Hey everyone,

So yesterday as I was driving home, my car overheated i had not payed attention until it was too late the temperature was literally passed H, and the car started smoking from the coolant reserve tank area. And the car was unable to start so i got it towed home and the tow driver gave my car a jump and the car started right back up. got it checked out also at autozone today (battery) and now my battery is bad. When i had left work I did notice a bit of coolant on the floor before I drove home, I believe I drove the car on H for 30min-1hr, I hope the head gasket isnt blown, I checked the oil no milky texture there, only in the radiator. When I took off the radiator cap I noticed it basically broke apart inside the cap and the spring came off. I need help on what the problem may be, this is my daily driver and im very tight budgeted HELP! thank you!

Oh and also the check engine light is on

 

Hey 2000tee.el........ hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if oil has found a way into the cooling system, it's more than likely that your motor's head gasket is leaking.

The coolant will need to be flushed and pressure check the system. Pull a plug to see how they look. Perform a compression check of the cylinders and have the codes read. The cause of the overheating will need to be found and resolved.

 

Sounds like a head gasket to me, but a bad radiator cap is also bad.

I'm willing to bet if you drained the oil, it would look chocolate milk. Try not to drive it with a bad headgasket. You don't want to warp the head.

 

damn man this sucks.. Whats weird is after i put coolant and changed the radiator cap I dont see coolant leaking from underneath anymore. Does the head gasket sealer work pretty well? I just really cant afford anything too expensive.So whats a step by step action I should do now? sorry i have no idea what to do when it comes with overheating.

p.s. my local mechanic said its the radiator because it was out of coolant basically. and because it didnt get into the oil. But I dont know just keeping you guys updated

 

Acura TLs aren't really known for head gasket failure. The leaking coolant was more than likely from the bad radiator cap, but I suppose a leaky radiator is a possibility.

That still doesn't explain oil in the radiator.

Some people swear by stop leak, some say it's garbage. It all depends on the kind of break in your head gasket. It could probably fix very minor things, but don't expect miracles.

 

Not to be an ass, but can i ask why you drove 30 min to a hr without looking at your gauges?

 

Doesn't an indicator light go on when the needle reaches H?

 

Because as soon as i got on the highway i set the vehicle to cruise control and was arguing with my girl on the phone for the 30minute highway ride lol, and as soon as I look down I see the needle passed the red line on the temperature. And no indicator light came on for me. Just when it overheated and shut off.

 

I mean c'mon... There's almost no way your head gasket is OK if you ran it that long past H.

 

Update:

So coolant is spilling out the overflow tank after driving for a bit, Car temperature has not rised during 15-25min drive. I looked at the radiator cap (finally had the chance to.been so busy) and the cap is destroyed as in the spring came off the cap, I put a new Radiator cap on hopefully thats all it was a damaged cap, also i noticed when my car is running cold it bubbles out of the radiator with the cap off just a little bit. is that a cracked head gasket or maybe radiator is bad? (I topped off coolant and noticed this)
& also would 'burping' help?
thanks

 

Usually a milky fluid like that means blown head gasket or cracked block.
Bubbling in the radiator that does not stop normally means you have a blown head gasket or a cracked block. Are you getting lots of water vapor out your tail pipes?
Oh, and burping would only help if you got air in the ssytem.

 

after replacing Radiator cap and tightening down coolant reserve tank with zip tie (because the plug for the tank was loose and i tightened it into place) the coolant hasnt bubbled out, or overheated. Also no the car isn't smoking white thru the tailpipes or engine anymore, could it of been a bad cap the whole time? I drove for an hour after an hour fluid still has not spilled out.
Should I just pour head gasket sealer to be safe? thanks for the replies guys!
and if the radiator is bubbling a bit from the top can it just be air or for sure bad head gasket?

 

If you have no over heating issues anymore, and your coolant and oil doesn't look contaminated, don't gum up the works with head gasket sealer.

 

Self-denial is Strong on this One...

