I have a Ford explorer and it smokes to much.The water to the car disapears so much.My warning on my car always says check ingine.I took it to a place and they couldnt tell me they fixed it it lasted 2 weeks and it started up again.I need help on this.
2007-03-28 15:30:23 · 11 answers · asked by Brown_girl 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The problem sounds like a blown cylinder head gasket or a cracked cylinder head. The coolant (water) leaks into the engine and is expelled from the exhaust as white smoke but it is actually steam.
A reputable shop can confirm the problem a give you a quote to fix it.
You should NOT drive the car in this condition because it can cause (more) permanent damage to the engine (if it has not already)
2007-03-28 15:37:07 · answer #1 · answered by Answer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's loosing water that's easy to check. Have a radiator shop pressurize the cooling system ( they just take the radiator cap off and pump it up with air) and look for water dripping out.
Leave it pressurized for a few minutes. If no water leaks out, but the water level has gone down you may have a blown head gasket, or a cracked water jacket in the block. Probably the head gasket.
The smoke you see, is it white? does it disappear right away? It may be steam. If you have a bad head gasket, or worse, a warped cylinder head, you have water leaking into the cylinder. When the exaust system heats up it turns the water to steam.
I can't think of what your mechanic could have done to make it run for two weeks and then quit.
You can pull the spark plugs and look at the color to see if there's a problem with one cylinder. They should be a chocolate brown (the porcelin part inside) any other color and your mechanic can tell you what's happening.
While you have the spark plugs out you can also check the compression of each cylinder. You need a gauge for that. They should all read the same amount of pressure, within 5 pounds or so. If it's more then 10 you have a problem with that cylinder. A good mechanic may be able to tell you what the problem is based on the pressure, the color of the plugs, and the way the engine runs.
If I had to bet, I'd bet you have a blown cylinder head gasket.
2007-03-28 15:43:18 · answer #2 · answered by Sarge1572 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Park it on a dry surface like concrete. The next day before you start it up fill the radiator. Be careful not to spill any liquid. Then start it up and let it run for about five minutes. as it runs check the tail pipe to see if water drips at the exhaust end. Shut the car off after it has run 5 to 10 minutes and check under the radiator area for drips or puddles of water. Exhaust water indicates internal leakage of the coolant. Leakage can find its way into the oil pan and raise the dipstick level..continous use will damage the engine components. A puddle under the front end indicates a blown water seal on the water pump, or a leaking radiator. Letting the car sit overnight allows everything to dry so that it is easier to spot where the water is coming out. You may want to buy a bus ticket or talk to your friend about ride sharing.
2007-03-28 16:11:33 · answer #3 · answered by Griz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well you would run a compression test to see if you have a cracked head/gasket. if youre loosing coolant and its smoking, thats the telltale sign of a cracked head/bad gasket, however, you could also have a coolant leak and be burning oil.
The generic way of testing to see if youre actually burning coolant would be to smell the exhaust. if it smells sweet, thats a cracked head.
now, to determine that you have a leak would require you to add some florescent (sp?) dye, run the car for a few days and then take a black light to it. If the dye lights up, you have a leak.
Now on the check engine light. There are 200+ problems that will give you a cel. If i knew your year explorer, i might be able to tell you how to pull the diagnostic codes without taking it in.
any auto parts store will give you a free diagnosis.
2007-03-28 15:38:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check the oil first do not let your truck ran out of water because it will screw up the motor radiator migth be bad if its not the radiator is the water pump. Dont let it go through fix it before is to late
2007-03-28 15:36:47 · answer #5 · answered by bora 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy it the patch..I'm currently trying to quit myself. It's really hard. As for the water problem, I suggest Fiji water...it's the best. Eight ounces a day is good for a human, so I'm guessing about 100 gallons would suffice.
2007-03-28 15:37:05 · answer #6 · answered by monadpapers 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
smoke---- the piston rings are bad
loss of water---head gasket needs to be replaced...is the water temp light on all the time?
both are not cheep fixes specially since its a ford
:)
2007-03-28 15:35:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds to me you got a bad head gasket and or bad head
good luck
hope this helps
2007-03-28 15:34:23 · answer #8 · answered by davedebo198305 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
THE DID A QUICK FIX ON IT YOU NEED TO HAVE THE HEAD GASKETS REPLACED
2007-03-28 15:36:00 · answer #9 · answered by mike c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you checked for a radiator leak/puncture?
2007-03-28 15:35:24 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