[OG GP Girlie]

Hey there.. I realize it would be less time consuming to take my dilema to my local rip-off artist, but I figured I'd try here first.. Can anyone give me some direction as to how to find two problems??

1. I smell antifreeze from my 93 Bonneville, it's been cold, so I leave the heat up as a precaution to overheating, but I don't think it's hot. I tried to trace my lines for leakage/cracking/etc., the seals around the radiator seem in tact... where do I start trouble shooting this?
2. Traction control light goes off, (this means the option is off), it makes the grind/catch noise like I just hit ice when I'm in Park... Sensor? Fuse?? Help.

[OG GP Girlie]

Help a girl out here... this sucks & I'd really rather not pay some jerk to do this if I can find it my self!! Pleeease?

[spinn]

i would use your nose find the area that the kinda sweetish smell is strongest. look behind at all the little hoses. USE ALOT OF LIGHT. some go to your cold idle control and contain coolant. check the overflow resivior system. if that doesnt do it put dye in the system run it for a while, it might help you find the leak. pressure test the cap i think thats most common. does it overheat?

a 92 should have a tcm on the transmission. find the service connector and jump it. that will tell you the diagnostic code if there is one. that can short cut you to the problem. i dont have any manuals for domestics and have no expirence working with their traction control.

[4onthefloor 2]

you might want to check the heater core for a leak can you smell antifreeze in the car.

[OG GP Girlie]

I can.. that was my next question. (About the heater core..) Thermostat was fine.

[4onthefloor 2]

sounds like the heater cores leaking and needs replacing you could try some barrs leak in the rad ive had good luck with it on minor leaks

[advanced design]

Originally Posted by OG GP Girlie

Hey there.. I realize it would be less time consuming to take my dilema to my local rip-off artist, but I figured I'd try here first.. Can anyone give me some direction as to how to find two problems??

1. I smell antifreeze from my 93 Bonneville, it's been cold, so I leave the heat up as a precaution to overheating, but I don't think it's hot. I tried to trace my lines for leakage/cracking/etc., the seals around the radiator seem in tact... where do I start trouble shooting this?
2. Traction control light goes off, (this means the option is off), it makes the grind/catch noise like I just hit ice when I'm in Park... Sensor? Fuse?? Help.

4 on the floor is probably right with the heater core suggestion.

I am a little confused by your description of issue #2. Can you clarify what the vehicle is doing? Does it sound like traction control is activating when the light is off?

[Ghetto Jet]

Originally Posted by 4onthefloor 2

sounds like the heater cores leaking and needs replacing you could try some barrs leak in the rad ive had good luck with it on minor leaks

Do Not Use Barrs leak in a vehicle you care about. It clogs up your cooling system.

[Derkyb]

I agree Ghetto Jet, That stuff only delays the inevitable and will sometimes make things worse.

[4 Jaw Chuck]

I had a pinhole leak in the heater core of my 91 Jetta when I bought it 5 years ago, just enough for a faint whiff of coolant inside the car from time to time (not enough to fog the windshield). I used a can of Bars leak to get me through until I could replace it, it was an expensive component to purchase at the time. The heater core is still there and it still doesn't leak and my temperature gauge never budged from it's normal position. My radiator looks pristine with no clogging and no overheating problems since either. I heard that many auto manufacturers use Bars Leak as a preventative measure, not sure if that is true or not. I should mention I used the liquid Bars Leak and not the liquid product with the pellets. I'll let you know if the heater core fails or my radiator ever suddenly clogs up.

Has anyone personally ever seen this product clog a cooling system if used as directed? I seriously doubt it.

[Ghetto Jet]

Totally plug the system no, make the inside of the radiator look terrible yes. If it sticks to your hole it will stick to other things.

I make it a point to suggest people fix their car correctly rather than patch them.

[oldschoolrods]

Well mike when your always broke much like myself sometimes you have to patch things up for a little until you can adress the problem when finances allow.

[SAATR]

Used Barr's to patch up my old rad till I could afford a new one. Never had any problems with it stopping anything up. I have seen the effects of liquid glass in a cooling systems, and believe me, that stuff will never go in any vehicle I drive, clunker or no. The owner had put the stuff in the system, run it a while, then let the vehicle sit for a while. The water pump and coolant passages were filled with a white, tacky goo. Never seen anything like it before or since.

[Max Keith]

Does your windshield show a damp film on it? If so, this is a good indication that you have a very small leak in your heater core, the anti freeze is being blown up onto your windshield on the inside. Run your finger along the lower portion of your windshield and see if you feel a slightly oily dampness to it. It could be that the leak is so small that you arent getting enough blowing up on your windshield to fog it, but if its there, you will be able to feel it.
If you suspect its an outside leak, under the hood, then look for damp spots along your hoses and connections. Due to the surface tension of the fluid itself, the coolent wont leak til it gets hot and under pressure, if its a very tiny leak.
Once you find the leak, have it fixed properly. I dont recommend using dumping products into your cooling system that will seal leaks, unless you are a kazillion miles from anywhere and are in bad need to get where you are going. At which rate, a lot of those sealers WONT cure micro fine leaks, and while they can cause odor, and maybe even some messiness, they dont really constitute a drastic emergency. Failing to find the leak on your own, and doing as much of the repair as possible on your own, I would take it to a competant shop.

[OG GP Girlie]

Advanced Design:

4 on the floor is probably right with the heater core suggestion.

I am a little confused by your description of issue #2. Can you clarify what the vehicle is doing? Does it sound like traction control is activating when the light is off?

Here's the thing.. the ABS light and the 'traction off' light is coming on. But only when it wants to. Then, as the I'm driving, or even in Park.. it will make the catching noise like the traction control is trying to engage, and my brake will pulsate. My brakes are newer, so it's nothing weird in the rotors or line wise... my guess was perhaps the sensor that indicates a failure for the traction option or maybe a fuse. Unfortunately I was unable timewise to mess with it last night, so I haven't been able to check to see which fuse to look for.