| Subject: | Head Gasket |
| Question: | Hi a friend of mine
has a 98 mitsu gallant. and its starting to smoke a little bit. white
so i think its the head gasket but would the car already have blown
a head gasket its only a 98... any other things it might be>? thanks for you time |
| Answer: | Jason, Any sweet smelling, white smoke that comes out of the exhaust is antifreeze that is burning in the engine. Over 90% of the time, it is due to a blown head gasket. There is a chance of a cracked head, but that is extremely rare. A head gasket can go bad on any car, and at almost any time. If
your compression it too high or if your engine is running too hot,
your head gasket will blow. It's not a cheap repair for any mechanic
to do, so you might want to check with your local Mitsubishi dealership
and ask if your warranty may still be able to cover it. It is rare
for a Mitsu warranty to last 5+ years, but it can't hurt to ask.
If you are just seeing "a little bit" of smoke, just keep
an eye on the coolant level. If it really starts to run low, and
you start seeing more white smoke when the engine gets up to normal
operating temperature, get the head gasket replaced. |