White smoke from under the hood

UNSHAVENBUDDHA

MEMBER
HONDA ACCORD

I have a '91 Honda Accord that has about 127k on it. I've been having trouble with the coolant for a while. I've had two hoses replaced because they were split. The engine has since stopped overheating, or at least that's what the temperature guage reads on the dash. Sometimes after I turn off the car, I see white steam/smoke come up from under the hood. I keep checking my coolant level, but it isn't going down at all, and there isn't any on top of the engine to burn off. I realize I need to get this fixed, but I'm out of town for an internship for a couple more weeks, and I need the car every day to get to work and back, so I can't take it in to get fixed easily. I only drive it to work and back, which is only a 10-15 minute drive each way. What do you think the problem is, and is this something I can wait a few more weeks on?

1 Reply

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,753 POSTS

Well the white smoke under the hood is an indicater of coolant dripping on to the exhaust. Look at the engine very closely to see if you can find any wet spots. I might point to the location around the head gasket. The area should be below the intake and exhaust manifolds. You can see a seam. Also in the back of the engine are several other hoses that could be leaking as well. Two go to the Idle Air Control valve. You are looking for coolant leaking and dripping on the exhaust.

Another help is to put fresh cardboard under the car to see if any drips can be detected. You need to find the source. Another place to look is around the area of the belts but down low. This could be a water pump weeping or starting to fail.