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    Why can I smell coolant burning when my 2015 Holden Barina gets hot?

    Holden Holden Advice Holden Barina Holden Barina Advice Holden Barina 2015

    What would be the main reason that, once my 2015 Holden Barina gets hot, I can start to smell a strong coolant burning smell coming from engine bay? I checked to see if there are any leaks from hoses etc, though, as far as I can tell, there are no leaks?

    No temperature or overheating warning lights show up on the dash and the radiator fan kicks in and runs when the engine is idled for a while. I’m pretty sure the fan is turning off while I’m actually moving. I’m running tap-water with a little coolant mixed in until I can have the problem addressed and fixed.

    My other problem with the car is that when braking at speeds over 85km/h the steering starts to wobble a bit until I’m back below 85. The steering is tight with no other issues. I believe the problem is with the brake rotors, but I’ve also been told it could also be brake pads?

    Answered by CarsGuide
    5 May 2024
    David Morley

    First things first: If you can smell coolant when the engine is warmed up (or any other time) then you have a leak somewhere. Coolant leaks can be hard to spot as they are not always large and are often located in weird, hard to see places. But if you can smell it, it’s escaping the cooling system somewhere and you need to locate it and fix it.

    If you have a slow leak, it’s possible you could drive for weeks without the car overheating, but eventually the engine will start to notice the low coolant level and run hotter as a result. Get it fixed now before you damage the engine. You should be fine to use a bit of tap-water (which will dilute the coolant in the rest of the system) until the leak is found, but don’t leave tap-water (or an incorrect or diluted mixture of water and coolant) in the radiator for the long term.

    As for the brakes, the problem does, indeed, sound like warped rotors. Sometimes these can be machined back to true, but often they need to be replaced. Either way, replacing the brake pads at the same time is best practice. Worn pads on new rotors can make those nice, new rotors wear faster than they should.

    Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
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