Antifreeze around sparkplugs - 2008 Chevrolet Hhr

Probably an obvious question, but did you check your antifreeze level? If it's good, change the thermostat. If still having issues, your water pump may need to be replaced or radiator cores plugged

Leaking sparkplug/valve cover gasket.

http://www.3si.org/forum/f1/removing-front-valve-cover-417346/

What year is the car? What kind of car. Is it gasoline powered or diesel? Is the car carburated or fuel injected? There are many possibilities from a clogged catalytic converter to water in your gasoline. If you've just purchased gas then there's a good chance there was water in it. Go to your local auto parts store and purchase a fuel line antifreeze product. If this doesn't work open your hood and check around the engine compartment for any vacuum hoses that may have come loose or may have holes in them. Maybe a sparkplug wire came off? Some newer cars have a coilpack connected to the sparkplug wire and they tend to go bad making the car seem like the engine has a hesitiation problem or a miss to it at idle.

Hello, sounds like you should get a compression test for the bank with number 2 cylinder. I am going by your statement about the Antifreeze smell. You could also do a fuel quality check and replace the fuel filter while doing this. Put the fuel in a glass jar and wait a day if necessary to see if the fuel separates. Bad fuel would also account for a rough idle and the smell.

The newer fuels we have today can separate and also attract water from the atmosphere. The Evap may have been a sign that the system was open to the atmosphere. Before doing major motor work, you may want to "smoke test" the Evap system. This requires a special machine some shops have.

I am curious to the condition of the old number 2 plug and if it looked corroded from the antifreeze. An alternative would be to remove the sparkplugs and crank the engine when it is cold from sitting overnight. Then observe if antifreeze or water was blown out the sparkplug holes.

I hope my solution is very helpful to you.

so what can i assist you with today?

It sounds like you have a Head gasket leak or a cracked Head or Block. Check your Sparkplugs for color and fouling. It can be in the early stages of failure and the Sparkplugs are holding up; or the leak is putting Antifreeze into the oilpan. Check the Dipstick. Somehow engine compression is getting into the water passages. Check exhaust for sweet smell while running and excess vapor which is actually steam.

There are several ways to find this type of leak. A Radiator pressure tester will show a drop in pressure. This will verify the problem. You will be able to find an external leak with this test. If you use a Chemical Tracer, the Pressure tester will force the Tracer into the crack. The Tracer is more reliable than depending on Antifreeze color to find the leak and will show up in the oil.

By checking the Sparkplugs for telltale signs first, on the V engines you may only have to remove 1 cylinder head instead of 2. This will save you time and money. If you have no luck in identifying which side is bad, both will have to be checked by removal.

There are products which claim to seal these leaks. The Radiator pressure can range from 14 to 21 PSI. Without engine compression of 140 to 180 PSI the sealers sometimes work. But if engine compression is getting into the Radiator you will be blowing out antifreeze through the overflow pipes.

You did nothing wrong in changing the Radiator hose. You just repaired the weakess link. Now that the hose is stronger the leak moved somewhere else. Good luck on this repair. The Tracer chemicals are available at Autozone, Oreillys and several other places.

never use straight antifreeze, always use a 50/50 mix, i would do a complete cooling system flush.

It often means that you are burning antifreeze. You asked if it needs antifreeze, have you noticed any leaking out of the reservoir tank while you are running it? Sometimes when the head gasket goes it will produce a passage for the antifreeze to pass from the capillaries into the combustion chamber. It is easy to check if you have an air compressor. Remove one of the rear sparkplugs and the radiator cap. Fill the radiator and then push some air into the sparkplug hole (get a good seal in case a valve is open). Repeat with all the cylinders and watch for air bubbles coming up into the radiator. If bubbles come up or fluid is pumped out, the head gasket is blown and must be replaced. It is more likely to happen at the back of the engine because it is farthest away from the fan and therefore gets less cooling.

Also check your oil for discoloration. If it is a brownish color it could mean your oil and antifreeze are mixing and has the potential to damage your bearings.

Hope help (remember rated this post).

Replace upper intake and sparkplugs and wish it well!