I had a simmilar problem in my old '94 GL. The cause? A cracked radiator hose. My temp guage was normal too for a bit then decided to jump up on my way home (fluid must have started to run low).

 

Yeah, I'd check the hoses, on my '92 I kept getting steam rising from the outlet side of the radiator but I couldn't see anything leaking. Then one day BOOM! the lower radiator hose slid off the radiator outlet and steam went everywhere. The hose wasn't bad it just came off because someone hadn't tightened the clamp enough.
But check everything, hoses, water pump and even the radiator itself, see if you can localize what area of the engine the steam is coming from to at least give you a starting point.

 

The steam only happened while stopped. Once on the go there was no steam. Unfortunately, at lights I can't hop out to take a look!

Would this affect the engine in any way? I.e. cause drivabililty issues?

Thanks :notworthy:

 

Well yeah, if its a small amt of steam, any additional airflow from the car moving will cause the steam to "disappear" though its probably still there. Get the car up to opearting temp, then park it in your driveway/parking lot and take a good look around.

 

I have the same problem with my car, a 96 vulcan, but only when it is cold. I believe it is due to the seal between the plastic radiator tank and the aluminum radiator core. Overnight when it is cold, there is a small amount of seapage. When the car heats up in the morning the anti-freeze is burned off. The tank then seals. I had this problem for the past two winters, but everything is fine in the summer. Is yours only acting up in the morning after a cold night? I tend to leave the antifreeze level on the low side in the overflow tank and it seems to lessen the problem.

 

Just remember that if the car overheats, you'll likely have to replace the head gaskets, so watch that temp gauge very carefully until you isolate and fix the problem!

JR

 

My car steams alot in the cold. I'll stop and there will be steam coming out. But its not low on coolant and doesn't show overheating.

 

My old '93 with the 3.8 Essex did that sometimes. It had an intermittent leak on one of the coolant hoses that we could never find. It would go for weeks without leaking a drop, and then all of a have almost no coolant. It smelled pretty much like you described as well.

Definetely keep an eye on the temp guage and don't let it overheat. I carried a few gallons of water in the trunk in case it ran low so I could fill it up again.

My '01 will steam when it's cold out, especially if I have to drive over snow or there is snow on the wheels near the brakes or anything else that gets hot...it usually doesn't smell though.

 

I don't think it's only in cold weather, at least not that I can remember. The temperature guage is always spot on though. Always has been.

 

My Topaz used to do that. I figure it was oil leaking onto the hot manifold. It actually started after I added oil, and then drove for almost two hours with the oil cap off! What a MESS! Ever since, when the engine got hot, I could smell burning oil, and frequently saw smoke coming from under the hood.

 

SK...haven't heard that song by the Supertones in years!

JR

 

I have the same problem with my 2001 Taurus. It only happens in cold weather and is very sporadic. One stop light it will steam from the front grill, then next light nothing. I have a feeling that is is condensation coming from some where.

 

Whereabouts in the engine should I be looking for the radiator outlet etc.?

 

I usually see steam coming out of the front of my car when i'm at a stop light about 10 mins into driving then it goes away, is this normal?

 

I have the same problem with my car, a 96 vulcan, but only when it is cold. I believe it is due to the seal between the plastic radiator tank and the aluminum radiator core. Overnight when it is cold, there is a small amount of seapage. When the car heats up in the morning the anti-freeze is burned off. The tank then seals. I had this problem for the past two winters, but everything is fine in the summer. Is yours only acting up in the morning after a cold night? I tend to leave the antifreeze level on the low side in the overflow tank and it seems to lessen the problem.

Same here, on my duratec. I have to add coolant every so often in the winter here, but in the summer it never leaks. Just keep an eye on your level.

Also check your PVC valve and make sure it didnt come loose. This used to happen on my tempo all the time, and then oil would spatter here and there and it would smoke and smell like crap. Finally I got unlazy and replaced the 75 cent gromet....

 

What's a PVC valve and where is it?

 

It is a metal object attached to a wire that lifts up easily when you lift it. It is about where the arrow is, behind that large black plastic thing sticking up.

 

Originally posted by tmonster@Feb 3 2006, 07:46 PM
Finally I got unlazy

I'd like to know how you did this...

on second thought, I don't care... :mellow: