yeah i kow, do a search..i searched for what the cause may be and came up with tons of different things but i figured i would post what happend and maybe be able to pinpoint it better

Driving on the highway, temp bolts towards H so i pull off, as i am pulling off the ramp i see white smopke coming from under the hood.

open the hood smoke is everywhere, coolant is squirting out of the overfill as well as bubbling out from the radiator cap

let it sit for about 45 minutes and drive about half a mile towards home, it does the same thing again so i pull off and let it sit for another half hour
try to start it back up, takes a few cranks and a lot of pumping the gas, starts up and white smoke comes everywhere out of the tailpipe..

drive it a few locks home , right as i get in the driveway more smoke coming from under the hood and water all over the place



a few weks ago i flushed the radiator with cleaner for an entire day, got all that out and ran some copper seal thru to make sure there wasnt any leaks (i had been using alot of coolant lately) if that means anything

could the therm. be clogged and not leting any coolant to the engine? anyways, let me know what you think

 

Sudden failure on the highway should rule out the fan and radiator. Possibilities- belt, thermostat (not likely), radiator cap, waterpump.

Now that you got steam out the tailpipe, your coolant seals are leaking. This could repair itself somewhat when you get the problem fixed, although once warped, they will usually continue to use coolant. Youll need to re-block seal it till you can do a permanent fix.

 

The 6banger in my Explorer has suffered that s ame fate and I really hope it never happens to my 7 :-/

What does the smoke smell like? Antifreeze or oil?
That should tell you if much antifreeze is getting to the engine itself. (correct me if I'm wrong)

 

culdnt tel if it smelled like either...


i jsut went and got a new thermostat....have not triedt put it in yet


did try to start it up...no go on that one

 

Pull the plugs, they probably have water on them.

 

I'm having similar problems, not the thermostat or the pluggs (replaced both) When I first start the car up, the "Add Coolant" light comes on and does that real anoying dinging noise. The temp shoots to hot (even though I jus turned the car on and cold air is still coming out the heater) and then the temp slowely goes back to normal. Eventually the coolant light turns off. Then when I park, smoke comes out, fills the cabin. Doesn't smell like oil though. Its a white smoke (doubt its steam). I check the coolant, usually add some, about a cups worth, and the coolant is bubblin like its being used.

 

Was your engine making any noises before the problem - squeaking or a clicking? That could be the precursor to a water pump problem...

Where are you @ in Kansas?

 

I had similar problems. I ended up having to replace my radiator (it had a pinhole that was growing) & hoses. Also, check the heater hose - it runs from under the oil cooler to the firewall. It's got a very high failure rate.

Steamin - check your sensors. When the other coolant crap went wrong on mine, I had to replace the one in the block - my gauge wouldn't read properly, etc. Replacing it cured my problem.

 

I posted a bunch of things to help your over heathing problem on your other thread about "THE ****"

 

hey at least its not like the GTX mazda found it a good idea to run the water pump off of the alternator belt and their engine decides to get a crank woble
so guess what belt falls off all the time in the middle of STAGE
ugh