Hi, I have a 91 Jeep Wrangler (2.5l) with about 160k miles. The previous owner used it as a daily driver and as a "mudding" vehicle. It ran great the day I bought it, but recently white smoke started coming out of the exhaust. It’s most likely, coolant being burnt with the fuel. I think the cylinder head and gasket have been ruined from overheating.
I looked under the hood for the first time since I bought it and noticed that caked on dirt was in the coolant reservoir. The radiator was brownish inside – I’m unsure if this was mud or rust. I drained the radiator and mostly brown liquid came out. Once it dried out, there were little brown flakes on the inside top.
Should I get the engine replaced (expensive), or take a risk and just replace the cylinder head and gasket (cheap)? Also could the water pump have failed from rusty coolant circulating through it?
I'm a college student, so I’m looking for an affordable solution (nothing unnecessary). I've yet to see what the oil looks like.
2006-11-01 15:12:30 · 5 answers · asked by importantprovolone 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Jeep
Owned it for 3 weeks now. Coolant temp gauge was broken the day I got it.
1st week: it was towed because of low battery and it sat for the rest of the week.
2nd week: got the battery charged, and got it to turn over after about 6-7 tries. It vibrated a lot, but the vibration went away. It was around this time I noticed the white smoke.
3rd week to now: it's still sitting there underneath a car cover and I'm still trying to figure out what I should do.
2006-11-01 15:16:24 · update #1
The cylinder head is aluminum. It's probably warped. That's what I meant by ruined.
2006-11-01 15:49:16 · update #2
Depends.
Although may people will claim they are "snake oil" and useless, I have had GREAT results on three occasions now using "sludge-in-a-bottle" type chemical repairs.
You are after somethng called "block weld" or similar - NOT rad-weld which will be no use at all. the stuff you are after looks like either a redish/brown sludge OR a coppery mass with a clear solution on top. A good car accessory place will have it.
This stuff is NOT ideal, it is NOT as good as a proper fix but it WILL stop oil and water mixing and WILL stop the cylinders taking in water, it WILL stop further damage to the head and block and WILL let you keep running the engine until you can afford to get it fixed. It also costs you about £5 / $10 maximum to try it - and a 90%+ chance it will get you back on the road.
You must THOROUGHLY flush out the cooling system - remove ALL traces of oil/antifreeze. Then following directions on the pack, you add this to the coolant and immediately go on a gentle drive.
In practice, you may not find the cure is permenent - but if you do not thrash the engine to bits, you may EASILY get 10,000 miles out of it before needing to re-apply.
I have fixed a BMX 525e, a Vauxhall senator and most recently a Toyota supra MK III with this stuff.
In all cases, significant coolant loss / overheating were the symptoms (along with the white smoke). In all cases, the repair lasted - though in the last one (Supra) it was only a short term fix until I replaced the gasket along with other work that was being dne at the time.
2006-11-01 15:20:22 · answer #1 · answered by Mark T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Still haven't looked at the oil ??? If the oil is acceptable, that is if it's not milky from water in it, then you are possibly ok. The radiator may need professional cleaning by a radiator shop. Don't assume the head is warped. Don't puy a bunch of junk in it to plug the leak. If the oil has water in it you are possibly in trouble depending on how much it was driven and if it sat long enough for the water to damage the bearings and such.Check the oil and pull the head. I would not count on a warped head unless it got extremely hot. Really not a big job on a small engine.
2006-11-01 16:13:51 · answer #2 · answered by tronary 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Depends on what you consider "affordable". I don't a vehicle like what you describe is something that would be suited to someone like you, in your present situation with limited funds to work with. It sounds like a "nightmare" vehicle to me, that will only require tons of money to keep in service if you intend to keep it in the long term. Just my two cents. Sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear.
2006-11-01 15:48:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it means it is blown headgasket coolent gets into the cylinder and then threw the valve to your intake.
2016-05-23 10:45:19 · answer #4 · answered by S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
SORRY, BUT YOU GOT SUCKERED. HEAD GASKET BLOWN. SHOULD CONSIDER GETTING REBUILT ENGINE. IT'S BEEN BEAT AND PATCHED. GO TO NAPA FOR BEST WARRANTY.
2006-11-01 22:45:46 · answer #5 · answered by midnighttoker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