Hello, Hello all! - I own a 91 Max SE (3.0L V6 A/T)

Anyhoo - like 2 weeks ago I noticed steam (not alot, but very lightly) rising from the engine. My boyfriend checked it out and turns out I had a crack in one of my radiator hoses (somehow when I had the supposed "full tune-up" a few weeks back, they missed the hose which was right in front of their face!!!) and the hose was leaking a little coolant onto the engine. My boyfriend went down to Auto Zone bought a new hose and clamps and changed it for me - (by the way - what is up with those clamps Nissan puts ontheir hoses??? - they're like wires, which literally cut into my hose after all the years and inevitably led it to crack, which it would have anyway, but the clamp was digging into the dam hose because its not flat like other clamps)
Anyway, even though I know he should have, he didnt check the rest of the hoses for me...

Last night I noticed steam coming from my engine again, but this time it seemed to be coming from the left driver side and kind of out from under the engine it seemed. (Last time it was on the right side more towards the windshield). The thing is though, my car is NOT overheating whatsoever, and the steam is kind of random. I mean, the steam is not constant and its not a lot even when it does happen. It just kind of shoots out a line of steam for about 10 seconds then it goes away and stays away for awhile.

Someone mentioned to me that it could possibly be a small crack in the head gasket! Could that be true? I mean I haven't ruled out the hoses cause I have not have had them looked at yet...but am just wondering if there is any possibility it could be a head gasket.

What are the symptoms of a blown or cracked head gasket??
What is an estimated price for labor and a new one if that is the case?

THANKS TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE - I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! WoOhOo!

 

those hose clamps from the factory are 100x better than the worm drive crap you see at the parts store. the wire ones retain tension when it's hot and cold...they don't "cut" the hose when you tighten them down hard. if you actually really look at the wire clamp...it tighten the hose all around...compared to a worm drive that tightens/puts tension in the 12 and 6 position.

anyway...check the hoses...that's the 1st thing you should do. if they look ok..replace the lower one anyway just to be on the safe side.

if your head is leaking....externally it'll flow like a river...you'll see it trickle down the engine. if it's leaking internally (combustion chamber) then it would smoke 24/7 out of your tailpipe.

are you sure it's not just a water puddle u hit or condensation burning off?
it can even be the exhaust manifolds leaking when it's cold out...(broken studs)

 

Just make sure there is always coolant in the overflow tank for the radiator, until you find the leak.

 

yeah, the clamps nissan uses are waaaay better than the junk domestic cars use, those cheap clamps actually slice chunks of rubber off the hose. The nissan style doesn't damage the hose like the other hose clamp style.

 

"...a few weeks back, they missed the hose which was right in front of their face!!!"
Reminds me of one discussion some time ago, thereby may I ask: -who- They?

Danny is absolutely right. I hate t-hose clamps, but they -still- work even in ten yr old cars...

Q: Is u thermostat working all the time?

 

Well, I guess I was wrong about those clamps Nissan uses - must be because im a 19yr old female...lol

Anyway, how am I supposed to tell if the head gasket is leaking internally...I mean will the smoke look different then the normal exhaust coming out of my tail pipe? I'm sorry my questions are dumb..but I'm not educated in cars so please bear with me here.

I'm pretty sure its not a water puddle I hit because it happened on and off a couple times last night and although it is a little damp around here from the snowstorm we had a few days ago, I wasn't driving through puddle after puddle... Plus, the fact that I had to replace one radiator hose already makes me think or at least question how good my other hoses are that haven't been checked.

I'm just really worried if it could be my head gasket - I heard those can be expensive to replace...I'd like more detail on symptoms of a blown head gasket if anyone could describe it in more detail for me...Thanks

 

Yes it was my 'trusted' mechanic who missed the hose...but I cut them SOME slack because of the bad situation they were in at the time...they were EXTREMELY short-handed and one of the owners (who is my usual mechanic) was hospitalized at the time so he didnt actually do the work himself.

