Car smoking under hood and spraying antifreeze everywhere, but not overheating
I have a question regarding my 2004 automatic Honda Civic. It was overheating so I brought it to a mechanic. He concluded the fan on the radiator was broke and had to be replaced which is why the car was overheating. He fixed it and I got it back. Since I got it back, there is a lot of white smoke coming out from under the hood now and antifreeze spraying EVERYWHERE out the front grille of my car and even spraying onto my windshield every time while I'm driving — but the temperature gauge doesn't show it is overheating. My mechanic said it was normal to do that for a couple days becau
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi, thanks for writing in. Either the bleeder screw was not properly tightened, or the bleeder screw (or worse yet possibly) the radiator is damaged and has begun leaking, and the fan is spraying the hot and high pressure coolant all over. Don’t take any comfort that the temperature gauge is not showing an overheating condition. If there is air in the cooling system, or the coolant has already boiled away from the sensor, it will NOT read accurately. You may have an overheating condition that is doing damage already. If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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The most common causes of overheating include low coolant level, a faulty thermostat, a plugged radiator, a faulty radiator pressure cap, collapsed hoses, non functioning cooling fans, and a faulty water pump or drive belt.
You definitely have a leak somewhere in the cooling system. The reservoir is not where the leak is coming from and it isn`t the best place to check the coolant level. The coolant expansion tank is there to capture the expansion of the coolant in the rest of the system.
Head gaskets blow when the engine overheats, so sometimes there is an antifreeze leak elsewhere in the system that starts this chain reaction of events. In addition to leaks, your coolant level may simply be too low, which can cause overheating. This can also happen if your engine oil levels are too low.
The most common answer to, “Why is my car smoking but not overheating?” is that there`s a type of fluid that`s landed on the engine. This can be motor oil, fuel, transmission fluid, coolant, or even condensation. It can cause your engine to smoke because it`s burning off that fluid from the engine.
A blown radiator hose spraying coolant onto a hot engine will also produce wispy white smoke that looks like steam. Smoking coolant has a sweet pungent odor and can feel oily if rubbed between your fingers. Blue or gray smoke and a pungent, bitter odor from the tailpipe signal the engine is burning oil.
Coolant leaks might not seem like a big deal, but it could create a hazardous situation for your car`s engine. Without the proper amount of antifreeze, your engine could overheat (or freeze in winter months). Because it plays such a critical role in how well your engine runs, coolant should be checked regularly.
Can an engine survive overheating? Yes – as long as you respond quickly and don`t let your car go into full meltdown mode, it should be repairable. Too much heat can result in further complications, such as cracks leading to significant oil leaks or loss of performance.
White smoke from your exhaust means coolant is exposed to your engine`s combustion process. In most cases, this is the result of a blown head gasket, but a cracked engine block or cylinder head could also be the cause.
Thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust typically indicates a blown head gasket, a crack in the head, or a crack in the engine block. Cracks and bad gaskets allow the fluid to travel to places it shouldn`t be. If it travels, then the problems begin.
It is typically not safe to drive the vehicle when it is overheating as this may risk additional engine damage. Overheating can be caused by a number of things such as low coolant levels, a faulty thermostat, a clogged radiator or a failing coolant fan switch.
If you notice your engine releasing steam or starting to smoke up, pull your car over when it is safe to do so and turn your engine off. If you are comfortable doing so, pop the hood of the car. Dot not pop the hood until the engine has cooled. Do this only if you feel it is safe to do so.
If you notice smoke coming out of the vehicle, do not keep driving. Pull over to the side of the road as soon as you can and shut the engine off.
