Overheating

[NoAsianCars!]

Ok heres the deal, this morning i started my car up to go to school and as my bro walks out to the car he says, dude it doesnt sound good. so i open the hood and listen and it sounds like, hollow. but i figure we'll see how it drives and then i'll bring it home if it sucks. i drive it to school and its driving fine, except its a little slower to respond. i get to school (5 min drive. like, 2 or 3 miles) and i look at the temp gague and its halfway between 100 and 220. it almost never gets that high. even after driving for all day. i open the hood and i see smoke comin out in the area around my intake manifold. which was not warm to touch. it was almost cool. so i shut the car off and go into school. i get outta school and it starts fine, and drives fine just like normal. but the whole way home, the damn temp gague is just steadily rising. so i open the hood at home and its smoking again. i checked the coolant, and its somewhat warm, and a really dark brown color and smells like crap. the oil is full, and the tranny, PS, and PB fluids are all full also. any ideas? btw, the engine fan was never on during this whole thing. i dont think i've ever seen it spin.

[graden]

:( sounds like gaskets or heads man... sorry. but start with something easy. replace the thermistate than go form there

[4kQuad]

i checked the coolant, and its somewhat warm, and a really dark brown color and smells like

You say the coolant is Dark brown...Thats not right. How long has it been since the coolant was changed in there. You might just start bepending on where you live. If it's not freezing at night. Drain the coolant and just feel it with water. Drive around a little and see what happens.

[NoAsianCars!]

i flushed the radiator last night, and its all pretty and green now. but anyway. when i got to school today, the temp was 220 but no smoke. so after school, (my dad told me to do this) i went and got gas. he said some of the problem could be the cheap ass fuel injector cleaner i bought. 99 cents. so i put gas in it, and it didnt cool down, but it stopped getting hot. but when i got home, i smelled something burning, so i popped the hood and the fan was spinning, so thats not a problem, but i didnt smell anything burning at all. but i love this car, so i'm gonna just bring it into the shop tomorrow. 'cause i have no idea what is wrong.

[4kQuad]

On my 89 2.3 the fan does not come on till 220. Factory set to be that way.

So I would take it in to see why it's starting to get higher than the first line they normally run at. But your motor should still be fine as far as the temp goes.

Thought that might make you feel better.
:agree:

[NoAsianCars!]

well, its starting to get better. its not heatin up as much, and its drivin like normal. almost better actually. the only real problem i still have is that sound. i'll try and get a recording of it sometime this week so you can hear it. but other than that noise it seems fine. and the noise is comin from right around here. i believe this is the timing chain, but correct me if i'm wrong.

[NoAsianCars!]

so, anyone have any ideas? a friend told me its my rockers or somethin. any clues?

[4kQuad]

That is the timming chain cover and there is followers and what not that start making noise. check Toyguyz's post about asking the Quad Gods a question. His problem was timming chain/parts issue.

That really does not explain the heating up and not doing it any more. Watch your coolent close, it only takes a few seconds to check the coolent level before you start the car. On the ohter hand it cost a couple grand to rebuild one.

[NoAsianCars!]

i've been checking my coolant every morning and just every once in a while randomly. the level is good. its just the noise i mentioned earlier. and the smoke is back. right between the intake for cylinders 3 and 4. under that black box that the vaccuum tube runs into. someone told me its my rockers or my cam shaft. or somethin like that. i'm gonna try to get a recording of it like, tonight or tomorrow so you can hear it.

[xxchieferxx]

What color is the smoke?

[NoAsianCars!]

its white. i stuck my face in and smelled it and it smells like exhaust. and the other day when i was driving to my girlfriends house, there was a bang under the hood, and it almost stopped accelerating and there was a clinking kind sound comin from the engine. if i could compare it to anything, it would be popcorn. it still drove, it just had no pickup. so its been sitting in the garage the past couple days, and its goin in the shop tuesday to find out whats wrong.

[xxchieferxx]

Well white smoke means that coolant or water is being burnt up and does your car run just fine or is chugging at all or anything.