Yes, my thermostat is working all the time. Never once have I noticed it not working and NEVER once have I seen it overheat...even when the first hose was cracked and leaking it didnt overheat (well my b/f was driving it when the steam got real bad the first time and he said he noticed the engine getting Slightly hotter than norm, but not over-heating - and thats when he changed the hose) Since then I have not seen it over-heat...but I do and will be keeping an eye on it.

I'm going away to Texas tomorrow, so I wont be worrying about this until next Thursday...but please if anyone has info on blown head gaskets please PM or email me at: LaurenMarie518@aol.com

Thanks!

 

I had similar problems. Is the hose leaking coolant on the right side a common problem like window regulators? Maybe it's not a headgasket I had two hoses start leaking in the same area and they had steam coming out from my left and right side. Where in Texas are you going to be? maybe we can meet up and I'll show you what was wrong on my car.

 

if it's leaking internally you'll know it. on cold mornings..you notice all that white smoke from the exhaust...then when the engine warms up it'll go away...well when your head gasket blows (water leak internally) you'll see that smoke ALL THE TIME. hot, cold, idle, hwy, revving..etc etc. also you'll see a lot of bubbles in the coolant tank.

i would check the other hoses....also does it leak more when it's cold than hot? worse case have the grease monkey do a pressure test and see if he finds any leaks.

 

Snow does get into the engine compartment and make u engine wet/steam. U know, if u drive 80mph, its 80mph winter winds inside the engine bay with all the soot u drive on... Time to time gets into the rad, and steam billowing from front as u park/idle. Scary, but no problem.

U had tubes changed. Sorry, but I suspect your sevicemen are not on par with maxima bleeding: theres a procedure to follow to get all air bubbles out from the coolant causin overheating spots. See stickies...

 

My car is NOT overheating....

 

I dont notice any "leak" per se...but it steams more when its hot. I dont notice at all upon starting my car, usually after I've driven or while I'm driving it I should say - but like I said in my original post.. It comes and goes. It doesn't constantly smoke.. so I dunno - maybe im just crazy I'm definitely going to have the hoses checked tho and see if that doesnt find anything

 

Air pockets. If not bleeded according recommendations.

U had tubes changed. Sorry, but I suspect your sevicemen are not on par with maxima bleeding: theres a procedure to follow to get all air bubbles out from the coolant causin overheating spots. See stickies...

But oh well. Just dont do it and keep posting...

 

if you didn't replace the lower hose, that may be the issue. they have a tendency to develop small cracks and will spurt out small amounts of coolant when the pressure builds up... they squirt some out, then the pressure drops and you're back to no leaks for a while.. then it does it again. kinda like old faithful, but on a smaller scale.

if the hoses are more than 3-4-5 years old, they certainly can't hurt to be replaced and they're not that expensive. maybe $15-20.. replace it and see what happens. look for sings of leakage as well. antifreeze will leave greenish-white scaly deposits where it leaks.. looks almost like hard water stains on copper, if that makes sense. if you see any leaks while you're in there, you'll know it from those signs.

 

When I replaced my top hose that leaked coolant the hose underneath it began to leak because the replaced hose was made of crap parts and was getting so it hot it burned melted the hose underneath. We had to add some rubber to whatever areas touched to stop it from melting.

 

hey guys..finally back from san antonio, tx <<<nice town b.t.w. go see it if you ever get the chance

Anyway...havent driven my car in days (until yesterday when I got back) and while I was gone temperatures were dipping below zero (bbbrrrr) - I've driven my car once or twice since then..but did not notice any steam - But that dam gas smell came back HARDCORE!!!! so I will be getting my fuel rail looked at and those hoses replaced first - anyone know how much i should expect to pay?

thanks for everyones input - except the annoying ones who are apparently only here to criticize (and then offer help) but in the end are of no assistance to me *no names mentioned*