I have a 98 saturn and it is blowing white smoke out of where the cap is for the coolant tank, and coolant that is added is almost gone I just added this morning. There is no leak at all anywhere and everything else is running fine just want to know why its blowing the white smoke out the cap of the coolant tank
SOURCE: my daughter's 1997 Saturn is leaking coolant and overheating..
Coolant leaks can occur anywhere in the
cooling system. Nine out of ten times, coolant leaks are easy to find
because the coolant can be seen dripping, spraying, seeping or bubbling
from the leaky component. So open the hood and visually inspect the
engine and cooling system for any sign of liquid leaking from the
engine, radiator or hoses. The color of the coolant may be green,
orange or yellow depending on the type of antifreeze in the system. The
most common places where coolant may be leaking are:Water pump. A bead shaft seal will
allow coolant to dribble out of the vent hole just under the water pump
pulley shaft. If the water pump is a two-piece unit with a backing
plate, the gasket between the housing and back cover may be leaking.
The gasket or o-ring that seals the pump to the engine front cover on
cover-mounted water pumps can also leak coolant. Look for stains,
discoloration or liquid coolant on the outside of the water pump or
engine.Radiator. Radiators can develop
leaks around upper or loser hose connections as a result of vibration.
The seams where the core is mated to the end tanks is another place
where leaks frequently develop, as is the area where the cooling tubes
in the core are connected or soldered to the core headers. The core
itself is also vulnerable to stone damage. But a major factor in many
radiator leaks is internal corrosion that eats away from the inside
out. That's why regular coolant flushes and replacing the antifreeze is
so important.
oses. Cracks, pinholes or splits
in a radiator hose or heater hose will leak coolant. A hose leak will
usually send a stream of hot coolant spraying out of the hose. A
corroded hose connection or a loose or damaged hose clamp may also
allow coolant to leak from the end of a hose. Sometimes the leak may
only occur once the hose gets hot and the pinhole or crack opens up.
Freeze plugs
(casting plugs or expansion plugs in the sides of the engine block
and/or cylinder head). The flat steel plugs corroded from the inside
out, and eventually eat through allowing coolant to leak from the
engine. The plugs may be hard to see because they are behind the
exhaust manifold, engine mount or other engine accessories. On V6 and
V8 blocks, the plugs are most easily inspected from underneath the
vehicle.
Heater Core.
The heater core is located inside the heating ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) unit under the dash. It is out of sight so you
can�t see a leak directly. But if the heater core is leaking (or a
hose connection to the heater core is leaking), coolant will be seeping
out of the bottom of the HVAC unit and dripping on the carpet. Look for
stains or wet spots on the bottom of the plastic HVAC case, or on the
passenger side floor.
Intake Manifold gasket. The
gasket that seals the intake manifold to the cylinder heads may leak
and allow coolant to enter the intake port, crankcase or dribble down
the outside of the engine. Some engines such as General Motors 3.1L and
3.4L V6 engines as well as 4.3L, 5.0L and 5.7L V8s are notorious for
leaky intake manifold gaskets. The intake manifold gaskets on these
engines are plastic and often fail at 30,000 to 80,000 miles. Other
troublesome applications include the intake manifold gaskets on Buick
3800 V6 and Ford 4.0L V6 engines.
INTERNAL COOLANT LEAKS
There are the worst kind of
coolant leaks for two reasons. One is that they are impossible to see
because they are hidden inside the engine. The other is that internal
coolant leaks can be very expensive to repair.
visit for more info:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/coolant_leaks.htm
SOURCE: I have a 1997 Saturn SC2, it has an oil leak and is smoking bad
you have the beginnings of a bad head gasket. It is not a hard job to do because its a over head cam, but if you don't have the skill level just take it in and they can confirm this.
SOURCE: 2003 saturn ion adding antifreeze every 2 weeks cannot find leak
There should be a radiator cap as it controls what goes into the overfill tank. You might consider replacing it. If there are no leaks in the radiator or hoses, there are only 3 places the coolant can go (water pump leak, blown gasket, or out throught the radiator cap). Hope its the cap because that's the cheapest. Good luck!
SOURCE: white smoke comes out of tail pipe in morning
its due to the dew or the wet condition prevailing in your area, idle the car for sometime, then you can notice the white smoke disappearing.. :)
SOURCE: 2008 saturn Aura coolant leak
I have done two of these cars in the past year. Both came in with self diagnosis of bad head gaskets. However, one had just low coolant and the other had a bad reservoir. I replaced the reservoir on both cars because I like the car to look clean when I am done, and that first car needed a coolant flush and service. I replaced the radiator and thermostat as well on the first car. The guy was so happy that his car was fixed he gave me an additional $800.00 tip over the service and repair costs i normally charge just because I saved him a head gasket repair. He figured that since he was prepared to spend so much on the head gasket and didnt have to, he just gave me a nice tip.
So even though your car is newer, I have seen parts on these cars fail. Mostly I believe is because the cars run so hot in the first place, but I'm no engineer and thats just my guess. You will have to go to the dealership to get a new reservoir and I would suggest getting a new cap just to have a new one on your car since the old reservoir broke already, the cap may go next if not replaced. Just a suggestion.
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