Steaming and Smoking! Video! Help!

[italipinos8]

Hey yall, i have been a lurker on these forums for a few months now. I have a 2000 ford explorer with 100 k miles on it.

I just took a trip from Florida to South Carolina, about a 9 hr drive. As soon as i pull into my development i started to smell smoke. Looked down and my engine was way overheated. Popped the hood and smoke rolled out and it was steaming. Took the short video below. The fluid seemed to spray on top of the battery and was leaking onto the driveway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBPAPq2pEuo&feature=youtu.be

Today i went to look at why it was doing this. The radiator/antifreeze fluid was all gone. I just got this topped off before i left for my vacation a couple weeks ago. Filled up the fluid and tried to drive again. Started smoking again in about 5 miles. It wasnt smoking in the same place though, was smoking deeper in the engine somewhere.



I dont have much experience with mechanical work on the engine. Just a college student who likes to save money on my car by doing the work myself. Just recently replaced ball joints, spark plugs, and front hubs. Just to let you know the mechanical work i have done.

 

[rb142]

Well, for starters it looks like that radiator cap isn't holding pressure very well, so you likely need a new one of those. A cap that won't hold pressure is enough to make it boil over, but I doubt that is the only problem here. You might have another hole in the system. You may have a failed head gasket. Etc. When you refilled it (are you sure you got all the air out of it?), and had the smoke come back quickly, was it just cooking off spilled coolant from the previous time or was this a new leak? You need to figure out where exactly the smoke is coming from.

It could be a blockage in the radiator, or a failed thermostat, or lots of other things. Do the cooling fans work? Any coolant in the oil or vice versa? You need to check over the whole cooling system until you find the problem. There is also a possibility that you did some damage, depending on how hot it got and how long you drove it that way. You should do a cylinder leakage test to check the condition of the head and gasket, and identify possible leaks.

Try to borrow a cooling system pressure tester from a parts store. That helps tremendously in locating cooling system problems.

 

[italipinos8]

Well, for starters it looks like that radiator cap isn't holding pressure very well, so you likely need a new one of those. A cap that won't hold pressure is enough to make it boil over, but I doubt that is the only problem here. You might have another hole in the system. You may have a failed head gasket. Etc. When you refilled it (are you sure you got all the air out of it?), and had the smoke come back quickly, was it just cooking off spilled coolant from the previous time or was this a new leak? You need to figure out where exactly the smoke is coming from.

It could be a blockage in the radiator, or a failed thermostat, or lots of other things. Do the cooling fans work? Any coolant in the oil or vice versa? You need to check over the whole cooling system until you find the problem. There is also a possibility that you did some damage, depending on how hot it got and how long you drove it that way. You should do a cylinder leakage test to check the condition of the head and gasket, and identify possible leaks.

Try to borrow a cooling system pressure tester from a parts store. That helps tremendously in locating cooling system problems.

Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and got a new cap today. Also bought more coolent and filled the radiator. I didnt know i had to fill the radiator yesterday and just filled the reservoir.

Started the explorer and i let if run a good 30 min to heat up. Took for a short drive (about 3 miles), no overheating. Drove another 10 and stopped to check under the hood. No smoking. Seems like there is no leaking either.

When i did turn the truck off there was a little hissing noise coming from the engine (passanger side). I dont know if that noise was normal but at least it stopped overheating and smoking.

 

[rb142]

Good. Maybe it was only the cap. Keep an eye on the coolant level for a while, because it may drop if there is any more air in the system or if you have any leak.