshop manual. Apparently, there is not enough space w/o doing so. The labor cost could be very high (near $800+) if it fails out of warranty. Bad design if you ask me. Ford should pay more attention to small details like this.....

These are not "small" details. They are a nightmare just waiting to happen. What are the chances this pump will go 200K without a failure. The problem is right up there with the $5,400 transfer case and the trash throttle body. This car is not an exotic, but the cost of some components and the eccentricity of some repair operations are unheard of in all but the exotics.

Sometimes, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the CX-9. My driver side mirror is still on back-order a full month into waiting. If the mirror had been clipped in a crash, the car would be out of commission for a month and counting. To me, all these things mold the ownership experience and help to determine who will get the next pile of cash I throw at a new vehicle.

I know there's plenty of folks here who praise Mazda no matter what. I'd just as soon leave before I stop speaking my mind and my experience, and I won't be doing either any time soon. At least my problem isn't with the people on the forum, it's the manufacturer, the service, and sometimes even the product.

[CX9 SportOwner]

It's a shame when you buy a great car and either the dealers, or manufacturer, seem to go out of their way to make sure you never buy another one from them. We absolutely loved our CR-V, even with it's lethargic low end, and were all prepared to buy a Pilot and Ridgeline when Honda and the dealer decided to crap on us. No more Hondas.

So far I have had good luck with Mazdas, and the company. Not so much with their dealers. As always, I will not buy another Mazda unless it is the best version of what we are looking for, as was the case with the CX9. As for the cost and complexity, unfortunately, we are going to find that more and more on any new vehicle.

Hopefully Mazda will go back to their philosophy of simplicity in engineering more now that Ford's stranglehold has been lifted.

[badself]

Hopefully Mazda will go back to their philosophy of simplicity in engineering more now that Ford's stranglehold has been lifted.

Last I heard, Ford went from 49% ownership of Mazda to something like 90%.

Maybe I got it wrong. Does anybody know the real nature and extent of Mazda's relation to Ford presently?

Even with their financial viability and quality improvements, Ford is not my cup of tea. As far as I'm concerned, the less Ford in my Mazda, the better.

A whole lot of the parts (suspension parts, throttle body, engine block, you name it) on our CX-9's are straight out of the Ford parts bin, and IMHO they constitute the weakest links in the ownership experience. I'd love to see what Mazda could design and build as an autonomous car manufacturer.

[ceric]

Ford used to own 33% of Mazda (to claim Mazda as its revenue of Ford group).
Due to Ford's crisis for more cash, Ford dumped 20% of Mazda. Now Ford owns 13%.
Ford can no longer claim Mazda as part of Ford based on US regulation.
(i.e. you used to read Mazda news on Ford website. No more.)
That is why Mazda will use hybrid system from Toyota (per recent announcement) instead of
using the one used on Ford Fusion Hybrid.
However, since Mazda has no big V6 engines, Mazda may continue to use Ford Duratec as MZI.

[CX9 SportOwner]

I agree that less Ford equals a better Mazda. Ford has made some bonehead moves, the worst, in my opinion, is dropping the Mazda B series in favor of rebadged Rangers. "Let's replace the best small truck on the planet with the second worst" Brilliant. I'd love to see a real B in the US again.

It also seems that almost all of the component issues with the CX9 have been Ford parts. Suspension, door stops, brakes, throttle body. I wouldn't be surprised of the gas cap tether is from Ford's parts bin.

I'll bet Mazda is dying to get the Rangers and Tributes off of their lots. I also hope Mazda engineers their own engines. They borrowed a Mitsu 2.6 for the B's that was junk. The 2.6 they developed for later years is bulletproof. The only reason the 3.5/3.7 we have are as good as they are is becasue Mazda went through them and improved a lot of the sub standard elements. Anyone who can get 232 Horsepower from a 1.3 litre 2 cylinder engine.....

[DSherwood]

Last post on this odor of coolant, mazda has routed the hose from the degas bottle (overflow tank) to the rear of the car. It has taken the odor and put it not where the fresh air intake is and made it less of an issue. It has been over two years, not exactly the outcome I was looking for.

best of luck everyone, happy motoring.

DS