I have a 2002 taurus and there is a horrible antifreeze smell coming from my car, if I drive it it smokes..?

Question

I just got my fluids all checked and filled last month so I'm not sure what the problem is, but it is brown looking in my radiator. It was also making a hissing sound and smoking, I added engine coolant last night bc it was overheating on the side of the rode, In the morning I drove it to see if there would be a problem , brought it back and it was still hissing and there was antifreeze down in my car, WHAT is wrong?? How much would it be to fix? Thanks

its got 135,000 miles and the smoke comes from the top of my hood

Answer 1

Could be radiator hosaes or water pump could cost between 20-and 300.Check your oil dip stick to see if its a blown head gasket if there is water in it its blown if not its one of the other things I listed.

Answer 2

by the sounds of these problems its a high mileage vehicle right (02 should have 72,000)? you could have a damaged radiator, but the brown coolant is a sign that the fluid is being burnt (hence the smoke) as the others have said it could be a blown head gasket. when was the last time that you had the coolant system flushed? if it was clean coolant and turned brown thats all bad (most likely blown head gasket) if it has'nt been changed in a while you may be in luck, inspect all the hoses (squeeze em, they should not be that pliable if they are they need to be replaced), look at where they conect to the radiator and motor, check for leaks or stains at those points too. when was the last time you changed the thermostat (it could have froze shot, creating a high pressure condition in the coolant system that can cause your symptoms)? either way if its smoking theres something going on that you need to fix blue grey smoke indicates oil being burnt (blown head gasket) clear white or greyish smoke is likely coolant (could just be a leak thats getting into the motor or blown head gasket, you can literaly see oil floating on the surface of the coolant when you open the radiator cap, take a flashlight to it and look at it from several angles) either way the longer you take to fix it the worse it will get, try trouble shooting the little things first before you go to a mechanic, you mayfind it yourself and save yourself a load o cash, good luck.

Answer 3

2-3 possibilities....since your car is five years old now, it's possible that your radiator needs to be flushed or you might have cracked your radiator or your radiator hose is loose letting the antifreeze leak out. Have you had any minor fender-benders lately?

The core of the radiator may be all gunked up and it's not circulating the anti-freeze properly allowing your engine to cool down...i.e. that's why you're overheating all the time. You can bring your car to a reputable mechanic to confirm this or if you live in a big city a specialist that does flushes radiators would be ideal.

A normal flushing of the radiator will probably cost less than $100. If they do a thorough flush, which consists of removing the radiator and giving it a bath in some chemicals to break down the gunk, it may cost more.

A cracked radiator will cost you plenty to replace unless your mechanic can find you a used one to replace it with instead of buying brand new.

If it's just a loose or worn hose, that is a simple fix and a new hose and some clamps is all that's required.

Answer 4

Vexedfreak is right. I had a blown head gasket in my old 1999 Taurus. Smelled like antifreeze and white smoke came out the exhaust. At one point, every time I stepped on the accelerator, the temperature shot up too. Sometimes it would die while idling at stoplights. And it totally reeked of antifreeze inside.

A few days later, it wouldn't start at all, so it cost me $1400 to have it fixed. My Taurus was never the same since the blown head gasket, so I sold it right after that.

I think I read somewhere that the Ford Taurus is particularly susceptible to blown head gaskets and there was a class action lawsuit filed.

Answer 5

You have a leak in the cooling system. Brown color means the antifreeze has failed. Smoke in the exhaust may mean a blown head gasket...coolant getting into the combustion chamber. Hissing sound usually means a leak or opening in the cooling system. It is depressurizing too rapidly. Don't drive your car. Have it towed to a repair shop. You could ruin the engine otherwise.

Answer 6

Sounds like a blown gasget somewhere, that is letting coolant into the cylinders.

Answer 7

you have a blown head gasket. depends on labor rates in your area for cost to fix

Answer 8

Its a ford.... thats whats wrong.... sorry about that..... How much is a chevy? thats how much it will cost to fix your ford.