i stopped my car the other day and noticed some white looking smoke coming from under the hood and noticed a strange smell coming from my car and heard the ratiator boiling. so i left (was only a few blocks from home) and went home, by the time i got right beside my house my thermostat was on H or as far as it could possibly go. so i took the cap off and noticed i didnt see ne water in it. so i put water in it and made plans to get some antifreeze. so 2 days later it was running the same as it always had been b4 the problem and i got home and heard the radiator boiling again but the temp. gauge was normal. so im like wtf? and tha next day put antifreeze in it. and the gauge hasnt gone up nor have i heard it boiling, but the hood of the car seems really hot and i smell that strange smell every time i drive now. What do yall think i should check for? i havent seen any leaks or puddles other than the a/c one? anywhere specific i should look, and if possible could i getta pic of where? wat would yall guess would be the most likely causes of these problems? thanks for any help

 

sounds like a head gasket
try this (not a guaranteed test)
take off the radiator cap
start the car
add water until radiator is full
let car warm up to operating temperature (to be sure t-stat is open)
raise the engine RPM a bit
If coolant burps out when you Raise the RPM there's a very good chance you blew the head gasket.

 

I have heard of this test before.............................. but couldn't the water pump spin faster when you up the rpms to create a faster water flow that would make the coolant want to come out of the radiatoor cap opening?

Or am I crazy???

 

Wrong..

The test must be done before the t stat opens up...Fill the system up the night before,them when the system is full and COLD uncap the rad,start the car and look for bubbles....


A blown h-gasket will pump the coolant out immediately if it is blown...

 

under normal cicumstance the coolant is not under enough pressure to come out the cap, but if the pressure from your cylinder (100+ psi) gets in there. and voila' Volcano.

 

mine does it when its warm too.

 

well a family member of mine put alotta water in it tha other day while it was running and obviously hot and it exploded like old faithful lol, he said its sposse to do that but im doubtin that, that would b a bad sign wouldnt it

 

also if i can get a look at where tha heads are will i notice a leak or st, is there a another test that i can do that will confirm that its the head gasket?

 

i just did the test and although it didnt spew alot of water it kinda dribbled i out, and also bubbled up some, is that what im looking for?

 

was the car already warm when it bubbled?

 

i let it run for a few and did it, does that matter?

 

so you filled it, let it tun for a while (3-4 minutes), then blipped the throttle and coolant came out the neck(over the top, not into the reservoir)?
if yes then you PROBABLY have a blown head gasket.
otherwise

 

actually a little came out b4 i hit the throttle, it just startin steaming a little when i hit the throttle

 

sorry but I'm not understanding you or you aren't understanding me so I hesitate to do anymore OTI diagnosing

 

Ok guys....If the car is warmed up/with the rad cap off/the combination of water pump and heat expansion will push coolant out of the rad/all cars....

A bad head gasket will push coolant out of the rad when cold via combustion from the cylinder/or oil from oil pump pressure where the head gasket is blown..


THE TEST WILL NOT WORK WHEN THE CAR IS WARM!

 

QUOTE=internetautomar]sorry but I'm not understanding you or you aren't understanding me so I hesitate to do anymore OTI diagnosing[/QUOTE]

ok... i started the car, popped the hood,took the cap off, filled with water, noticed it kind of bubbling and the water kinda working its way up to dribbling over, this was [U]BEFORE[U] i hit the throttle and the car wasnt warm because it hadnt been on but 2 or 3 minutes. when i did hit the throttle, steam and that nasty a$$ antifreeze smell came from the radiator.

Im not getting smart or nuthin with u im just tryin to explain it, lol. Thanks

 

I didn't think you were trying to get smart with me.

I'm just much better at doing things hands-on.

 

yea i gotcha, but is this steam coming from the radiator normal? or is it a bad sign? and if its a bad sign, what do u think its telling me?

 

I've never had steam come out of my radiator other than the 1 time I was stupid enough to open the cap hot and got an anti-freeze shower.

you could just stick a radiator pressure tester on there and see how much pressure the system is under.
normal conditions max out @ 30 psi
blown HG =way more

 

Disagree ...........

Radcap releases around 1 bar or 15 psi - its purpose is to prevent over-pressurization of the cooling system - so if its working you will never see much higher than radcap release pressure in the radiator no matter what.

Blown head-gasket will pressurize the cooling system sure, but if all is working ok (hoses,cap,overflow etc) then you will have an effectively lowered boiling point of your coolant system (ineffective/inefficient cooling) because of liquid loss due to the head-gasket leak forcing water out into the overflow bottle.

Cant see anybody here diagnosing the situation properly - take the car to a radiator shop or service center - the guys have a chemical solution they add to your coolant that turns to a certain color when in contact with gas from your combustion chamber - if it stays clear then you do not have a head-gasket problem - the only sure way I know of proving what is going on.

 

i took it to one earlier today, for a coolant test and an compression test to see if they can figure out the problem with that and my erratic idle, so i'll keep ya posted on what they say

 

have you done a compression check?

 

nah they're sposse to be doing that monday though


and they flushed the radiator and they said it was full of rust, could that b my problem or is that normal of a 13 year old radiator?

 

full of rust is indicative of a lack of prior maintenance.

 

really? my mom's had tha car since like 95, u know most woman dont take care of their cars lol, but do you think that could cause similar problems to what im experiencing?

 

anybody know if rust or clogging could be causing my symptoms?

 

doubt it...if u're smelling the anitfreeze burn then it is most likely entering the combustion chamber. the only way the coolant gets from the water jacket/passages into the combustion chamber is if the the head is cracked, the block is cracked or if the head gasket has been compromised. based on your description of the smell and the white smoke from the exhaust there seems to be no question as to the fact that the coolant is actually being burned ...just how it's getting there

 

naw its not smoking from the exhaust, its like steaming from under the hood, and it appeared to be coming from the radiator, and i dont think its burning it just only happens after iv driven the car for a little while. but if it is a cracked head,block, or blown gasket will that show up on a compression test?

 

Have checked the radiator for a leak?

 

i looked under and around the car but didnt see a leak, which of course i could have missed it. but i did have the valve cover gaskets replaced in late may or early june and they had to replace a hose that ran to it i think.

 

A leak doesnt mean egnough will leak out to drip in the ground. My 240 had a cracked radiator and it never leaked egnough to hit the ground. I lasted about a month like that.

~Alex

 

what about the steam in my radiator and it boiling those 2 times tho?

 

well the shop called today and said imma needa new radiator, and id have to have tha radiator installed b4 they could check the head gasket. they said though that even if the gasket was blown that for the radiator and the gasket work it would be around $500. they said the radiator was gonna cost $200, but they have a nice koyo on ebay for $130 shipped, so should i go with the koyo or w/e they're ganna give me?

 

So this shop told you over the phone without looking at the car and said you needed a radiator??

 

well does the koyo one off ebay come with a warranty, because the one from the shop probably does. I would pay $70 extra for a warranty part from a shop over an ebay radiator...of course I'm biased, since I'm service manager at my shop I can tell you that $200 is a very fair price for a radiator, at least in my neck of the woods.

 

no they've had it since friday, they found abuncha rust in it and said it wasnt any good.

 

lol, i understand, but it does come with a 12month/12,000 mile warranty