Whats wrong if car is steaming.. antifreeze on ground n fumes inside? Car had been leaking antifreeze lately 2

Question

Our car has been leaking antifreeze for awhile now. We topped it up last week but it still leaked. My bf just started up the car and drove for a minute and the engine blew or something. He said theres steam coming out from the engine, fumes inside the car :S, and antifreeze all over the ground. He said he was going to try to start it back up on the phone to drive back to his work (1 min away..) I think that's a bad idea. What could the problem possibly be and how much is it going to cost us? I don't even know if it's worth it on a '95 Pontiac Grand AM.

Answer 1

Sounds like you blew a radiator or bypass hose. A blown head gasket would spit white smoke out your exhaust 99.9% of the time. Check your oil dipstick to see if there is any milky looking substance on it. Remove the oil filler cap and check it and the inside of the filler hole for milky residue. If nothing but plain oil then your probably safe from any major repairs. The heater core is inside the car under the dash. You would have antifreeze soaking into your carpet and a film on the windshield where the heater/defrost vents are. Radiators don't really blow. they can leak real bad or shoot streams out. Now the blown hose my be the symptom of either just being plain old or was being cut by any objects rubbing up against or pinching. Next would be your cooling system. Very low on fluid, stuck thermostat, water pump failed, cooling fan not working, radiator plugged. The hose was the weak link and your better off that goes than a head gasket. More questions go here http://painintheexhaust.blogspot.com

Answer 2

My guess is that it is a lower intake valve or the head gasket. That depends if you can actually see the antifreeze leak out or if it is just losing antifreeze. Grand Ams have aluminum engines and it doesn't stand up to well to the changes in temperatures that engines go through. I'm thinking that a 95 isn't worth repairing because its the cost off labor that gets you. 4 years ago lower intake valve work cost me $1100. If you do get it repaired you may need to do the same thing within a year or two.

Answer 3

You leaked all the antifreeze, your radiator dried out and now you have fried your engine. IF there is anything left unburned it's gonna cost a lot to get a new radiator. Most likely you'll need a new engine. Maybe if they have a "U Pull It" where you live you can save a few bucks. It's like a car junk yard where you can buy parts off of older cars that have been wrecked and such ... I'd get it to a mechanic and I WOULD NOT drive it ANY further without any water in the radiator! You're ganna blow the whole darn thing up!

Answer 4

If theres fumes inside the passenger compartment, then do NOT drive it. Anti-freeze fumes are very poisonous and cancer causing.

Anyway its probably leaking from a hose comming from the radiator to the engine and/or heater core, and the steam is from the coolant dripping or splashing onto the hot engine or or transmission. The hoses are very cheap (no more than $30).
but make sure its leaking from there, as you could have a blown head gasket, but that may not explain the anti-freeze on the ground. I was just trying to give you the best case scenario, although I suspect a blown head gasket. But check the hoses/tubing first.

Answer 5

Sounds like worst case senario. The coolant leaked out and you blew a head gasket. Which mean whole top end of the engine would need to be replaced. Which is big money. Probably around $750 to $1500 dollars. Hate to say it but might be best off to get new car

Answer 6

Sounds like a blown radiator hose. Let the car cool off, fill it with water and start it. Look for split or leaky hoses. Its something simple and inexpensive to fix unless he blew a hole in the radiator which is highly unlikely.

Answer 7

could be blown hose or freeze plug, easy fix and cheap parts, labor may be pricey at a shop. or worst case maybe blown or cracked head, or even block. depends on severity of leak originally, and if you ever over heated it before. if it was driven far after blowin hose, if that was the case, it could have cracked the head as result, thats very expensive.

Answer 8

i own a repair shop,and something has broken on it ,maybe a radiator hose blew out on it or something,but if he drives it he may ruin it,and your kind of right ,it can cost more to repair it than it might be worth,especially with the high cost of parts these days,but it has blown something out on it that is what caused it to do this,,good luck with it,i hope this help,s.

Answer 9

iT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR HEATER CORE WENT BAD.You could drive it to nearest repair shop but I would not drive it too much farther as you could over heat and cause more problems.It probabley will cost around two hundred bucks if I am right.It is a pretty rough job on most cars.Good luck Rick

Answer 10

it could be anything..blown radiator hose, cracked radiator, heater core, water pump, or whatever.. i would NOT drive it if it does not have coolant in it, you will damage your engine.