S2000 HEADACHE! HELP!
02-07-2016, 08:28 PM
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S2000 HEADACHE! HELP!
So I've been juggling fixing my car, and going to school for the past 6 months now. Today I thought I made a huge break through but I guess not. I'm in desperate need to fix my car, please help!
This is my story:
After gassing up, I noticed steam coming from the hood of my car on my way home from school. I checked it, and it was a crack in my Coolant Reservoir and the coolant evaporating.I decided to tape it up, and deal with it the next day. So I drove home. I noticed the white steam turn into dark smoke, so I pulled over on the side of the road and saw that the reservoir no longer had coolant in it. I filled it with the water I had in my gym bag, to get me home (5 miles away). Unfortunately, 2 miles from my house my car engine stopped and I had to pull over. I had realized my car overheated, and the engine light was on. The car wouldn't start back up, it would turn but not start. I left the car to deal with the next day, I had school to worry about.
The next day when I got home, I walked 2 miles to see if my car would start again. It did! I was able to mitigate the engine temp to get me home. I looked up the engine light number to find out that there was overheating codes, after looking them up I deleted them. The next day I filled my radiator up with coolant. I drove it about 5 more miles on my way to the grocery store only to see that my engine was running hot, and my heater wasnt working. I turned around home immediately. The coolant level dropped again and I was empty. After filling it up, I realized I had a leak coming from the driver side of my front bumper. I figured it was my radiator. At this point, I should let you know that the car would start only when the engine was cold, if it was warm it wouldn't stop.
I changed the radiator, got a new reservoir tank, and refilled the coolant. I waited a while, looked under my car, and saw there weren't any leaks. So I figured I finally fixed the problem. Excited, I took the car on a test drive for 2 miles. The heater still wasn't working, and the engine temp fluctuated up and down (though it would cool a lot faster). I got to a gas station to fill up and pump my tires. After pumping my tires, my car wouldn't start. It reverted back to the same turning but not starting I had previously experienced. I went to check my reservoir and it was nearly filled, but the color changed from green to a orange. I waited for the car to cool down, like i did in the past, to try and turn it on again. It didn't work. I checked the radiator, and it wasn't topped off full anymore, but there was no leaks anywhere! A lot of air pressure came out (something never happened to me before when doing the same thing, though I figured it was because my radiator no longer had a crack). I filled it up, but it didn't need much coolant to fill. Again I tried starting the car, but no luck. A guy from the gas station came out with a jump starter machine and we tried again. The engine turned a little better, but it still didnt start. I thanked him, and he left.
I left to dinner, and came back to try again. This time the car didn't turn at all. I would push the button and only hear one click. My uncle came with his CRV and we tried to jump start the car. This time it would turn, but not start. This is when I figured out that only when I was getting a jump start, that my car would turn. So I think it might have something to do with the battery. I went to check under my car again, and still no puddles. So my radiator isn't leaking anymore. I opened it up again to check the level, and this time ever more air pressure shot out! A bunch of coolant shot out at me, and I thought it may have smelled a bit like gasoline? But then again, I am in a gas station. I smelled the liquid that came out and it didn't smell like gas, but when I smelled the radiator there was a hint of it. Though, again, I am in a gas station. I tried to start the car again, again one click. We try to jump start it, and it only turns.
Whats wrong with my car?!
Tl;dr
-steam from hood -> cracked coolant reservoir
-smoke from hood -> empty reservoir
-heater no longer works
-car overheats -> doesn't start just turns
-1 day later -> car starts, having to mitigate for engine temp
-car only starts when completely cold, otherwise just turns
-Notice leaking -> replace radiator and reservoir
-No more leaking -> heater still doesnt work
-engine temp fluctuates -> cools down a lot faster though
-car no longer starts, just turns -> coolant reservoir over max line
-empty reservoir to min -> radiator shoots a lot of pressure out
-car receives jump from machine -> still just turns
-car no longer turns -> just one click
-car only turns when being jumped -> still doesnt start
PLEASE AND THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP!
This is my story:
After gassing up, I noticed steam coming from the hood of my car on my way home from school. I checked it, and it was a crack in my Coolant Reservoir and the coolant evaporating.I decided to tape it up, and deal with it the next day. So I drove home. I noticed the white steam turn into dark smoke, so I pulled over on the side of the road and saw that the reservoir no longer had coolant in it. I filled it with the water I had in my gym bag, to get me home (5 miles away). Unfortunately, 2 miles from my house my car engine stopped and I had to pull over. I had realized my car overheated, and the engine light was on. The car wouldn't start back up, it would turn but not start. I left the car to deal with the next day, I had school to worry about.
The next day when I got home, I walked 2 miles to see if my car would start again. It did! I was able to mitigate the engine temp to get me home. I looked up the engine light number to find out that there was overheating codes, after looking them up I deleted them. The next day I filled my radiator up with coolant. I drove it about 5 more miles on my way to the grocery store only to see that my engine was running hot, and my heater wasnt working. I turned around home immediately. The coolant level dropped again and I was empty. After filling it up, I realized I had a leak coming from the driver side of my front bumper. I figured it was my radiator. At this point, I should let you know that the car would start only when the engine was cold, if it was warm it wouldn't stop.
