Coolant System Problem?

[benelli12]

I have been having trouble with my cooling system. I have flushed my heater core already, and that didn't help. It sounds like it could be an intake gasket from what I've read, but I want to be sure. I need help diagnosing it on a 96 4X4 S10 with 81,000 miles. Here are the symptoms:

Smell of coolant in cab when motor is cold or warm

Bubbling noise in liquid, burped the radiator but noise comes back

Bubbling noise usually only audible during acceleration (heavy or light), deceleration, or turning

No wet carpet or steamed windows

Not seeming to be leaking coolant

Has been doing it for a while

 

Is there any specific instructions for replacing the intake gasket (if that is what it is) on a 4X4, like is it necesary to remove the front skid plate for any reason?

[Draenor]

Have you checked the hose connections?

[benelli12]

I took the hoses that connect to the heater core off of the the engine block to flush it so those I know are good, I'll check the other hoses later today. Also I forgot to mention in my first post that when I first test drove this truck it was leaking oil on top of the engine. The "mechanic" at the car lot supposedly replaced a gasket (forgot which one, this was before I knew anything about engines) before I bought the truck and claimed the bubbling was normal after the procedure. Hope this helps!

Thanks