My girlfriend just bought this car and it drove absolutely perfect with COLD a/c for the first week, then it started making a sounds kinda of like a clicky-sputtering when the ac was on, i think that is the converter clutch or whatever. but anywho, since then white smoke comes from what looks like maybe under/behind the radiator, and a little behind the block. i dont know if this is from something leaking and burning, it is white smoke. the radiator itsself has some gunk in it, black stuff. i dunno if a dirty radiator would smoke or any reason, but it is also overheating after driving for like 20 miles. any ideas?
All the symptoms of a blown head gasket.
The white smoke is caused by the hot evaporation of coolant that has landed where it doesn't beling (inside the combustion chamber) and the gunk in your coolant is oil and combustion byproducts that have leaked into the cooling system.
The overheating comes from the fact you are currently pumping burned or burning gases into the coolant system - they are hot!
I see a fairly expensive head gasket replacement and possibly a surfacing job to get the head flat again if it has warped.
The actual headgasket is cheap and if bought as a set, should include other gaskets that will need replaced after the head is removed since there will be a number o things in the way.
If you consider doing it yourself, buy a Haynes or Chilton service manual and study it first.
Good Day,
White some indicated that coolant is burning off. It could just be a simple leak which is burning off of the hot motor. It could also be a bad head gasket(probably what you don't wanna hear), One indication that it is the head gasket is white smoke coming out of the exhaust, this happens as coolant gets into the oil and is burned off then exhausted out the back. Possible causes for the overheating include, low coolant, coolant leak, thermostat, water pump and or water pump belt, or head gasket.
If I were you I would drain and flush the radiator, then fill it with new coolant, and change the thermostat, provided you have no white smoke coming out the exhaust.
hope this helps for now
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thank you both for your input. i will check out the tail pipe for the smoke. thanks again! very helpful.
I have no heat in my car, Its a 1993 mercury sable, could it be the thermostat?
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