help...MY CAR WAS STEAMING SMOKE NOT FROM THE ENGINE...

[hideric]

ok guys, i need seriouse help.
a few days ago i was driving my 97' 202 up the highway cruising at 140 km/hr (im in canada) and when i almost got back to my area the car started steaming white smoke from under. I parked over at the side scared as hell and waited for a good half an hour and drove back. even smoked got in the car from the back seat...

i dont want to bring it to my garage yet coz i dont want him to jipp me off coz i kno mothing about repairs. He treid to quote me soo much for smth that didnt even need to be fix, so yea..

so for you expereinced drivers outthere, what do u think the casue wud be so i can narrow down the possibilities?

thanks in advance.

[Sn0rKy]

Originally posted by hideric
ok guys, i need seriouse help.
a few days ago i was driving my 97' 202 up the highway cruising at 140 km/hr (im in canada) and when i almost got back to my area the car started steaming white smoke from under. I parked over at the side scared as hell and waited for a good half an hour and drove back. even smoked got in the car from the back seat...

i dont want to bring it to my garage yet coz i dont want him to jipp me off coz i kno mothing about repairs. He treid to quote me soo much for smth that didnt even need to be fix, so yea..

so for you expereinced drivers outthere, what do u think the casue wud be so i can narrow down the possibilities?

thanks in advance.
first...where is the smoke coming from?

[Proven Guilty]

if it was white steam/smoke, sounds like it was overheating.

-check your coolant level, and if it's gone down that would be a start.
-when the car is cold, you can safely start it up without the radiator cap on. if the fluid inside starts bubbling before it warms up, you may likely have a blown head gasket if it over heated badly.
-check all hoses for leaks, cracks, moisture
-check the oil. if its not amber (clean, fresh oil) or brown/black (older used oil) and its actually a milky color, you're in really bad shape.

the smoke coming from the back might have been the coolant reservoir boil-over dripping out of the release tube and onto the exhaust under your car. at least thats what sounds most likely from what you described.

-you can typically change the thermostat yourself (they tend to go out between 100k-200k miles) for like $40 from autozone, and about an hour of wrench time in the driveway. if its a head gasket, well, itsgoing to cost you some coin... its a good thing you pulled over and let it cool down.

[Sn0rKy]

Originally posted by Proven Guilty
if it was white smoke, sounds like it was overheating.

-check your coolant level, and if it's gone down that would be a start.
-when the car is cold, you can safely start it up without the radiator cap on. if the fluid inside starts bubbling before it warms up, you may likely have a blown head gasket if it over heated badly.

the smoke coming from the back might have been the coolant reservoir boil-over dripping out and onto the exhaust. at least thats what sounds most likely from what you described.
thats wut i was assuming, but it says "from under"

[Proven Guilty]

edited to add some info ^_~

[martattack]

If you are low on coolant, then check the coolant hoses for leaks, and also a possibly cracked radiator.

[enawazh]

I had a similar problem with my 95 c280. However this happened during extremely hot days.

If i drive at freeway speeds and exit, when i stop the car smoke would rise ffrom under the car. i pulled over and looked under the car and some oil was dripping on the exhaust pipe.

This started happening after i got my transmission service.

then it just went away the next day only happened twice.

[enawazh]

I had a similar problem with my 95 c280. However this happened during extremely hot days.

If i drive at freeway speeds and exit, when i stop the car smoke would rise from under the car. i pulled over and looked under the car and some oil was dripping on the exhaust pipe.

This started happening after i got my transmission service.

then it just went away the next day only happened twice.

[OzC36]

A similar thing happened to me many years ago on my Alfa Romeo Berlinetta 1750, which started spewing an enormous white cloud from its exhaust. To make a long story short, it turned out to be brake fluid. The vacuum operated brake booster got its vacuum from the inlet manifold. When the main booster seal failed, the brake fluid was sucked from the brake side of the booster into the inlet manifold and processed through the engine and re-issued as dense white smoke.

When assessing the origin of smoke, obviously the colour is very important. Also equally as important is the smell. Engine oil smoke is blue-black and has the characteristic oily burnt smell. Diesel oil smoke is black and smells like only a smelly diesel can smell. Electrical fire smoke is normally black and smells acrid like burnt bakelite. Water and coolant "smoke" has wispy light gray colour and smells like boiling water.

Brake fluid smoke (at least what I experienced) has a dense white cloud that has a smell somewhat like brake fluid and can't be confused with any of the above!

Hope this promotes a discussion from more knowledgeable folks out there.

[hideric]

i checked it WAS from one pipe under the car, maybe the exhaust or smth?

thank you all!!!appreciated!