Car Asplode...

[Schildir]

...not actually, but it's very broken.

I drove to school this morning, car was running like normal, no smoke, no weird shifting, nothing at all.

I got out of class an hour later to drive to Meijer and Advance Auto, to restock on fluids, wipers, and possibly exhaust parts... Everything was fine for about a minute, and then...

White smoke from under the hood, barely thick enough to even see. Figured the trans had barfed out a bit of fluid, as it has been doing (from where, I do not know) for a little while.

But then, after driving for 3 or 4 minutes, it was actually coming inside the car, possibly through the hole where the AC drain tube was. I was pretty close to Meijer, so I just tried to get there.

Eventually it got so bad that I had to roll my window down all the way, and eventually it stalled. Started it back up in neutral, had to give it gas to stay idling. Quite a lot of smoke at this point...

As I was heading up to Meijer (it is on a big hill that used to be a medical waste landfill), there were metal noises that I had never heard before. Sounded like the engine, but was only at low RPM (coasting or maintaining low speed).

It stalled in the parking lot, I opened the hood, and found that the AC compressor I had unbolted last week had finally come loose, so that was part of the noise. It was not hitting anything important though, so I don't think it was part of the problem.

I put in all the oil I had left (maybe 2 quarts?), went inside and bought oil and wiper blades, came back out, and tried to start it... It was turning over, but did not sound normal, almost like there was a misfire, and would not start. I kept trying, and eventually even tried pumping the gas pedal, which worked.

To keep it running though, I had to give it gas at idle. I don't remember now if it was still smoking, but I don't think it was as much. I got about half a mile down the road, and all of the sudden...

CLUNK.

And it was done. Put it in neutral, and coasted into a parking lot. Tried to start it in park and neutral, and it would not crank.

There was no trail of fluid following me in, nor tons of it under my car, but there was what looked like freshly splattered trans fluid in my driver side fender well, behind the tire. (I didn't think at the time to finger check it for wetness.)


I'm thinking not-so-epic transmission failure, but I don't know. If I did, I wouldn't be posting this. Thoughts?

1989 Auto, EFI, if you were wondering.

[batstiva]

I don't see how the tranny going bad would cause the car to either refuse to start, or refuse to idle. Curious after you put in the two quarts, if you checked the level. Did that fill it up, or only part way? Also, what was your temp gauge doing while all this was going on? And one more dumb question, why did you unbolt the AC compressor, and then just leave it in there dangling?
I don't want to be the first one to say it, but oh well. I'm thinking you might have blown your HG. Anyone else have an opinion?

[Schildir]

I don't see how the tranny going bad would cause the car to either refuse to start, or refuse to idle. Curious after you put in the two quarts, if you checked the level. Did that fill it up, or only part way? Also, what was your temp gauge doing while all this was going on? And one more dumb question, why did you unbolt the AC compressor, and then just leave it in there dangling?
I don't want to be the first one to say it, but oh well. I'm thinking you might have blown your HG. Anyone else have an opinion?

It filled the oil up enough to make the oil light go off. I know the oil light is actually pressure, but that's what I've been doing, and it's worked. I do realize "wait until the oil light has been on a week or so to put in oil" is not the best method...

Temp gauge was where it almost always is, about 1/3rd of the way up. I was looking at it quite a bit once it started smoking.

The compressor wasn't dangling before. It was stuck in place, I couldn't even move it with a hammer. It's still not actually dangling, it's sitting on the core support leaning up against the engine. I would have removed it today if my car was not sitting in a parking lot.

If it was a head gasket, what was the clunk? I blew the head gasket on my Mustang a few years ago, and it just blew a bunch of steam out the exhaust (WAY MORE than whatever this white stuff was) and stalled once, and even then had no problem with idling or starting back up.

[MTec007]

hmm. sounds like when i blew my VCG and HG on my Sephia smoke was so thick and white i couldnt see anything behind me

[Nerd Racing]

sounds to me like you may have seized your engine or spun a bearing because the oil was too low! I bet you ran it dry and the two quarts was not enough. don't you have a dipstick? I know on my aspire when I had the B3 in it, it was about 2 quarts low when the oil light came on and the engine was spewing oil from the cam seal. I also heard really really bad lifter ticking before the light even came on.

[MTec007]

hehe

[Schildir]

Yeah, I gave up on the dipstick after the first couple months of checking it every couple days, kind of got into a cycle of knowing when to add how much to make the engine happy. The two quarts made the light turn off, so it should have been enough.

I talked to my dad, he thinks transmission fluid could be getting into the engine through a ruptured modulator, if my car has one.

[Zivon23]

My car is doing the same thing. Just not as bad. Stalls at idle and runs like crap. I've asked 4 different mechanics to look at it and all have said the same thing. I have a blown HG, prolly between the 1st and 2nd cylider because I have lost compression in 1 and 2. I have since been taking public transit til Saturday when it is getting fixed. I am doing it at my work and it is still costing me atleast $300.00(and that's just parts and fluids.

150 for headbolts and washers
100 for headgasket kit
50 for fluids and other misc. stuff.

Could that metal sound be a bent rod or a blown ring?

[Schildir]

Could that metal sound be a bent rod or a blown ring?

I don't know, since it could have just been the compressor moving around. It didn't increase with engine speed, in fact it went away if I accelerated... I've never had any internal engine issues, so I don't know what that kind of stuff should sound like.

And $300 for the head gasket stuff?!? Ouch. It was less than $100 for everything I needed for my Mustang, if I remember right. I know it wasn't $300, my dad would have been much more unhappy about it.

If it's that much, and that is the problem, I might as well get a new engine.

[mechanicaldj]

so when that idiot light does come on,
usually means that you are:

a) your floor mats are dirty

b) it is a sunny day

c)YOU ARE 2 QUARTS(or more) LOW ON OIL!!!!!!!!!!


exactly which one would you choose?????

[Schildir]

so when that idiot light does come on,
usually means that you are:

a) your floor mats are dirty

b) it is a sunny day

c)YOU ARE 2 QUARTS LOW ON OIL!!!!!!!!!!


exactly which one would you choose?????

If that's how mine worked, it would mean C. But mine would even come on right after I filled the oil to the right place on the dipstick, especially at idle.

[mechanicaldj]

If that's how mine worked, it would mean C. But mine would even come on right after I filled the oil to the right place on the dipstick, especially at idle.

you checked it with the motor running???

[mechanicaldj]

you do know with the crankshaft spinning, with the oil splash, it is not possible to have a correct dipstick reading????

[Schildir]

you do know with the crankshaft spinning, with the oil splash, it is not possible to have a correct dipstick reading????

Yes. I am aware of this. I mean I would fill the oil to the correct level, and then go drive. The first time I would get to a stop sign, traffic light, etc, the oil light would start to flicker. By the time I had been driving for 15+ minutes, it would be constantly on.

[mechanicaldj]

why is your Festiva called Smokey?