HI, I hope you can help. My car blows white smoke all the time. It's worse when the car is hot - I cloud out nearby cars (i.e. city stop and go traffic or waiting in backed up traffic). It happens when I accelerate and idleing at a red light - all the time. I am not losing any coolant. There is no oil in my coolant. My oil is clear - although I have to add a quart of oil every three hundred miles (a tank of gas). I still get great gas milage. This has been going on for a year - getting worse as time goes on. The white smoke out the exhaust didn't start out this bad. The burning oil - has been happening since I bought the car in 2001. I have to add oil more often now. No light on the dashboard comes on.
I took the car back to the dealer about six months after I bought it concerning the burning oil. They said "some Saturns have been known to have a defect in the engine that might be covered under my warrenty - but - if it's not caused by the manufacture -I would have to pay for the repair and it's 1500.00 to take the engine apart... " No guarantees. I did not have the money, so I have been adding oil as needed.
Related or unrelated: recently - since May - the car heater gage began going up to the middle when idling. It's became worse - went up in city traffic or slow traffic - came right down as soon as I drive 30 or more for a short distance. The gage doesn't go up when I'm driving on the thruway. Two weeks ago, I played with all my fuses. I took them out - checked them - none were bad - out them all back in. Now, the heater gage has only gone up three times (even in city traffic). My top radiator hose has to be replaced. It's soft and old looking. I purchased one and a termostat. I'm going to replce them as soon as I build up my nerve to do it. I figure, I should eb able to figure it out. :) Autozone tried to help diagnose the problem. The print out gave several possible causes (fuse, hoses, thermostat, water pump).
Thank you for your time and hopfully your assistance. I've talked with several machanics. They all begin by ignoring me when I tell them I do not have any coolant lose. They immediately say it's the head gasket. When I remind them about no coolant lose - then they say they have to take the engine apart to see what is wrong. Help! Any ideas??
PS: my radio stopped working. When plug it in all I get is a low pulse like noise (not static). Is this the radio or wiring? I had trouble off and on for two years with the radio cutting out for no appearant reason. Sometimes I could turn it off and back on and it would come on - but not all the time. Most of the time it would come back on when it felt like it.
I took the car back to the dealer about six months after I bought it concerning the burning oil. They said "some Saturns have been known to have a defect in the engine that might be covered under my warrenty - but - if it's not caused by the manufacture -I would have to pay for the repair and it's 1500.00 to take the engine apart... " No guarantees. I did not have the money, so I have been adding oil as needed.
Related or unrelated: recently - since May - the car heater gage began going up to the middle when idling. It's became worse - went up in city traffic or slow traffic - came right down as soon as I drive 30 or more for a short distance. The gage doesn't go up when I'm driving on the thruway. Two weeks ago, I played with all my fuses. I took them out - checked them - none were bad - out them all back in. Now, the heater gage has only gone up three times (even in city traffic). My top radiator hose has to be replaced. It's soft and old looking. I purchased one and a termostat. I'm going to replce them as soon as I build up my nerve to do it. I figure, I should eb able to figure it out. :) Autozone tried to help diagnose the problem. The print out gave several possible causes (fuse, hoses, thermostat, water pump).
Thank you for your time and hopfully your assistance. I've talked with several machanics. They all begin by ignoring me when I tell them I do not have any coolant lose. They immediately say it's the head gasket. When I remind them about no coolant lose - then they say they have to take the engine apart to see what is wrong. Help! Any ideas??
PS: my radio stopped working. When plug it in all I get is a low pulse like noise (not static). Is this the radio or wiring? I had trouble off and on for two years with the radio cutting out for no appearant reason. Sometimes I could turn it off and back on and it would come on - but not all the time. Most of the time it would come back on when it felt like it.
Sep 23, 2010 at 4:37 PM
