2005 smart car with antifreeze leak.

[ladonna]

I have 2005 Smart, with a Mercedes engine, It has an Antifreeze leak, it looks like its coming from behind the alternator, I'm trying to figure out if their is a gasket leak because we cant see back their. Since the car dealer we bought it from cant work on it I want to see if anyone has had the same problem and can help me with it, I really don't want to have to pull the engine or remove things that i don't have to.

Any help would be great, all the books i have are in german.

[smartHHO]

Not sure if it is a gasket or just maybe a crack? If it is a crack, they can be fixed if not too big with that radiator stop leak. Stuff works real good. Used it on one of my V8s back in the late 80s. If it is a gasket, well sounds like replacement time.

Either way, good luck.

[chieftmc]

Check with Kane on his site Evilution - Smart Car Encyclopaedia

[jwight]

Possibly in a connection to one of the pipes running to the front of the car.

[Old smart]

You say it appears to be coming from behind the alternator (on the engine). My guess is a bum head gasket. First I would look at your dipstick with a cold, idle engine. If it has emulsified coolant in the sump it will look like melted coffee icecream on the tip. Then I would look at the spark plugs (assuming that this is a G&K gasser). If one or two are glazed, you may be pulling coolant into the cylinder(s).

Leaking head gaskets can be a real buggabo with aluminum heads.

When my first dealer maintenance comes along, I intend to spring for the bucks to have the head fasteners' torque checked and re-set if necessary. Aluminum heads expand and contract a lot; the steel fasteners don't. The hard steel tends to bed into the soft aluminum, losing tension until the engine heats up. Been here before.

[putzie]

sounds more like water pump to me !