coolant odor when warmed up

[jmoffit]

on my 1999 pontiac montana after driving a short time and van warms up when exiting vehicle i smell coolant,vehicle temp gauge shows normal temp,however coolant needs to be added frequently,there is no coolant in oil or oil in coolant,any suggestions will be appreciated!

[gord7]

Sounds like a gasket problem, check to see if there is any coolant leaking down from the head gaskets and dropping on to the exhuast manifold. A fairly common problem in the vans.

[jay hullett]

might say all gm cars and trucks will develope coolant leaks at intake gaskets r plastic and crack they will leak to outside but if not repaired will lead to water in oil 3.1-3.4-4.3 5.0-5.7 etc

[tmorris1]

I recently had this happen on my 98 Montana. I couldn't figure out where the coolant was going, the oil looked good etc. One day my wife said the belt was squealing, so I went to check it out expecting to just replace the belt since it had 89,000 miles on it. There was antifeeze all the belt which got slung (is that a word?) all over under the hood. It turns out the water pump was leaking. I suspect it was only leaking a little, and after I had a coolant flush it dislodged some crap and it leaked like a sieve. The water pump is completely consealed behind the pulley, so you won't notice a problem until it leaks a lot. Put you finger under the water pump pulley and see if it is wet.
The dealer wanted $230 to fix, but I did it myself for $30. $23 for the pump (lifetime warranty) and $7 for coolant. Took me a couple hours, and I am not exactly Mr. Goodwrench. Cleaned up under the hood with a hose, checked for leaks and it now runs great. It will take a while to get rid of the antifreeze smell. That stuff is nasty.

[czgu]

I had same problem. It could cost you $700 - $1000 to fix gasket problem. I called GM Pontiac. Finally I got dealer warrenty (I don't know what was the deal between GM pontiac and the dealer).

[DamienZ28]

Same problem I have a montana and a alero same engine same problem...