a question regarding overheating car

[marcbh]

i was driving home tonight and turn the heater to defog the front window and as pull on my place my car is starting to overheat and has smoke rollin out of the over flow can i also noted that it wasn't putting out hott air inside the car what could this be

[totaldoughnut]

Blown head gasket or cracked head. Mine did this last month, thought it would just be the head gasket but found cracks in the head. Replaced the head, water pump, and timing belt. Runs sweet again. The smoke from the overflow is either from overheating and pushing coolant out or combustion gases entering the cooling system. The heater stops getting hot because you lost so much coolant that theres not enough to flow through the heater core. I feel ya, I went through it. If your near the Modesto ca area found a head shop called Carlos cylinder head. Small place pretty good work. I bought a complete rebuilt exchanged head with cam and rockers installed and adjusted for $280.

[mysticude]

sounds like a thermostat stuck in the closed position

[marcbh]

thats what i was hoping for ill check it in the mornin

[totaldoughnut]

The thermostat would definately be MUCH easier and cheaper. Do that and check it. Has your coolant level been getting low, I saw my problem a few weeks before teardown because my engine was consuming coolant.

[marcbh]

[QUOTE=totaldoughnut;1649554]The thermostat would definately be MUCH easier and cheaper. Do that and check it. Has your coolant level been getting low, I saw my problem a few weeks before teardown because my engine was consuming coolant.[/QUote

i havent checked it for bout 2 or 3 months

[totaldoughnut]

Try the thermostat and some fresh coolant, that would be GREAT if it fixes it. Then just keep an eye on your coolant level. If it goes low and its not on the floor it going out the tail pipe.

[mysticude]

or maybe possibly a clogged radiator

[Gotz Cb7]

Reason there's smoke coming from your overflow, is because your engine's building pressure. Most reasons an engine builds pressure, is because of a blown head gasket. See, I waited until mine actually overheated and kept driving and driving (cause I didn't know it was overheating, didn't have my eye on the gauge), and my hose that's connected to the thermostat housing, burst. It was hot, for so long...that the block cracked. Seems like yours could be pretty mild.

Just because your needle raises above half way, there still shouldn't be any smoke coming from anywhere. Especially your overflow. I've experienced a blown head gasket, AND my car won't keep a thermostat. Hasn't since I got the new engine. The needle just raises after drivin' for a little bit. It would suck so bad, if this new engine....had a blown head gasket also.

Your engine's buildin' some pretty decent pressure, so like dude above said. Check your coolant level. Could possibly be a bad waterpump. I'd go through the steps, and try to figure it all out. You've got Thermostat, Waterpump, and maybe the Radiator. But, if your car's swallowing coolant & white smoke is coming out of the muffler, and you can smell anti-freeze out your muffler, it's 100% blown head gasket.

ehh, I had to replace my engine because of this junk, cause I drove it for so long after I replaced that hose and took the thermostat out, the car drove fine for a month...and just one day, smoke...everywhere. It came down to crackin' the block in the process. Very shitty.

[mysticude]

well hopefully its not a blown headgasket yeah i just went thru this problem on my grand am before i knew i had replaced the whole cooling system

[marcbh]

its the water pump

[totaldoughnut]

Yeah, an overheat problem could be caused by a water pump, a thermostat, or a radiator. But we still need to determine if in fact his engine is consuming coolant. If coolant level goes low and its not on the floor then its out the tail pipe. A stuck thermostat, worn water pump, or plugged radiator will not cause that. A blown head gasket or cracked head will.

[marcbh]

Yeah, an overheat problem could be caused by a water pump, a thermostat, or a radiator. But we still need to determine if in fact his engine is consuming coolant. If coolant level goes low and its not on the floor then its out the tail pipe. A stuck thermostat, worn water pump, or plugged radiator will not cause that. A blown head gasket or cracked head will.

its not the head or the gasket it still had plenty of water in the radiator it took very little water to get it to top off

[Gotz Cb7]

I hope you don't use straight water!! Put some anti-freeze in that thing! It doesn't take long for water to heat up.