 

Ok for you guys with the smartass remarks keep in mind im in college with maybe 1hour thru out my whole day to explore my vehicle and do the best I can to it myself, im not a rich kid, im not very experianced, I come to this forum for help and advice because thats what you guys do here. Im not in any denial bro, im just asking to be sure because different people has different opinions. I dont dedicate my life to my car understand? I just want my baby up & running back to normal condition..If you dont got anything positive or helpful to say GET THE FUCK OFF MY THREAD. simple as that.

 

I agree with Yikes, don't add that stuff. Keep a close eye on the temp gauge, the coolant levels, and your oil. If your oil looks like a milkshake, something has definitely blown or cracked and MUST be replaced. .
Air bubbling out of the radiator is bad. Try to smell it. If it smells like exhaust, you have a blown headgasket or cracked head/block.
When was the thermostat and water pump replaced last?

 

Ok I wont go that route with the sealers. yes i have been temperature has been 2-3 notches below half. I just took a sniff and it smells like coolant still, i dunno i may be wrong but i didnt smell exhaust gas or anything. The car has 172k on it the major service was done at 110k so 62k with the water pump and im not sure about the thermostat, i think i shuld replace that since the car actually overheated. Will a cracked/blown head show symptoms right away or it may take weeks or months? cause 3 days so far and its been ok.
thank you for the replies.

 

It usually shows right away and there tends to be no doubt.
One of my cooling fans croaked recently so you may want to check that both of yours are working like they should. That can account for higher temps. My temp needle (from bottom hash) goes no higher than in between the 7 & 8 hashes.
There is no harm in burping your cooling system and it might help.

 

Hey 2000tee.el.......there's no need to get fluttered, just try to understand the basic essential responsibilities when operating a vehicle.

First off, get your TL's owner's manual and read it in your spare time. If you realize the general operating principles of owning and driving a car.....it'll be of great value and benefit in preventing bigger problems down the road. It's all about awareness not denial.

Second, try to avoid unnecessary distractions and take the initiative to be accountable for potential safety issues.

 

 

Hey 2000tee.el - you're doing good-stay in college and study hard, get a degree & a good job. In the meantime, we'll try to help with TL.

But what everyone is basically trying to say is, if you really drove your car for 30 minutes to an hour with the temp gauge OVER the hot mark, there is almost no way that you didn't damage something major, if you didn't, you would be about the luckiest person in the world-car karma wise.

Tell us what the latest conditions are:
Is the oil milky or odd looking? Have you already drained & changed the oil? If so, what did it look like?
How is the coolant level? Is there currently any leaking or puddles under the car after being parked for awhile?
How does it start, idle & run? Does it steam out the tailpipe? Right away steam or after the engine gets to operating temp?
Does the exhaust smell like coolant, or anything except normal exhaust smell?
Any unusual (louder) sounds or popping noises come from under the hood area when running?

 

Run your car and cover the exhaust with your hand and let condensation collect on your palm. If it has a greenish tint or smells sweet (like syrup) then coolant is being burned which means coolant is getting into the combustion chamber. This means cracked head or bad head gasket.

Water is a byproduct of combustion of octane, so if your hand gets damp don't be alarmed. Only be alarmed if coolant collects.

A cracked head / bad headgasket would show up immediately. I stand by what I said- if you're not having anymore over heats and your oil and coolant look okay, you're more than likely okay. Your temp gauge seems to be at about where it should be.

 

If you didn't damage your engine it will be a miracle, but stranger things have happened. Do what Yikes suggested. If it's ok, then you should either play the lottery, or be REAL careful crossing the street. Good luck, and try not to argue with your lady while driving. :P

 

So you are saying the coolant fluid in the radiator is milky? That's a concern if so.

 

TBH I regret that I didn't say anything in my past comment BUT..

These engines are not Fords Iron castings they are Aluminum! and Aluminum doesn't like heat..
Driving +30 minutes with the Temperature on HOT and expecting the heads to be OK is like dropping a 3.5K DSLR and hoping its ok just because its "Bump Resistant".

