| Subject: | heating problem |
| Question: |
eclipse 2000 gt 3.0 my car also makes weird noises coming i believe from the engine when
the car is cold and when I accelerate from 1000 rpm to 2000 rpm after
that the noise is gone.. this noise was before the smoke problem but its
getting worse |
| Answer: | Alan, That coolant container that you are noticing is the overflow tank. As your car's engine heats up, your coolant starts to flow throw all parts of your engine. The coolant can expand as it heats up, but the passages in your engine cannot expand. So, to maintain the correct amount of coolant pressure in your engine, there is an overflow tank in place. If you examine that tank closely, you will notice 2 full marks; one for HOT and one for COLD. When your coolant is hot, the tank will appear to be full. Once you turn off your car and let it sit for a while, that coolant level will in that tank will slowly go down. If your car simply has too much coolant in it, or if your coolant is getting too hot, it will spill out of the overflow tank from a drain tube. Check your fluid level when the car's engine is not running, and the engine is cold. You'll most likely see less coolant in that tank. If the coolant was not being used at all, your engine would overheat in about 10 minutes of driving, and your head gasket would blow. If that happened, you car would not even start. Most cars make strange noises when they are very cold (especially if you live in an area that gets subfreezing temperatures, and your car has been sitting in a garage all night). As temperatures drops, all fluids become more dense, and do not flow as well. This affects your oil pump, water pump, power steering pump, fuel pump and even your windshield washer pump. Typically as your car warms up, these noises will go away. The best thing to do is let your idle for a minute or two before driving it in the cold weather if it's been sitting for a long period of time. This will give your fluids a chance to warm up and properly lubricate all your systems. Make sure your engine oil is clean. Also be sure to use the correct weight of oil as recommened by yours owners manual (5W-30 is typically recommended). But if you continue to see smoke (or steam) coming from the front of
your engine, it's possible you have a leaking water pump or leaking radiator.
If the smoke has a sweet smell to it, than that's coolant you're seeing,
and it's evaporating into steam. If the smoke is blueish, and smells kinda
like burning rubber, it's oil that is burning. Have that checked by a
mechanic as soon as possible. |