94 Buick Century losing coolant

[loanarranger_1999]

Hi, All. Brand new to the forum. I have a 94 Buick Century with the 3100 sfi v6 with 133k. It seems to keep losing water/antifreeze. I don't notice any external leaks, the oil looks fine, no smoke or water from the tailpipe. Thermostat seems to open & close ok. The engine seems to run smoothly but the coolant level keeps going down. I notice a strong coolant odor from the outside of the vehicle when we park after driving. No smell inside, so I'm assuming the heater core is ok. I just bought this car and flushed the radiator right away as it was pretty gunked up. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated!

[GTP Dad]

Welcome to AF!!

If the oil is OK then the leak must be external. If you smell a strong odor there can be several areas to check. Look around the intake manifold to see if you have any pooling of coolant. If not then check the area along the firewall. You may see a small round hole or a hole with an L shaped tube on it. This is the AC drain. If there is a leak in the heater core, which I suspect the water will run outside the car and not back into the floorboard. You can check this by putting a piece of cardboard under the car and start the car and let it warm up. If you see antifreeze on the cardboard look up and it should give you a very good indication of the leaks location. Finally, check and make sure all the hoses are good and not leaking when the engine is cold. This can be a good area for a leak to start but it is hard to detect since the leak often seals itself when it heats up.