The fun continues... Driving out of death valley today, after about 20 minutes of driving, hit a steep grade.. van downshifted and I immediately smelled coolant, looked in the sideview mirror to see a puff of white smoke coming out of the back. I stopped and checked the coolant level, right at low.. maybe slightly lower than previously, but not a noticeable drop. I proceeded to drive the 100+ miles home up steep grades, etc with no temp problems, coolant smell, or white smoke.
I've never experienced any adventures in coolant leaks - I'm pretty sure I should hope this is an external leak that was burning on the exhaust rather than an internal leak that was coming out of the exhaust (head gasket??). If it is a head gasket, is there any particular reason it would only leak at certain times? Checked the driveway a few hours after I got home and nothing dripping, also looked throughout the engine bay and didn't see any coolant.
I'm going to keep a close eye on the coolant level and get it to the dealer at my next opportunity.
I've never experienced any adventures in coolant leaks - I'm pretty sure I should hope this is an external leak that was burning on the exhaust rather than an internal leak that was coming out of the exhaust (head gasket??). If it is a head gasket, is there any particular reason it would only leak at certain times? Checked the driveway a few hours after I got home and nothing dripping, also looked throughout the engine bay and didn't see any coolant.
I'm going to keep a close eye on the coolant level and get it to the dealer at my next opportunity.