Smoke coming from radiator cap

[neoviper]

O.K. heres the situation.

My cars been off the road for a about 3 yrs now (accident). In the beginning I started it up regularly, just to keep things running smooth. But then things started to get a little complicated. I was running my car one day and it just kinda died out. I couldnt start it again after that. It took a whilw to get it fixed, i checked about ten million things before finally finding out the problem, BAD SPARK PLUGS!!!( wow i'm smart)

So I finally get the car to start without any problems, but as soon as the car gets to normal temperature smoke starts coming out of the radiator cap. I'm lost so please help>

 

[talonalex92]

Replace your cap.

 

[rich3389]

Replace your cap.

 

[neoviper]

Something as simple as that? It never did that any of the other times.

O.k. so im gonna replace the cap. Is there anything else that could be causing that much smoke to come out besides a faulty radiator cap?

Thanx for the input guys.

 

[jazzyjay]

You can replace the cap it is cheap but it sounds like a head gasket to me

 

[neoviper]

What are some other symtoms that could be associated with a broken head gasket?

 

[SOADweskey]

Other symptoms include oil in your coolant and/or coolant in your oil. Check both to see if they are mixing. Also do a compression test because if combustion gases are getting into your coolant then at least one cylinder wont hold compression for crap.

Also is it for sure smoke or is it steam?

 

[neoviper]

I'll have to take a better look at the smoke/steam thing but that has to wait till tomorrow.

Also, how can I do a compression test?

 

[SOADweskey]

Go to an autoparts store and either buy or rent a compression tester.

Once you have that get the engine up to full operating temperature and make sure that the battery is in good shape.

Pull all four spark plugs (Also a good time to inspect them for abnormal color or wear).

Disconnect the triangular plug that is near your coil packs. (It is triangular on 2Gs not sure about on a 1G)

Pull out the fuse for your fuel pump.

Thread the tester into cylinder one and then have someone floor the gas pedal and crank the engine over seven or eight time. Record the number and repeat for the other cylinders.

All of them should be pretty close to the same number and on a stock engine around 170psi but this varies from engine to engine depending on wear, head gasket thickness, and many other factors. Your lowest value should be within 20% of the highest.

 

[neoviper]

Thanx alot guys, i'm gonna do this first thing tomorrow. I'll get back to you guys with the results.

 

[talonalex92]

You only need to crank it over 4 or 5 times max. Also, steam or smoke coming from the radiator cap does not indicate a blown headgasket. White smoke from the exhaust, yes, but not the radiator cap.

 

[1gentalonfan]

i second it being steam, is it low on coolant or is it pure water and no anitfreeze?

 

[jazzyjay]

If the head gasket is blown or head is warped on the compression stroke it will push what ever is in the the cylinder into the area of least resistance coolant passage.

talonalex92 White smoke from the exhaust is another way to tell if you have a bad head gasket. I have a 93 Mustang that has been doing this on one head for 4 months and has yet to run hot. If you look at the main thing he said off the road for a about 3 yrs He might of had a very small leak when the car was parked. We don't know how old was the coolant was when parked or was it just water is system.

I would start cheap check system fluid level, check fans, and pull the thermostat. If the car is still running hot after that its the headgasket

 

[meliketoball]

Was the radiator cap closed? People tend to forget to tighten it down and drive it. Fluid would spurt out and splash on your headshield causing the "smoke" or "steam" you see and just being hot as well.

 

[neoviper]

Alright, life got a little crazy and I never got a chance to do the compression test. Now i have a new problem.

I went to start my car to warm it up like I normally do.It started up fine. I noticed that my oil pressure gauge went a little higher than it usually does but it wasn't too bad so I let it run. After running the car for a little bit I noticed that the idle was a little rough. I gave it a little gas to get the rpms up and it started cutting off almost like it wasnt getting enough fuel. At the same time my exhaust smelled really rich, almost as if it was getting too much fuel. What could this be? I'm leaning towards there not being enough spark but i'm not sure.

 

[diggerzmound]

Did you gap your new plugs?

CHeck for boost leaks..

 

[meliketoball]

Is your MAF connector connected? Check your plugs also.

 

[neoviper]

The Plugs are brand new and I gapped them when i put them in. I dont think its a boost leak because when i start the car it has no trouble at idle. As the car warms up it gradually starts to idle rough until the car barely stays on, and giving it gas doesnt help because then the car stutters like its having fuel cut.
As for the MAF I thought that might be the problem so i checked it and heres the thing, the MAF is plugged in but for some reason I cant get the plug to snap in. Could that possibly be the problem?

 

[meliketoball]

The Plugs are brand new and I gapped them when i put them in. I dont think its a boost leak because when i start the car it has no trouble at idle. As the car warms up it gradually starts to idle rough until the car barely stays on, and giving it gas doesnt help because then the car stutters like its having fuel cut.
As for the MAF I thought that might be the problem so i checked it and heres the thing, the MAF is plugged in but for some reason I cant get the plug to snap in. Could that possibly be the problem?

Ehhh that plug never snaps in really. It just slides in the MAF. Anyway, do you have gas? Running low?

 

[neoviper]

Theres a quarter of a tank in it right now ( i just put some in about a week ago ). Since the car idles rough after it reaches normal operating temperatures i decided to see what would happen if I gave it gas when the car was still cold ( since it idles normally when i first turn on the car. When I did this it started puttering at 3k RPMs. When I gave it more gas it cut off completely and almost shut off.

Could it be a dirty fuel line or something?

 

[neoviper]

Does anybody have any ideas?

 

[talonalex92]

Check compression?

 

[meliketoball]

Even if the plugs are new, I'd still check them. It doesn't hurt to check.

 

[Defiant]

If it's a new problem, start a new thread.