max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

it just started with the colder weather and after it sits for a day or 2. its a tiny bit, and it dries up after warm up. i keep my eyes on the level, its fine and the dealer could'nt find a leak anywhere and neither can i. i noticed the weep hole in the water pump was dripping after i let her sit in the colder weather last 2 winters, is it leaking internally and dripping slowly past the head into the exhaust?? seems legit, just trying to avoid a major engine repair or replacing the block. thanks>>

JNCoRacer

iTrader: (6)

Blinker fluid. Youre not going to like this, but youre going to have to pull the taillights off to find your problem.










All jokes aside, if youre leaking at the water pump it could be seeping in elsewhere. It seems youd be loosing a considerable amount if you can tell its still antifreeze after passing through the exhaust. I believe the next step would be to have your coolant system pressurized and checked.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Whoa there, Is it actually coolant or are you seeing steam out the exhaust at start up on a cold day and freaking out. A lot of steam on a cold day (40* and below) is completely normal. If it was coolant it would smell sickly sweet.

Water pump would have absolutely nothing to do with coolant entering the cylinders. If it WAS burning coolant you would have a blown head gasket.

GGENIUS

iTrader: (1)

^^^ hahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!! oh man that was a good one. ashton kooter would be proud.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

well, i took a rag and wiped out the condensation out of the muffler tip and between the black from the exhaust and the watery looking/greenish fluid ( very light, looks like mostly water ) it was hard to tell. like i said, the level's fine, but its slowly leaking from somewhere cause i keep having to top off the coolant. normal??? i do drive the car alot, use the heater and ac alot, so maybe its vaporizing, cause even after warm-up i see a little steam coming out of the exhaust. she runs fine, so im not too worried.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Water is a natural byproduct of the catalytic converter. In warmer weather you see a slow drip from the tail pipe, or nothing at all. In cold weather you see steam, sometimes constantly.

Go to a shop and have the coolant system pressure tested and check the coolant for exhaust gasses.

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Oh.. my.. God......

Shift_A32B

iTrader: (14)

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I beg to differ. The water pump is chain driven, so one side of the water pump is swimming in coolant and the other side is bathed in oil. When the gasket starts to go, the 2 can start mixing. So anywhere the oil goes, the coolant goes too and vice versa.

Max ride's symptoms seem to suggest that his pump is slowly dying. Change it now or change it later. No biggie. It's not critical....yet.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Engines aren't supposed to burn oil, there fore coolant in the oil would still not enter the cylinders. His pump may be bad, and caused a blown head gasket, but the water pump is not passing water into the cylinders. No way no how.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I've experienced blown head gaskets.....it usually involves sudden, massive overheating, temp gage shoots to the top, coolant boiling in the overflow reservoir etc. And then the overheating issue suddenly goes away once you've stopped the car for a short time and refilled the radiator and reservoir. It has happened to me twice, once in a turbo and the second time NA.

Maybe his car is in the early stages, but I would still tend to think its the pump and not the gaskets. And yes, engines don't burn oil...in a perfect world. How do cylinder walls get lubricated?

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i like the responses here guys, they make alot of sense and to me any number of things can happen when a head gasket starts to leak. if you look at a head gasket, there's multiple ways for things to mix with each other. a water pump has seals so i thought maybe since its been leaking and its got 239,000 on it that that could be causing the issue. am i worried, yes i am and this is just not a good time for this to happen. but when is it?? keep em coming.....

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Replace your head gasket now before it gets worse. Only way you are getting coolant in your exhaust is if it's entering the combustion chamber on the exhaust stroke aka your head gaskets leaking...

CallMeThatOneGuy

iTrader: (2)

Head gasket AND water pump. Do them both at the same time since doing one would make the other more accessible. Then gas and go! (assuming $$$ is no issue..)

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

Somebody explain to me how coolant can enter into the combustion chamber via the water pump. Unless it jumps out or I am not thinking correctly it is more likely washer fluid would get in.....If you are positive it is coolant, which I think is highly unlikely to begin with, then replace your HG or it will get worse and one day you will overheat possibly cracking the block.

ryandaiber

take off the exhaust and pressureize the cooling system. check each exhaust port and see if any coolant is present. or you can do a cylinder leakdown or compression test.

maxed_out_99

Dude just pull off the radiator cap and smell the coolant. If it smells like exhaust you need a head gasket if not your leaking it or it may be normal operation. If your exhaust is black your running rich. Steam or water from the exhaust is normal.
Also check the color it should be green not chocolate milkshake

If the exhaust smells sweet you have a problem

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

no, fluid is green in color and not low. i was told i have exhaust leaks by the shop, can excess water get into the exhaust through leaks?

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

The most likely culprit is a head gasket.

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

Your getting coolant in the exhaust from the leaking gasket. Now you need to determine which head is leaking.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

if gasket is leaking, how much to repair? if a head, same question. cheaper to do a different block than to fix this cause i need timing cover seal fixed and the chain and guides as well.

ryandaiber

you could also get a combustion leak detector. not too expensive. worth the money even if you use it a hand full of times.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

the exhaust makes its own water. It is a natural byproduct of the catalytic converter. It is supposed to make steam in the winter. Have your **** tested.

maxed_out_99

Dude sniff the coolant already. If it smells like exhaust you need a head gasket. I'll repeat my self an a handful of other orgers. Normal combustion cause moister, water, condensation. It has nothing to do with the cat the engine makes water. I hav no cats and in 35 degree weather it steams up real nice. SMELL THE FREEKING COOLANT MAN!!

JvG

Been there done that, on a 1990 Toyota Cressida. Same engine as the Supra. The block tester with the blue fluid indicated a bad head gasket. The fluid turned green, then yellow. I could also see bubbles in the radiator.

I removed the spark plugs. The adacent ones that looked steam cleaned (white) indicated where the leak was.

Are you having an unusual amount of steam-fog coming out of your tail pipe?

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

nope, as indicated for the 4th time, its more when it sits a day or 2 in the colder weather. it just started, i have 6 different opinions on what it could be, im just keepin my eye on it and praying it does;nt turn out to be a head gasket or head. thanks for the input guys.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Have it tested to either put your mind at ease or get a headstart on fixing it.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

It can't, sure it can leak and mix with the oil in some cases but it won't get into the combustion chamber.

Since he is actually finding coolant in his exhaust (unburned) that means its getting in on the exhaust stroke which can only be a head gasket.


Paul you are correct, I don't have cats on my car and I get a bunch of condensation, it actually leaked thru my exhaust leak once (that's how I found the leak lol)

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Am I missing something here? You guys talk about replacing the head gasket like its a walk in the park. Given that the VQ is a DOHC chain driven V6, IMO, replacing the head gasket is like....major major engine overhaul. For example, you have to crack open the casing that covers the chains on the cams, and that casing looks like it was designed to never be opened.

Also, you can do the water pump without touching the heads at all.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Doesn't really matter which one. If you do one, you really should do both. They will both be exposed anyway when u do the job.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

like i said, if i do the water pump it'll be when i do the main chain and guides. i wont do a head gasket, i'll probably buy another vq before that happens. its just bad timing right now, money's tight and i got alot of bills i just paid. waiting till spring to do any major repairs.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Why should he change his water pump if his head gasket is leaking?

Get an engine puller, pull it, and change the head gasket.

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

Oh its a hell of a job. I havent even seen a VQ blow a HG before. It usually enters into limp mode well before and you cant drive it anymore.

ryandaiber

i'm sure all of us here can understand money being tight at one time or another. but if you dont get it fixed money will get really tight when you don't have a way to get to work.