Me and my friend were driving today and we noticed that when I pulled into the driveway and popped the hood, there was A LOT of smoke coming from the passenger side of the radiator below the radiator cap. Furthermore there was a bulge in the radiator cap, wasnt completely straight there was a little bump going upwards on it. Anyone know what this is, the cost for new parts, and how easy a fix is? Thanks.

 

can you take a picture of this part??

 

 

 

Could be a bad radiator cap. Where was the steam coming from exactly.

 

The smoke was coming from far under the radiator cap, I saw the radiator cap bulge and everything and I will prolly replace that, but the smoke was ciming from far below the radiator cap.

 

check ure hoses

 

If the cap was bulging, it sounds like it wasn't venting at all. The excess pressure could have ruptured something somewhere. Is it leaking now? You might want to take it to a radiator shop to get it pressure tested.

 

ok so say I did rupture something, is it ok for me to drive down to a shop to get it checked or will it do any damage?

 

How far is the shop? A few miles won't do any damage if the engine stays relatively cool. If the cap is bent then replace it before you pay someone else to tell you it's bad. Sounds like it didn't open then the pressure just bent it (luckily that rather than bending the radiator!).

 

Sounds more like they both bent.

 

When your ready to drive to the shop make sure the car is completly cold and when u turn it on dont let it warm up at all, just turn it on and start driving, get to the shop a.s.a.p.

 

No it is not leaking now, in fact the smoke stopped almost as soon as I turned the engine off, when I turned it back on a few minutes later there was no smoke coming out (thought I did not drive the car after turning the car back on).

 

well that smoke just didnt happen for no reason.You gotta find out why it smoked

 

I took off the cap today, about 5 days after the incident, and I noticed there was a lot of cooant in the radiator, I can take a picture in a day or two but does anyone know what this may mean?

 

Coolant in the radiator? I have NO IDEA!

(Sounds like it should be there.)

Get a new cap, top off the system, see if you have any problems overheating. It's not that hard.

 

when I meant coolant in the radiator, I meant there was a lot of it, I'm starting to get concerned that this might be a head gasket of a thermostat does anyone think it is and why?

 

The radiator needs to be full of coolant. Anything less isn't "a lot", it's "not enough".

 

Help me here gang. ITthermostat will eithe stick open (no problem other then you do not warm up) or closed, this is a problem, the car would over heat, Blown head gasket you you could get lots of white smoke coming out the tail pipe, and or you would be down coolent in the radator,

Paul

 

heres some more pics. I know I need a new radiator cap and everything but it looks like there is too much coolant in the radiator. I know also I need to add coolant to the overflow.

 

your radiator looks normal.Just fill up your overflow to the recommended line.And if your in doubt about your cap just get a new one,youll sllep better and there not expensive

 

That's not "too much", it's "full". It is not possible in any way for there to be "too much" coolant in the radiator.

 

I have a radiator I used for about a week if you need one.I put it back in the box as it was not enough radiator for the big engine in my firebird.Put a pressure tester on the place where the radiator cap goes to see where your coolant leak is.If you need it,Iwill ship it to you Fedex or UPSfor75.00,and you should receive it in 2-3 days.
Mark C. Buffington
"the Accelerator"

 

I just took a good look at the picture of the cap, does the gasket look a little odd, or is it just the angle of the picture

Paul

 

A thermostat stuck closed can also cause your problem.The thermostat does not only keep the coolant in the block for the engine to get to normal operating temperature,it also keeps the coolant stationary in the radiator so it canbe cooled by the fan pulling air through the radiator.when the engine temperature gets high enough to open the the thermostat,the coolant in the radiator is then returned to the engine to keep it's temperature fairly consistant.So the thermostat serves two purposes contrary to most people's belief.If you want to know if the thermostat is the cause of your problem,look at the # on the thermostat.It should be :160/180/195. Put it in a pan on the stove with a thermometer and slowly heat it.It should begin to open at the # on the thermostat.I have seen heater cores and radiators burst due to a defective thermostat.Also,I saw the picture of your radiator cap,and noticed the rubber seal is distorted.Try running the engine till it is warmed up and turn the engine off.Quickly feel the bottom of the radiator and the top of the radiator from under the hood.If the bottom of the radiator is cooler than the top,the radiator is plugged.Good luck,Mark C. Buffington
"The Accelerator"

 

Replace the cap and go from there. Caps are under 10$ at any auto parts store make sure u get the right psi...

Its a part that should be replaced every 30k miles or something...Its not like ur wasting ur money.

....Go from there.