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
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 hot. What could it be?
My car has 167250 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
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.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
Smoke often leaves car engines as a result of overheating. This can be caused by faulty wire casings, heated residues on the engine block and overheated liquids including oil, transmission fluid and brake fluid. There may also be a fault in your coolant system, or your engine may not have enough lubricant.
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.
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.
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.
An engine smoking or white smoke under the hood could be caused by any number of problems including: Inoperative cooling systems. Car burning oil. Damaged valves, pistons, or wiring.
The most common cause of smoke under the hood is small amounts of motor oil or other fluids accidentally spilled or leaking from a bad gasket or seal onto a hot engine or the exhaust system. Those other fluids may include engine coolant, power steering, brake and transmission fluid, even window washer solvent.
Whether it`s a defective part or an overheating engine, coolant is somehow escaping your engine. The reason it typically escaped in the form of steam is that the system is pressurized, and very hot – if there`s a leak, the coolant that escapes vaporizes.
Vehicles often produce thin white smoke caused by water vapor and condensation in the exhaust pipe. However, if it`s not condensation, white exhaust smoke is typically caused by an engine coolant leak. This could mean a coolant leakage — going from the coolant system into the combustion chamber.
Low coolant can sometimes cause a head gasket on your engine block to blow. If this happens, you may notice smoke emitting from the engine or tailpipe, a loss of power, engine knocking sounds, or decreased efficiency.
Thick white exhaust smoke indicates a coolant leak, which could cause overheating and put your engine at serious risk of damage.
White smoke usually means coolant is getting into the combustion chambers of your vehicle. This generally happens because of a cracked or leaking head gasket, which allows coolant to seep into your cylinders. In extreme cases, you will need to replace your head gasket.
What Should I Do If I See White Smoke Coming From My Exhaust? Most importantly, you should not continue to run the car. If your engine has a gasket failure or a crack, it could lead to further contamination or overheating, which essentially means, “Goodbye, engine.”
Technically, you can drive your car with a burning smell, but you shouldn`t! No matter how small, any cause of a burning smell can potentially turn into something serious. More often than not, the burning smell, when ignored, could even start a fire, which can be pretty dangerous.
Summary. If your car emits a rotten egg smell, there might be a problem with the catalytic converter, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, or even the old transmission fluid. Whatever the cause, if you get the rotten egg smell in your car, take your vehicle to the mechanic as soon as possible and resolve this problem.
No. It is, in fact, dangerous to drive with a smoking alternator. A bad alternator can cause serious damage to your car`s electricals as it can transmit alternating current. Furthermore, it could also catch fire and spread across the whole engine compartment.
Summary. If your car emits a rotten egg smell, there might be a problem with the catalytic converter, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, or even the old transmission fluid. Whatever the cause, if you get the rotten egg smell in your car, take your vehicle to the mechanic as soon as possible and resolve this problem.
No. It is, in fact, dangerous to drive with a smoking alternator. A bad alternator can cause serious damage to your car`s electricals as it can transmit alternating current. Furthermore, it could also catch fire and spread across the whole engine compartment.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
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.
Replaced alternator on car 2 times each time shows it’s charging 14v let car run for a little bit then test drive and car voltage
ANSWER : There are reports that the replacement alternators will not communicate with the engine computer and will not charge correctly. I recommend using only the manufacturer approved replacement part. It can be new or remanufactured but approved for use in the vehicle. Some lower cost alternators on the aftermarket will have charging problems since they will not communicate with the ECM on the vehicle and will stop charging.
Car shut off while driving, smoking (or steam) from right side under hood, strong burn smell, check engine light on until next day
ANSWER : Hi there:
It’s very difficult to diagnose exactly what type of damage may have been done to your 2003 Honda Civic during the overheating issue without physically inspecting this onsite. It is possible that the head gasket may be damaged, which might be why you add coolant but don’t see a leak. If this has occurred, you most likely have suffered serious engine damage. To know for sure, you should have a professional mobile mechanic complete a car is smoking from engine or exhaust inspection; so they can trace what might be wrong with your car and recommend the right repairs.
My car stops when engine gets warm and while I am driving I stop on red light and car suddenly turn off and I have to hit starter
ANSWER : Hello, from what you’ve described it sounds like you are having several different issues. The starter should have nothing to do with it stalling, but it will have something to do with the car restarting if it doesn’t turn the engine well. The stalling can be from the distributor or possibly a computer sensor.