Milky radiator isn't anything else than
1) Fucked up Head Gasket
2) Head/Block Leak

And no wonders since its expected that you shut off your engine the Moment you see the needle go anywhere near "H" (Should give the Driver´s Manual a read).

So I wont finish my comment with (GO FUCK OFF AND READ A BOOK) or something like that, Because I'm polite and don't tend to explode at little provocation.

Instead I'm just going to say: Leave these "Non-Important" Issues to Mechanics.. That's what Pepboys or any other shop is for if your occupied or Plain out ignorant in any Mechanic department.

 

I checked the oil just now and its normal colored. nothing milky or anything.
I noticed the coolant reserve tank is full if the car is hot or cold..hmm I believe that is a concern?
The car starts right up fine, nothing louder than usual during warmup or anything. Still running regular temperature.
The exhaust im not too sure I didnt want to stand in the college parking lot sniffing my exhaust lol
BUT...as I mentioned before I have noticed thru the Radiator when topped off and i rev the engine (with radiator cap off) it does bubble a little bit, like 2-3 bubbles. thanks for the reply

 

Well not exactly in the coolant tank, but on the neck off the radiator. But I did not see any milky texture on the radiator cap just inside the neck a little bit.

 

haha I know right! I hope luck is on my side with this one, thanks for the replies I really appreciate it, I think the TL is fine, I will keep you guys updated if something goes wrong or if its fine.

 

You don't sniff your exhaust. You cover your tail pipe with your hand and hold it there and let condensation collect. Then you smell your palm.

I go to a university and my car is parked in a parking lot. If I was doing something to my car and someone came up and started busting balls I'd tell them to mind their fucking business... simple as that.

 

Hey 2000tee.el, while perhaps the bad rad cap may have caused the overheating issue and you feel ok for now with everything, .........ya really want to consider having the cooling system fully flushed and pressure checked for possible leaks. Also, pull a plug and check it's condition. A compression test of the cylinders may also be helpful, along with having any stored codes read.

This is the only way to know for sure if there was any damage incurred during the overheating incident. So, are ya just gonna let it go ???
If so, take a look in the mirror.....and ask yourself: Do ya really feel lucky ???

 

im just going to go to NAPA and get a head gasket test kit..That way ill know for sure so i can be safe.
Reason why is because yesterday after I topped off coolant and replaced cap i drove for about an hour and I noticed coolant was spilling out the reserve tank a bit..*sigh ill find out the results later

 

You should try to bleed the cooling system. Any time air is introduced to the system, it needs to be done.

 

I've had suspect head gaskets that eluded combustion gas detectors, cylinder air pressure tests, cooling system pressure tests, etc only to finally be confirmed bad a few months down the road. Three ideas; 1 If you had any milkshake like stuff in the radiator, you are going to have a bigger problem. 2 If the milkshake was strawberry, (any hint of pink) you have a bad heat exchanger. 3 Check your coolant level in the radiator regularly. If it's going down while the overflow tank gains coolant, it's probably a head gasket. Check it with the engine cold every few days until you know it's staying the same or showing a pattern.

 

I haven't been able to do the test, but ive been driving the vehicle and its been ok lately, still boils out in reservoir and drips a lil on the ground. hasnt been much today maybe because coolant is getting low? everytime i check the reservoir its always at the top the coolant. I had a couple mechanics say its the thermostat, but the temperature has been down from what it shows inside the car it doesnt overheat. but most signs are pointing to a head gasket issue tho..i drove 200 miles ever since it has overheated..*sigh fuckin head gasket man..so labor intensive and costly..

 

Lol 25 posts and you think you own a thread

 

yeah 25 posts mean I have a life that im not glued to the forums.. compared to someone thats the same age as me that has 2,899 posts ...

 

.......

 

Lol you're like a teenager, so sensitive.

 

The bigger issue he's missing is because of his attitude very few want to help him. So most of us will sit on the sidelines eating popcorn watching the kid have his little temper tantrum.

 

Yea I actually like to throw the popcorn at them, but then Fatty's all like