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Overheating issue! Help!!

M

mikegmoney

New member
my 3.8 started overheating the other day and I cant figure out what the problem is...there is smoke coming from the oil dipstick and filler.but there is oil is there but now its sludge of course. cant see any water leaks...but there is a hissing sound around the top of where the top intake manifold is.could it be a back intake gasket causing all this? thought it was the head gaskets at first but I dont have any smoke coming out the tailpipe and it dosent look like there is water getting into my oil. I need some advice cuz I dont wanna do a head gasket job and find out it was somthing way different. HELP! I took a video of where the smoke was coming from. heres my dropbox link... I really hope someone can help me out and thank u ahead of time! -Mike


https://www.dropbox.com/s/9i91cusjctnqo5m/20140808_152712.3gp
 


The smoke you're seeing is the super awesome valve cover gasket leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold. That, however, is not the source of your overheating concerns. How has the maintenance history been on the car? LIM gaskets replaced at some point? Water pump look good? Thermostat changed? What coolant is in there; dexcool or green? Does it overheat all the time, cruising down the road, sitting at idle, etc? In other words, the details are necessary for proper diagnosis.
 
step one, de grease that nasty engine. find your coolant leak, elbows, water pump, cracked rad, bad hose ect.

after you clean the engine, change your valve cover gaskets. fix what you find for a leak.
 
I can go about 2 or 3 miles and then it will start to move up and then go up to bout 3/4 of the way...stay for a minute or so and then start redlining.dosent matter if I stop or let off the gas or anything.once in awhile it will start going down bout halfway when I start moving again but then it will shoot back up to red
 
I have kept up good with the car as far as maintenance.except for the gaskets.I have never changed them.I have only had the car alittle over a year and no problems at all until now
 


ya yesterday when I checked it out again the rad was bone dry but the coolant tank was full.yesterday was the first time in a week that I started it since it messed up.after I filled the rad and bought a new cap, I left in idle for bout 10mins and it didnt overheat at all.but I didnt drive it though.cuz there is alot of rattleing from the engine now so i think I prolly jacked up the lifters and stuff from it burning up so bad.
 
post a vid if you can. hold the throttle at say 2500 rpm's for a few seconds, then let it drop back to idle.

could be a spun bearing or a rod bearing gone bad.

or if your lucky its the water pump. you can take the belts off run the car for a minute with no belts, if the sound is gone something on the front of the engine is making it.
 
ok ill do that.thats another thing.when its in idle and I rev it alittle and then let off completely it will try to sputter out.
 
hard to say over the net. could be a vac leak or something, or one of the pulleys on the front of the engine are seizing up and holding the engine back. seen a/c compressors lock up a engine rock solid.
 


To do the LIM gaskets, waterpump, coolant elbows, and valve cover gaskets it will probably cost you around 100-130 dollars if you get the parts from rock auto. If you've got a rod knock then you may want to sell. But if it's just gasket issues it's not hard to fix
 
ya but right now thats alot of money cuz im homeless at the moment.trying to find a house for the last 3months.in my town rentals r hard to come by right now..
 
lim gaskets can wait. but if its a water pump or elbows that leaked, those are dirt cheap, w/p is like 40 bucks, elbows are like 10.
 
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