Thick white exhaust smoke usually indicates a coolant leak, which could cause overheating and put your engine at a serious risk of damage. If this is the case, call our auto repair shop for an inspection immediately.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Car smoking under hood and spraying antifreeze everywhere, but not overheating
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. Either the bleeder screw was not properly tightened, or the bleeder screw (or worse yet possibly) the radiator is damaged and has begun leaking, and the fan is spraying the hot and high pressure coolant all over. Don’t take any comfort that the temperature gauge is not showing an overheating condition. If there is air in the cooling system, or the coolant has already boiled away from the sensor, it will NOT read accurately. You may have an overheating condition that is doing damage already. If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
My heat in my car stopped working two days ago and now my car is overheating. I put antifreeze in my car and it’s still overheating 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
ANSWER : Hi there – you may have 2 related events here, a coolant leak, and a problem with the heater system. The current issue may be air inside the cooling system, which can cause overheating, and a lack of heater function. The lack of heater function could have 5 causes: the engine is not getting up to correct temperature (center of the gauge) due to a malfunctioning thermostat, the heater control valve is not letting hot coolant into the heater core, there is a restriction in the heater system that is preventing adequate hot coolant flow through the heater core, the heater fan is not working to transfer heat from the heater core to warm air for the passenger compartment, or the air blend doors inside the heater are not working properly to route warm air to the desired vents. I would recommend a heater system inspection](https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/heater-is-not-working-inspection) by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
just got a oil change Car engine temp got really hot, oil spilled under the hood, loud screeching and smoke when the car is on
ANSWER : Hi there. I honestly hate hearing horror stories like this and am very sorry this has happened to you. There are several things that could have caused this issue, ranging from the oil service place forgetting to put the oil cap back on, tighten the oil pan bolt or the oil filter was improperly installed; causing the oil to spray, increase engine temperature and many other possible damage to internal engine components. The first thing I would do is contact the oil service location and inform them of the problems you have experienced. They should be given every opportunity to resolve and repair this issue; or at least, have an "accident claim" filled out by you; as it’s possible that major damage may have occurred. If they are unwilling to help, I would set up an oil leak inspection from one of our professional mechanics so they can determine where the oil is leaking from and any other damage that has occurred. In the best case scenario, the issue can be resolved easily.
car is overheating and leaking water and anti freeze
ANSWER : Coolant leaks can occur because of cracked hoses, leaking gaskets, faulty water pumps, or damaged radiators. When the coolant level goes low, the engine will start to overheat due to the low coolant level. I would first recommend giving the cooling system a visual look over. If it is not obvious where the coolant leak is coming from, I would recommed having the cooling system pressure tested in order to determine the leak source. If you would like to have your cooling system pressure testedcoolant is leaking inspection, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can come to your home or office to inspect your cooling system.
My car has smoke damage inside somebody tried to steal it and try to burn the car how much does it cost to get a car cleaned out f
ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. Your situation is incredibly unfortunate! Hopefully insurance will help pay for the damages. Pricing is going to vary greatly depending on your location. You are going to want to gather a couple of quotes and compare pricing. The damage done, and the kind of help you have in your area will all effect pricing. If the majority of the damage is inside of the cab, you are looking at having the interior redone. Seats, flooring, electrical components, door panels, window seals, and whatever else would have been damaged will be priced individually for the most part. If engine damage has been done, you will have to do a full diagnosis before obtaining a quote. For more help, or a quote from our technicians, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.
Ticking noise in engine oil leaking everywhere and car keeps overheating
ANSWER : It sounds as if you have a major concern with a great deal of fluid loss. In many cases, a component or seal failure may cause a large amount of fluid loss if it has gone unnoticed for some time.
My best advice to you is to hire a professional to look over the vehicle to find where the fluid loss is happening and make an attempt to correct the situation. With such a large scale of fluid loss, there may be multiple problems.
If you decide to get this fixed, consider enlisting a certified mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who can diagnose the source of your leak and perform any repairs that are necessary.
My car is running hot…it was smoking from under the hood, after a little bit of cooling, the smoke stopped, but it still smells
ANSWER : I believe you have a bad thermostat. Symptoms of a bad thermostat are coolant boiling over and very tight upper radiator hose. The smell is going to be because of the antifreeze on the engine. No worries that will go away after having the car on for a while because it will burn off.
Replace your thermostat and I’m sure your problem will be fix. Consider YourMechanic if you would like to have a technician come to your home to diagnose the issue and replace the thermostat.
My car started smoking and antifreeze leaked out all over the place. Now it wont hold antifreeze so i tried pouring water into the
ANSWER : It is possible that your turbo is cooled with engine coolant and has sprung a leak. This would cause coolant to leak into the exhaust system because the turbo is connected to the exhaust system. It is also possible that because there is a turbo issue, this is preventing the vehicle from starting. I would recommend having any trouble codes read with an OBD2 scanner and going from there with the diagnosis. Consider YourMechanic for a car is not starting inspection as this can be done at your home or office.
