For the last few days, I've noticed that after I drive my 2013 Fit, there's this strange chemical smell that hovers around the engine, outside the car. (It's not getting into the cabin, thankfully.) Upon closer inspection, it's strongest right around the radiator. But this isn't the sweet odor of coolant. It smells more like some kind of harsh industrial cleaning product: almost slightly fishy.

I'm a bit stumped here because this doesn't fall under the usual rubric of Common Problematic Car Odors and the car is running fine. But this odor hasn't been noticeable until the last few days, and the timing is odd because I recently had some major work done on the car—driveshaft replacement under the recent Honda recall for Fit models, and I also had my brakes and rotors replaced. The radiator itself was replaced back in January.

I'm thinking of taking it to a mechanic to make sure this isn't something to worry about, but thought I'd see if anyone here has experienced this as well.

 

I'm not sure what it could be, but in the interim, keep an eye on all of your fluids. You may find the culprit that way.

 

If it smells fishy, coolant is the only thing that I've had smell like that. Check your coolant level and also look at upper and lower hoses that go between your radiator and the engine for signs of wetness/leaks, particularly around the clamps.

 

So upon closer inspection, it appeared the smell was coolant. But I couldn't detect any obvious leaks myself so I took the car to my mechanic today. They did a pressure test (stable) and an inspection. They couldn't find any leaks either. Very odd. I'm not really sure what to do next, other than keep an eye on the car and look out for any changes with coolant levels, engine temperature, the intensity of the smell, etc.. The smell is usually faint and it's pretty much gone as soon as the engine cools down after driving. A part of me even wonders if I ran over something like an antifreeze puddle or a plastic bag that could have gotten on the underside of the engine bay, giving off a similar odor.