Hello! I was hoping to get some advice about what might be wrong with my 2000 Nissan Maxima! Here is the background:

2000 Nissan Maxima
High mileage, I'm guessing close to 120,000

For a few months in the early summer I had been smelling a burning smell when I got out of the car after driving it. At the time I did know it had a minor oil leak and did not have the funds to take care of it then. I continued to drive the car, smelling the burning smell frequently but attributed it to the oil leak. About 6 weeks ago the battery died, and I quit driving this car for another vehicle I own. Last week I replaced the battery, and eventually got the car started after I had to give it a jump (BTW is that usual to have to do after replacing a battery? I figured it would start right up.) I immediately started smelling the burning and noticed lots of white smoke pouring out of the back of the hood (near the windshield) on the left side if you were looking at the vehicle from the front. I knew I needed an oil change but was too scared to drive it up the block to Pep Boys at this time. I also noticed that there was zero coolant in the reservoir. At first I thought maybe it evaporated ??!! in the Texas heat! So I filled it up, and now I have been noticing two areas of fluid on the ground near the coolant tank. I have no idea where to go from here because I can't afford much as far as repairs! Any advice would help!

 

I should also mention that after about 10 minutes of idling, the smoke went away. And I checked the oil level and it was fine. The oil looked a little dark and due for an oil change in about 100 miles.

 

I would pop the radiator cap off and see if its empty.

 

If you had to jump the car to start it, that sounds like the battery was not charged up enough. Think about it. If you had a good, fully charged battery, why would you need to get the car jumped.

As 03GLEmaxima said, remove the radiator cap and see if the radiator is full. If not, add coolant. Since you see puddles on the ground, I'm sure you will need to add coolant. Of course you know to do this when the engine is cold. Run the engine until it gets to operating temperature and start looking for a coolant leak. Based on where the puddles are, check the lower radiator hose, the corner of the radiator and around the water pump.

 

You obviously have a leak and will have to look and see where it is coming from.

 

I drive a 4th gen. I recently replaced every single one of the coolant hoses. There are a bout a dozen of them. It is likely that you have a leaking hose. It is likely to be somewhere above the exhaust manifold. Any leaking would turn to steam and smell.

 

As others stated, check your radiator if its full or low. Also what type of smell is the smoke? Burning burnt oil like or a sweeter smell?

Burning more than likely is coming off of your exhaust manifold so it could possibly be a oil leak (Valve Cover Gasket or PVC/Hoses?)