chevy 1500 2001 5.3 coolant smell

[mrpike1973]

hi just noticed last night got a couple of smells of hot antifreeze. then went away. checked hoses, coolant resevoir put card board underneath over night checked while idling from cold to thermostat opening any suggestions. oil was very clean and not up. checked around heads and intake from what i could see. hope its not the heads. heat gauge stays normal doesnt rise thanks

[1968]

Water pump and/or it's gaskets.

[BartmanMN]

Water pump and/or it's gaskets.

My 2000 did that. I replaced the waterpump. It would not leak at all on the floor, but the tank level would go down. I paid $418 for that repair at a shop if that gives you a ball park figure.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Look right above the crank pulley and right under the water pump from under the vehicle. You will likely see the residual coolant trails in that area. The water pump gaskets are the likely problem. I'm pretty sure that just the gaskets are available and I have heard of several successful gasket replacements solving the issue verses replacing the whole water pump. If you opt for the pump get a good quality one, and replace the t-stat at the same time (the houseing is part of the eat pump).

[Snowking]

Mine is doing the same thing. I changed the water pump and now it seams to smell only when the heat is on. It takes about a month and a half for the low antifreeze light comes on. Wish I could find the leak

[TravP]

My 2004 had the same issues. I added some Bars Leak and fixed that issue. Never did find where my coolant was going.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/70906-53-internal-coolant-loss/

[jwhjr]

It was the water pump gaskets on my 2004. It had 111K on it at the time, so I put a new pump and thermostat on it at the same time. Was still running great with no leaks when I totaled it in Feb at 145K I still miss that truck