Hello all. I am kind of a car-novice trying to diagnose my car's problem to try and fix it myself. I gotta learn someday, right?



So a few days ago I noticed white smoke or steam coming out of the front of my car. and the temperature gauge went into the red so I popped the hood and saw that the coolant reserve/overflow (?) tank was empty and that the radiator seemed like it was "overflowing" with hot pressure/steam. I figured it was just low on coolant so I bought some and filled the radiator and reserve/overflow to the top (maybe too much?). I was able to drive about 20-25 miles before the car started to overheat again. When I opened the hood and radiator cap, the radiator was empty and the reserve tank was 1/2 gone and the coolant had sprayed everywhere. I added water and drove home. The next day, I added water to the radiator and started to drive to my mechanic and the car didnt overheat. It appeared to be fine. I drove 20+ miles (with the heat off) and it was fine. Now tonight when driving it overheated after a mile and the heat no longer works in the cabin. Though the car doesnt overheat while in idle. Anyone have any ideas? If I left anything out, please feel free to ask.

 

white smoke is a clear sign of burning coolant. coolant has got to be getting to/dripping onto some hot surface to steam/smoke off. Find that leak somehow. Thats your goal. watch for 'wet" spots, observe perhaps when all is cooled down. try renting for free a radiator pressure tester from AZ. Pressurize to spec (about 35 psi??), and watch for leak spot. Go from there.

 

you may also have a bad rad cap. pressure tester of course wont point that out.......get new, if in doubt0- theyre cheap.

 

Engine cold, get the system as full as you can and hook up the pressure tester. Don't pump in any pressure. Start the engine and rev it. If pressure builds up by itself, the head gasket is blown. You can do the same test without a pressure tester by squeezing the top radiator hose to feel for pressure inside. There shouldn't be much or any pressure building until the engine has warmed up considerably. Also if the gasket is blown, it is likely that bubbles and coolant will come out of the radiator when you rev the engine with the cap off. Again do this with the engine cold so you don't get burned.

 

There doesn't appear to be a leak in the radiator. When the engine is started, and the radiator full of coolant, the coolant is just "boiling" out of the radiator... even with the radiator cap off and without the car overheating (but warming to normal levels.)