Car emitting Smoke ???

Question

I wonder if anyone around, who has average (or indeed, above average or perhaps even fantastic) knowledge of what's inside car's bonnet (or "hood", as Americans would say).

While driving to work this morning, I'd shedload of smokes coming out of my bonnet/hood & the "arrow" was pointing on (or very close to) "hot".

I tried pouring 5 standard bottls of water but I don't think I'll be able to travel back home i.e. a distance of 15 miles.

Someone recommended me to have some sort of "radiator filler" & then to top the radiator with water.

If that's the case, what exactly should I be looking for in a shop & how do I go about using it. However, if that's not the case, I wonder if anyone can point me in the right direction.

I've got Suzuki Vitara 3 door.

Answer 1

Better have a mechanic look at it before you ruin the engine.

But, it sounds like you blew a radiator hose, or at least have some kind of coolant leak.

Answer 2

I agree with the other posts that it is most likely steam comming out of your hood. When the motor is cold, fill the radiator with water, and start the car. when the heater starts blowing warm air, look at the motor and see if you notice any water squirting out or dripping from the hoses, the radiator or the engine itself. I have used plain ole black pepper for years to seal small leaks. If it is a hose leaking, pepper will not work. If there is squealing to be heard it is probably the water pump. If you notice a drip comming out of the pump, the seals are bad, have a shop fix it.

One other possibility is you have a major oil leak and oil is beig burned by the exhaust manifold. Your car will get very hot if the oil does not circulate in the motor. Hopefully you just have a bad hose. Try putting 2 oz pepper in the radiator and letting the motor run. often this will solve leaks. good luck

Answer 3

You definitely have a coolant leak, either from the radiator or one of the hoses. You should try to determine where the steam is coming from. I would not take the chance on driving it any distance like this. Take it to a mechanic to have it inspected. These "stop leak" products you add to your radiator MIGHT temporarily reduce or seal the leak if it is in the radiator itself, but will do little or nothing if it is a bad or split hose. Have someone knowledgeable look at it....if it's just a hose then it's a fairly easy fix.

Hope this helped.

Answer 4

Before you put any radiator filler in (which doesn't work that great) I would check your hoses and radiator cap for leaks. I thought I was going to have to replace my whole radiator once but it turned out a $5 cap was all that was needed.
If the leak is truly coming from the radiator, it's going to cost you and radiator filler won't last long term.
Short term, I have even heard of people putting egg white into a radiator to temporarily slow leaks.

Answer 5

You need to run a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze/coolant in your radiator. If your car continues to overheat, check the hoses. Have the thermostat checked as it may be stuck in a closed position. Also, replace the radiator cap yearly. If none of this works, have the radiator checked.

Answer 6

radiator could be blocked. in which case a filter won't do much good and neither will filling it with water.

how big is a standard bottle? 2l? 500ml? if all of that water is missing then something is probably very wrong.

one solution (if you're willing to risk it) would be to top up the water and then let the car get hot to see where the smoke/steam is coming from then investigate further when it's cool

Answer 7

Sounds like a MASSIVE coolant leak. Don't try driving it like this.

First, look at the hoses. Any that are slashed, cut, or just plain don't hook up anywhere? If you're lucky, that will be all there is. Had that happen to me once.

If not, you may have the radiator cap loose, or may have a crack in the radiator.

Answer 8

could be lots of things.... water pump, radiator hose, heater hose, etc..... better take to nearest garage or have towed.

sealants do just that, seal up everything... including the ports in the head, block, heater core, radiator. sealers usually cost u more in the long run.
people who tell u to use selers like that need to come out from under the shade tree and into the present. thats a 50's shade tree fix!

Answer 9

first, it was steam, not smoke. its either your rad, with a hole, which water will hoof itself out of... so you can see it leaking.
or, its your cylinder head... evidenced by pouring gallons of water in and not seeing anything on the floor... its busy filling the engine block. or, well theres about a dozen things which can go wrong, bottom line is, its not good. radweld is fine, for emergencies, but it wont fix a split hose. (water is under pressure) or it could even be the watrer pump packed in, teh engine cooked itself and blew the head gasket... whatever it is, apart from a simple hose, water pump or rad, is going to be around 500 quid plus the bits...

if you cant see teh problem, they its a fair bet to say its not the simple easy to fix cheap option..and it never is...

Answer 10

if its a leak - the local garage will sell a RADWELD - it seals small holes but i believe at some point you then need to replace the rad.

if not you should be mixing summer coolant with dionised water - both sold in the garage

how i would call out the AA or RAC - better that than be pulled over by the motorway police for leaving tan lines down the motorway.