Ok...the other day i was driving and i blew my radiator hose off. There was coolant everywhere all over the engine. I ran it for about half a mile gettin it home and it didn't get to the 260 zone til right when i pulled in the driveway. Today when i started it up, it idled fine. Then all the sudden, smoke started comin off my engine. It could be antifreeze burnin off, but my temperature gauge goes up really fast. And smoke comes out from the valve covers where the center bolt is. Somebody help me out please. Did I crack my heads by doin this? or did the water pump mess up or did the thermostat or what? Please help...

 

Sounds like not only a leaking head gasket, but a cracked head because of the smoke coming from under the valve covers..... just my $.02

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Kevin Irving
85 Trans Am WS-6, 305 TPI, custom burned '86 PROM with '87 "165"ECM, Accel Supercoil & 8.8 Wires, MSD 6AL, Aluminum Driveshaft, Wonderbar, TB Coolant Bypass, Ported Plenum, Modified MAF, Syclone Fuel Pump, JET Airfoil

15.556 @ 86.65mph, Nov 10, 2000.... I know it sucks.. but it will get better!

http://www.geocities.com/transam85tpi/

Member - The Tidewater Trans Am Club, Norfolk VA http://www.geocities.com/ttacva/

 

good chance it's only coolent burning off. why did the hose blow off? good chance the t-stat is stuck, change it and see what happens.

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

1,

I'm guessing you are steaming off the excess coolant (Ed is usually right on) and you may also have some entrapped air in the cooling system after refilling.

This happens even if you are careful about bleeding air, since most people don't use deaerated water to mix coolant. The water will deaerate itself after several heat/cool cycles, but the liberated air will cause a "bubble" in the system, requiring you to refill the system at least once after the initial filling. If you really want to avoid this, you can boil the water you use to mix coolant for about fifteen minutes, then bottle in with no air space present in a sealed container.

I'm ****-retentive about stuff like that, but I'm not THAT ****. I ususally just watch the coolant level for several days after a service, and top off as necessary with clean mixture.

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Later,
Vader
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"What a Day..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Easy way to tell... keep an eye on the oil...if it gets thicker and changes color to a metallic grey or thick brown, STOP DRIVING THE CAR, this is coolant in the oil, which eats bearings. Keep an eye on oil pressure at idle. Being careful of engine electronics, clean the engine (cold)throughly and let dry overnight, rinse cleaners off well. See if whitish smoke emits from the tailpipe constantly (at cold startup OK), or a rancid, acidic, moist scent and texture. You could pull the valve cover to inspect, but chances are you'll be fine, just keep an eye out for odd things.

 

what about the temperature hand goin up like that though???

 

That's probably the above mentioned air bubble, when it's cool pull the radiator cap, and check the level, fill as necessary.


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Corry Lazarowitz
clazarow@voicenet.com
clazarowitz@hotmail.com
1987 Pontiac Trans AM (GTA?) 350 TPI
SLP 1 3/4" headers, 3" cat back (stock cat MSD ignition.
MSD Blaster SS coil.
3.73 Rear end gears
Accell 8.8 Wires
Bosh +4 Spark Plugs (Don't know if they really help but hell!)
Holley AFPR
Newly Self gutted cat!
More soon when funds are avail...

 

Everyone else is being optomistic for you but I just can't!! This happened once to my '80 Firebird (R.I.P.)!! If you ran it for about a half mile with it hot and didn't mess anything up you will be the luckiest d*mn person I know because when I did that I blew a head gasket! Guess it's possible you got lucky!!