Hey guys looking for some help on this one.

went out late last nite to a buddies place and on the way i made a stop intown. after a 20 minute drive at nite and no rain a few seconds after i stopped the car i notice what looked like smoke coming from under the hood. freaked out i got out an popped the hood to look right away but with my camera flash light i couldnt see anything obvious? Picked up a buddy and drove another 20 mins to the destination and when we got there we both were lookin for smoke when we got there and we both seen some coming from underneathe the hood. again i popped the hood and 3 of us looked all over but could not see anything obvious causing the smoke/steam.

Drove the car home that nite and decided to look at it the next day.

Next day i checked the Oil and it was spot on and lots of coolant in the radiator and reservoir. no obvious signs of leaks either. Thinking maybe i am going crazy i took it for a quick spirited drive and brought it home and pulled it right in the garage to look again and sure enough it looked like it was steaming right out of the grill. i pulled the rad shroud to get a better look with a trouble light. Steam/smoke seems to be coming from each end of the rad but i could not see where from. and the steam/smoke when looking closely seemed to have particles in it as well. No overheating but it almost looks like the temp gauge is running a hair cooler than normal.

Can anyone give me some advice on what would cause the radiator area to smoke/steam even when the conditions were dry? 2010 g37s sedan 6mt with 120k on it.

Thanks in advance

 

What does the steam smell like?

 

Jsolo beat me to the punch. If the "steam" has a sweet odor then you likely have a coolant leak.

 

I did try to smell it but my sense of smell is Terrible. It may have had a hint of sweetness to it but I'm not certain.

I'm hoping for a dry day 2moro. Maybe I will pull the skid plate off and try to confirm if its the rad or hoses leaking.

anything else I should check?

 

Check the radiator for any punctures. While you were driving maybe a small rock hit it and caused a tiny hole for it to leak out.

 

Do a pressure test!

 

You could have a pin-***** leak that only sprays under full temp. Or a leak around the clamps.

I mean sure, could be the radiator itself, but radiator hoses don't last forever.

 

hey guys tried to have a closer look today but it is still raining here in ontario. started it and pulled it right in the shop and let it warm up at idle. after a couple mins it still started to smoke after sitting all nite. the steam/smoke only lasted a few mins and was not to heavy but still there. i removed skid plate and went for a quick drive. pulled it back into the shop and it was steaming/smoking a fair amount. hoses and clamps look good and no visible leaks were found. nothing coming from under the car where the skid plate was either. just seems to be coming from all over the front of the rad. I took a few small videos to show you guys what i am seeing. i put them on youtube, this is the link.
i am going to call today to get an app to have the rad pressure tested asap.
any further advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Again, what does the steam smell like? I know you said you have a bad sense of smell, but is there anyone else that can smell? If it is sweet it is coolant. Even after driving in rain, that water would have evaporated relatively quickly.

Based on that video I would say that you might have a small pinhole leak somewhere on the radiator. It would hard to see because the AC condenser is in the way, but with everything else checking out good, the radiator is the culprit.

I will warn you, if it is the radiator, it will be a royal pain in the freaking rear to replace as the radiator and AC condenser are one unit.

 

the smell has been hard to figure out, the wife has been inside the house each time i have been working on it. I do have a rad pressure test booked about 20 minutes away this afternoon tho. i will check coolant level and oil again before i even try to leave today. i will report back what we find.

i do most of all my own work on my vehicles but i have not replaced a rad yet. if it does turn out to be the rad would it just be easier to have my shop do it or is it something that can be done at home taking my time?

 

In the old days replacing a radiator was a piece of cake. Unfortunately, not so with the G37. For whatever idiotic reason, Nissan chose to combine the radiator and AC condenser into one unit. This means that if one fails both have to be replaced.

As such, to replace the radiator, the entire AC system has to be evacuated (refrigerant removed) first, in order to remove the assembly. Then, after repair, the system has to be fully evacuated again (placed under deep vacuum to remove residual air/moisture) before charging with refrigerant. Most home mechanics do not have the skill or equipment necessary to handle this task.

Maybe other forum members who have tackled this issue can share their experience/advice.

 

This is absolutely correct.

It's such a stupid design.

You will have to empty the ac system BEFORE removing the radiator.

 

Well I had my mechanic go over the car and we didn't see any leaks, puddles or steam. He didn't do a rad pressure test but we let it idle in the shop for 20 minutes. It was a dry day out yesterday as well. He thinks that everything I am seeing is just water and condensation steaming off. He explained that the rad is made from aluminum and isn't overly prone to leaking itself and that the rad area is very open and exposed so it is bound to catch water from time to time. He said not to worry about it! I do trust him as he did a timing chain ect on my ram sport without issue. Just hope he is right haha. Thanks for all the ideas guys! Maybe I was just being way to paranoid lol

 

Who does a diagnosis of a cooling system without at least doing a pressure test (of both system and cap)? Did the mechanic charge you anything? If not, then you got what you paid for.

Further, you need someone with functioning olfactory ability to determine once and for all if it's sweet or not.

 

For your cars sake I hope it was just rain water evaporating. Letting a car idle for 20 minutes is NOT a proper diagnostic step (IMO) as it does not fully replicate real world driving (you did say you were driving spiritedly). At the very least a pressure test should have been done but.... your car, your dime.

Don't get me wrong, I hope it was just "paranoia" and not something serious. Keep in mind that just because the radiator is made of aluminum it is not immune to damage from external sources- like a small pebble being thrown from the car in front of you. Unlikely- as the condenser receives the brunt of those impacts being mounted in front of the radiator- but still possible. Ultimately, time will tell.

Good luck. Thanks for the update.