The scenario where you hit a car from behind may be from another problem, alongside with the idling of the engine. Without knowing the model and engine size of your car I can only say so much. I would suggest having a mechanic do a thorough check of the entire car to check the engine, brakes, and computer systems to see if the problems can be identified and repaired, or at the very least quoted.
A little bit of white smoke comes from the motor when I get off the highway and come to a complete stop. It smells like burning oil.
ANSWER : Hi there. It sounds like you may have an oil leak(s). The smoke and smell you are experiencing is the oil being burned off by the engine and exhaust heat. The source of the leak may be slightly difficult to pinpoint if it has been going on for a while and may require the experience of a qualified technician. Some of the possibilities are valve cover gaskets, cam seals, crank seals, rear main seal, and so on.
YourMechanic has several technicians that can assist you with an oil leak inspection, and service your valve cover, cam seal, or crank seal as necessary. Upon looking at the vehicle we can provide an accurate estimate and direction of repair.
I have a mini r53 s (supercharged) runs fine but when car stop and AC is on for a wile car overheat
ANSWER : Your question makes me think of a case I ran into a few years ago. The owner had modified his car but when he installed his fans, one of them was wired backwards so the fan ran in reverse. The two fans were fighting each other which was just like having no fan at all, so the car heated up while it was sitting still then it cooled off when moving. Check the rotation of both the fans before you check anything else. If that’s OK, you may be able to track down the problem with a non-contact thermometer, follow the course of the coolant with the beam. The radiator should be about 30 degrees or more cooler at the exit than at the entrance. If you need help with this, contact Your Mechanic. They can send a technician to your home to check out your overheating problem and let you know what can be done for it.
Soap smell coming out of car after cabin change. Changed filter the the smell is still coming. What to do about this strong smell?
ANSWER : Hi There,
As you know, your car has a cabin filter that serves to filter the air that is introduced to the cabin inside the vehicle. The best way to remove your cars interior ac odor is to use a cleaner that uses enzymes. Enzymes in cleaners kill odors at the source and completely kill the smelly substance material and therefore stopping the a bad smell. To get rid of the smell, try the following: First turn on the ac to full, make sure the “recirculate” button is not on, spray a large amount of cleaner with odor killing enzymes into the EXTERIOR air intakes that are located just below the windshield wipers, let the car run for about 10 minutes with the ac on, after 10 minutes turn off ac and spray the cleaner into the ac vents on the INSIDE of your car. After doing all this, let the car sit for 20 minutes turned off and windows rolled up. Then repeat if the smell is still in the car. By doing this you are killing the bacteria or mold in the car ac vent ducts and also the evaporator mold that may be present.
As you know, your car has a cabin filter that serves to filter the air that is introduced to the cabin inside the vehicle. The best way to remove your cars interior ac odor is to use a cleaner that uses enzymes. Enzymes in cleaners kill odors at the source and completely kill the smelly substance material and therefore stopping the a bad smell. To get rid of the smell, try the following: First turn on the ac to full, make sure the “recirculate” button is not on, spray a large amount of cleaner with odor killing enzymes into the EXTERIOR air intakes that are located just below the windshield wipers, let the car run for about 10 minutes with the ac on, after 10 minutes turn off ac and spray the cleaner into the ac vents on the INSIDE of your car. After doing all this, let the car sit for 20 minutes turned off and windows rolled up. Then repeat if the smell is still in the car. By doing this you are killing the bacteria or mold in the car ac vent ducts and also the evaporator mold that may be present.
After you sit with the car running, the car starts smoking and eventually starts shaking
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. It all depends where the smoke is coming from. If it is from the exhaust then your engine be running rich and starting to foul out the spark plugs. Have the computer tested to see if any codes are present that could indicate what is causing the smoke. If you see smoke from the engine compartment then you may be running the engine hot due to low airflow over the radiator. Have the cooling fan checked to make sure it is running. If it is running and the vehicle has the AC running and the blower is on or near high then you may be using more energy than the alternator can keep up with. This can cause the radiator fan to not turn as fast as it should and let the temperature to rise if idled for long periods. 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.
