Engine smoking/coolant everywhere...

[Breezy]

Got home last night and my engine was smoking like crazy. Opened the hood and coolant was all over my engine (front) and sitting in a cavity on the passenger side under the intake manifold and dripping down my pulleys and such, etc...

I have never had a hot engine temp problem that I know of. But right before I went to TN last week, I had the oil changed to synthetic and they filled my coolant reservoir then too. The reservoir was empty by the time I got to TN, but my radiator was still full.....? My radiator has never been low before....just the overflow reservoir thing.

I'm not sure what to do. I've been told it could be a water pump or head gaskets. I don't feel like I can drive it like this, and I didn't see any threads on blown head gaskets or anything. Yall have any ideas or similar experiences?

[Riff Raff]

Try wiggling the spindle that turns the water-pump mechanism. If it wiggles/woggles at the spindle as to indicate an out-of-balance rotation, then it likely indicates a faulty water-pump.

If you don't plan on replacing the water-pump yourself; then you can re-fill the radiator and overflow res, and quickly limp the VX (while the engine is still cold from sitting overnight) to a nearby mechanic/shop for repair.

[Triathlete]

Are your hoses okay? Thats the first thing to check. Personally, I would not chance driving it...not worth rhe damage it could cause. If it is the water pump you might as well change the timing belt while you are in there. Good luck.

[Ldub]

Sounds like it's time to order some new intake manifold gaskets & get out the 's.

There are a couple heater hoses that run under there that could'v ruptured, also there are a couple of O rings that could'v failed, also it could be the upper radiator hose where it connects to the thermostat housing.

...but do NOT drive it like that...

The co$t of repairs will go up exponentially...

[Scott Larson]

While you're at it, check the radiator outlet hose for leaks where it enters the water pump housing as well as the throttle body bypass hose (it's the small hose behind the radiator outlet hose leading to the throttle body). Either one of those could douse the passenger side of the the engine with coolant! Best of luck tracking it down...

[deermagnet]

It sounds like it's up too high to be the water pump and on the outside of the engine. I'm hoping it's related to the crossover pipe or all those other coolant hoses and pipes around there that some of us have had problems with. Any of those parts will not be a big problem for a good mechanic to replace.

The two gaskets #160 are known to fail along with other o-rings, gaskets, and rubber parts around there. Everything you see below is all carrying coolant.



Mark

[Breezy]

Thanks guys. When I get home from work this afternoon I will tinker around and first see if I can find any obvious hoses or connections that leaked, and I will play with the water pump spindle. However, I think it'll end up in a shop. I don't know much about this kinda stuff. Cooling systems is beyond the scope of my experience. I'd be afraid of breaking something worse if I tried fixing this on my own lol.

[Cris]

Dont gooverboard check your radiator cap.

[rsteinmetz70112]

Sounds like you have a leak high up, possibly a hose gasket or fitting.

That would account for the coolant, smoke (steam) and the loss of coolant, since without pressure the coolant would not only leak but actually boil over.

Check to see if there is coolant in the oil.

[Y33TREKker]

Agreed, first check to see if there's any water on the dipstick with the oil. If not, just refill the radiator and/or coolant reservoir with water, start the engine, start looking for where the water is leaking, and hope it turns out to be something simple.

[PK]

Try wiggling the spindle that turns the water-pump mechanism. If it wiggles/woggles at the spindle as to indicate an out-of-balance rotation, then it likely indicates a faulty water-pump.

If you don't plan on replacing the water-pump yourself; then you can re-fill the radiator and overflow res, and quickly limp the VX (while the engine is still cold from sitting overnight) to a nearby mechanic/shop for repair.

Good luck with checking the wobbly water pump spindle from the outside of the engine.
The water pump drive is under the timing belt covers, so you have a lot of work to do to get to it.

Stick with the gaskets, hoses, and o-rings that Mark and the others have mentioned. The water pump could not throw water up that high even if it exploded.

PK

[Breezy]

FIRST of all...Please don't laugh at me or mock me for this. I was experimenting when I did this:

2 weeks ago I took the throttle body apart to clean it and it was necessary to pull off some hoses (I didn't know what they did...just that they were clamped on they needed to come off). The clamps broke in the process and I didn't think anything about it. I put it all back together (so much carbon was in my TB...it was disgusting) and put the hoses on with no clamps. Turns out these hoses are pressurized coolant hoses with about 15 PSI in them. So my coolant just eventually all blew out. $26 for a mechanic to diagnose the problem and clamp it all back together and fill up the coolant.

SO EXCITED!!! I was expecting gaskets and water pumps and all kinds of other evil things I didn't want to pay for.

Praise God for such a simple problem, even though I am the root cause lol.

[rsteinmetz70112]

Glad it turned out to be a simple fix.

[Scott Larson]

That was the throttle body heater hose I suggested earlier, glad you got it fixed on the cheap!

[Breezy]

Scott, I didn't know what that was. But you were right on. Exactly lol. I had no idea what the coolant lines were though. Anyways, I know for next time!