I changed the radiator, got a new reservoir tank, and refilled the coolant. I waited a while, looked under my car, and saw there weren't any leaks. So I figured I finally fixed the problem. Excited, I took the car on a test drive for 2 miles. The heater still wasn't working, and the engine temp fluctuated up and down (though it would cool a lot faster). I got to a gas station to fill up and pump my tires. After pumping my tires, my car wouldn't start. It reverted back to the same turning but not starting I had previously experienced. I went to check my reservoir and it was nearly filled, but the color changed from green to a orange. I waited for the car to cool down, like i did in the past, to try and turn it on again. It didn't work. I checked the radiator, and it wasn't topped off full anymore, but there was no leaks anywhere! A lot of air pressure came out (something never happened to me before when doing the same thing, though I figured it was because my radiator no longer had a crack). I filled it up, but it didn't need much coolant to fill. Again I tried starting the car, but no luck. A guy from the gas station came out with a jump starter machine and we tried again. The engine turned a little better, but it still didnt start. I thanked him, and he left.
I left to dinner, and came back to try again. This time the car didn't turn at all. I would push the button and only hear one click. My uncle came with his CRV and we tried to jump start the car. This time it would turn, but not start. This is when I figured out that only when I was getting a jump start, that my car would turn. So I think it might have something to do with the battery. I went to check under my car again, and still no puddles. So my radiator isn't leaking anymore. I opened it up again to check the level, and this time ever more air pressure shot out! A bunch of coolant shot out at me, and I thought it may have smelled a bit like gasoline? But then again, I am in a gas station. I smelled the liquid that came out and it didn't smell like gas, but when I smelled the radiator there was a hint of it. Though, again, I am in a gas station. I tried to start the car again, again one click. We try to jump start it, and it only turns.
Whats wrong with my car?!
Tl;dr
-steam from hood -> cracked coolant reservoir
-smoke from hood -> empty reservoir
-heater no longer works
-car overheats -> doesn't start just turns
-1 day later -> car starts, having to mitigate for engine temp
-car only starts when completely cold, otherwise just turns
-Notice leaking -> replace radiator and reservoir
-No more leaking -> heater still doesnt work
-engine temp fluctuates -> cools down a lot faster though
-car no longer starts, just turns -> coolant reservoir over max line
-empty reservoir to min -> radiator shoots a lot of pressure out
-car receives jump from machine -> still just turns
-car no longer turns -> just one click
-car only turns when being jumped -> still doesnt start
PLEASE AND THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP!
02-07-2016, 08:38 PM
#2
Did you bleed out excess air trapped in coolant system, after changing the radiator and over-flow tank?
Sounds like the engine may have suffered heat damage, after first set of low coolant problems. Prolly best to get engine checked out. Compression test. Drain engine oil. Look for excessive contaminates. And oil/water mixture.
Good luck!
Sounds like the engine may have suffered heat damage, after first set of low coolant problems. Prolly best to get engine checked out. Compression test. Drain engine oil. Look for excessive contaminates. And oil/water mixture.
Good luck!
02-07-2016, 09:48 PM
#3
Orange stuff suggests that you blew your headgasket and oil is getting into the coolant jackets in the engine block. It's actually pretty rare to have a blow-out of that proportion, typically you have coolant going into the combustion chamber and not the other way around (Oil going out into coolant). Bleed and drain your coolant and see what happens.
02-07-2016, 10:21 PM
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Did you bleed out excess air trapped in coolant system, after changing the radiator and over-flow tank?
Sounds like the engine may have suffered heat damage, after first set of low coolant problems. Prolly best to get engine checked out. Compression test. Drain engine oil. Look for excessive contaminates. And oil/water mixture.
Good luck!
Sounds like the engine may have suffered heat damage, after first set of low coolant problems. Prolly best to get engine checked out. Compression test. Drain engine oil. Look for excessive contaminates. And oil/water mixture.
Good luck!
Orange stuff suggests that you blew your headgasket and oil is getting into the coolant jackets in the engine block. It's actually pretty rare to have a blow-out of that proportion, typically you have coolant going into the combustion chamber and not the other way around (Oil going out into coolant). Bleed and drain your coolant and see what happens.
02-08-2016, 08:44 AM
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Car could have over heated bad enough to damage the head. Check fuses as well just to make sure none blew out. If you can get it to start let it run for a little bit to make sure you get the air out. I usually bleed mine from the line on the firewall. There is a black nipple with a clamp on it that you can remove to bleed out the coolant.
02-08-2016, 11:02 AM
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You definitely need to properly bleed the cooling system. Read the Billman method and follow it exactly. If you don't have heat coming out of the vents then you never should have driven it. At this point you have probably overheated the car multiple times and now when you heat the car up the things that you damaged expand once again and don't allow you to restart the car. They might be too expanded even when cold now.
02-08-2016, 05:00 PM
#7
Moderator
You cooked the engine pretty good, a second time by filling the res (and not the rad) and additional times by driving with cold heat.
Head gasket likely completely blown, other damage very likely.
Head gasket likely completely blown, other damage very likely.
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02-08-2016, 05:23 PM
#8
Community Organizer
Now that's Talent.
Sorry, I had to.
Sorry, I had to.
02-08-2016, 05:42 PM
#10
Site Moderator
Wow. I am going to go with billman here you cooked the engine. something I notice missing from your story is you looking up any info on how deal with the problem correctly. Also the fact that you just kept driving the car with things not working properly just blows my mind. Had you stopped and asked the first time it happened or at least looked up the proper way to change the rad or fill and bleed the coolant system you may have been able to save it. Expensive mistake but I bet you don't do it again. This is the reason to have AAA so if something happens you don't have to abandon the car.