2000 Chevy Cavalier

is the fault in these links on your type of car

http://cr4.globalspec.com/search/sitesearch?do=show&sort=textmatchrank&srch=cavalier&order=asc

if you can smell it theres a leak al be it small try getting a water mist type spray moisten all round thermostat then sprinkle talc powder onto dampness then blow surplus off and when you've finished sneezing run car for a while and see where the leak is.

you see the leak will be boiling hot water leaking out onto a hot engine and water will in small amounts boil away leaving no trace, except the antifreeze smell

the white of an egg works as well.

this car has to be the most documented car i have ever seen

Well next to some british cars some of these are crap as well thank the higher beings they went bust, (nearly wrote God)

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rad+weld&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GGLT_en&redir_esc=&ei=gwu-TKKHLMyw4Qa02Ym4AQ

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rad+seal&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GGLT_en&redir_esc=&ei=IQy-TK4RxfzgBoyexYQB

Acquire a Stant pressure tester. Make sure the radiator full. With the engine cold pressure it up with the tester and look for leaks. The pressure you need to pressure it to should be on the radiator cap. Areas to look at is the hoses going to the top of the engine. As as they would leak the coolant would boil off on the hot engine. Which could be the smell. As so one place that maybe is the heater core which if you notice more when you turn on you heater in inside the cab.

Exactly what I was going to say. A Good Answer to you Ozzb. Another thing to watch is the pressure gauge. If it wont maintain the pressure you definitely have a leak. It's a good idea to test your radiator cap as well if the kit came with the appropriate adapters. It will run a little cooler with a good cap that can maintain pressure. This leak is most likely a hose, dripping onto the hot engine since he said he smells it when he gets out. Exactly what Ozzb said. Get rid of the car is probably the best advice because I am sure this is just the beginning of your troubles with this car. Good luck.

If you can smell antifreeze inside your car it is probably a heater core leak. Check under floor mat for moisture. If your windows fog up inside your car this would be an indication of a heater core leak. Good luck.

I can only smell antifreeze when I get out of the car. Thanks everyone for the comments.

D Norris

Now that heater is out, the best thing would be to pressure check as suggested earlier. You could go to Auto Zone or Advance and borrow a cooling system pressure checker instead of buying. Make sure you do not pressurise the system to more than 15 psi or you will really spring a leak even if it is just a hose leaking now !!. If there is a leak in the engine compartment, you will know.

I have never had a Chevy C, but I had similar symptoms with my Subaru Forester and found that it was a head gasket leaking exhaust into my cooling system and forcing cooling fluid out of the system into the reservoir which evaporated some antifreeze smell into the air. It was such a small leak and so damned expensive that I just keep replacing the coolant occasionally and kept it on the road for a year that way.