meng

Hello all, I recently posted some questions about refinshing/ polishing wheels but more important porblems have arisen.

I awoke the other day finding that there was a pretty sizable coolant stain on the concrete that was dripping from the belly pans near the driver's side towards the middle of the engine bay. I ran to operating temps and found my coolant to be low- i filled it up. I thought maybe it was the turbo pump, but i started to realize that I have been getting alot of white smoke coming out out of the tailpipe recentlu. I thought nothing of it up until now figuring because it was due to the extreme cold temp. we 've been getting here in NYC.

I haven;t had time to crawl underneath to inspect yet however just wanted some feedback. I always wondered what it is about white smoke. when I start it up cold there is a constant stream of smoke coming out. When it warms up the constant stream subsides however smoke does come out when I rev it. My gf's car is also producing alot of white smoke these days- i figure it was the cold. can someone explain?

I know it could be the head gasket which scares me a bit. thanks again.

Mike B

The head gasket is a definite possibility...I would do a leak down test or take it to a place you trust to do it for you...That will tell you for sure...

You have the signs though...Loosing coolant and white smoke is a good indicator of a failing head gasket...

Best of Luck!

EDIT...I had to bold the LEAK DOWN TEST after reading the other responses...It's cheap, easy and very accurate!

Hans

[quote]My gf's car is also producing alot of white smoke these days- i figure it was the cold. <hr></blockquote>That is moisture from the air, condensing in the (hot) exhaust after shut-down of the engine. Smells"wet" and feels wet, should be gone after a 30 mls drive when everything is warmed up, so nothing to worry about.

If it is still there after that distance, or smells "sweet' and feels "greasy", you have a serious problem. Most probably but not necessarily the head gasket
[quote]...sizable coolant stain ... that was dripping from ... <hr></blockquote>Get it fixed before you drive the car.

Low coolant level can cause overheating of the head (and head gasket), resulting in gasket failure or warped cylinder head.
This regardless of the temperature indication in the dash still showing to be safe or even normal.
The cracked gasket can be a sypthom rather than cause.
Dont ask, I was sloppy at one time as well. <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />
TakeCare

meng

thanks guys I will check this weekend if the snow did not accumulate too much.

I never suspected anything because my temperature seemed fine. I guess we'll see. So how hard it is to the headgasket? Haynes make it sound real easy.(well they make everything sound that way. ) and would I have to remove or retension the t.belts when doing this operation? that is something I do not want to get into- fear!

nine-44

May be the waterpump, my 88na blew the W/P seal while stitting after a hot shutdown(nothing abormal about the temp, just operating temp). About the condesation in the exhaust, coolant smells sweet,if you can't ID the smell then dump a little on another car's hot exhaust and get a whiff. Then smell the exhaust of your car, if it smells the same then I'm sorry. Just a thought, it seems simpler them doing a leakdown when not all of us have the equipment.

Der Cupmeister

Yes, replacing the head gasket requires having the belts retensioned. You have to remove them as part of getting the head off.
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Brent 89-GT

Not to step on any toes here but, it is seriously BAD advice to tell somebody to drive a car with a potentially blown headgasket. If you do have a blown HG and take it out and drive around for a half hour, you may not make it back <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" />

Get a radiator pressure tester. If you don't have a shop or buddy to borrow from try renting at an auto parts store. Determine the source of the leak BEFORE driving the car. Open the oil filler cap, is it milky looking Pull the dipstick, does that look milky? You should also be able to smell coolant in the exhaust at cold idle, no need to drive it.

Coolant in the oil or leaking into a cylinder could very likely destroy the bearings on the lower end, or score the bores. Those are not good things

Best of luck!

Brent,
blew two headgaskets in two years, sold out, bought 928 to throw money at

meng

Thanks brent89, I almost sold out to the 928gt route but decided to keep my 951. Even tho' driving in the city with a 5speed can be achore sometimes, I really like how my car looks at performs off the line- that is more than the 928. But on the other hand, I would one day like to own one of those beautiful gts models. yummy <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

The thing about the car is that is does not have any of the symptoms of a headgasket problem except the white smoke and loss of coolant. No coolant smell, no temperature fluctuations, no overheating, no milky substances in the oil or coolant and nothing else that indicates a gasket failure. strange huh. but then again I did not look under the car yet or put my nose to the tailpipe. (I guess I am just worried)

944Play

You say the coolant leak was on the driver's side? Could just be coming out the overflow tube, indicating a failing pressure cap.

Then again, a blown HG will push coolant past a GOOD pressure cap and out the overflow.

Brent 89-GT

Well meng, the real 928 GT's are 5-speed only, a bit of a factory hot rod really. I assure you that I gave up nothing performance wise, to a stock 951, this thing hauls

Anyway, your best bet is still to find the source of the leak. Get your hands on a pressure tester. They attatch right where the cap goes. You then pump up the pressure by hand. This will force coolant out wherever it is leaking. It should only take you a few minutes to determine where your puddle came from.

meng

brent89gt: no way do I mean the 928 are weak in terms of performance. I love the way they drive. I drove a 87 s4 before and that thing hauls *** on the highway with a real sense of stability. I never drove a GTS but I can imagine how fast that monster would feel. However with the s4, it just felt sluggish compared to my chipped '86 951. but i love how comfortable and effortless it is to drive the 928 beast. and the sound is uncomparable- not too loud like the large american v8 but has an aggessive rumble that sounds like it is ready to feast. I can't wait to be shopping for one of those things.

Back to the topic: i never knew a bad pressure cap can cause so many problems. I have one of these caps with a red tab on them, my mechanic told me to watch out for it because it isn;t a stock cap and might cause problems. I have had coolant come out of the overflow before...

Silverbullet951

not to get off topic, but how much power does a stock gts have? Around 300 right?

meng

i thought it was more like 350hp <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Bryan

One other thing - having had a blown head gasket in my 944, there's a big difference between regular steam you get during warmup, and the huge smokescreen you get with a blown headgasket. When my headgasket was blown, the car would literally leave a smokesceen like 007. The rearview was full of nothing but white steam. Like at least 50 times more than the amout most cars make while warming up on a cold day.

928s rock. That's why I have one of them too.

And for both cars, I'm still under what an average condition 911 would cost.

Bryan

"At Porsche, we only make sports cars"

Rich Sandor

It could be that the coolant was not drained correctly and that there is steam building up in the water lines.

When you have steam in the water pipes, you're actaully creating a higher pressure than the seals and clamps are meant to hold, and sometimes they will leak steam. You will hear water slushing about in your dashboard as well! (Airpockets in the pipes for the dash heater)

That is a best case scenario, because all you have to do, is correctly drain and refil the coolant.