Can't figure out whats wrong with my car someone help!!! - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

My9225thanni. · 05-19-2007, 11:22 PM

Hey everyone i have a 92 camaro with a 305 v8 and the other day i did a radiator flush and after that i drove it a couple days and like two weeks ago. I believe monday i was driving down 46 and pulled in applebee's and out of the motor there was a lot of white smoke. I opened the hood and for some reason the coolant reserve was full and spilling out warm antifreeze which should of been green but was brown and smelt like burnt popcorn. I had no choice drove the car home with the thermostate gauge piniped on 250 the highest the gauge reads. I got home and let it sit the night and the gauge went down and the fluid dranned back into the motor. Now i thought the thermostate was gone so i went bought another one that opens at a lower temp. and put it in. I drained the old fluid and put new one in and started the car it ran and all of a sudden it happened again with the new thermostate. Know i don't know wat the hell it is and i want to fix it and i don't know what to do and if anyone can help or come look at it please let me know. Asap

j0n · 05-20-2007, 12:09 AM

probably a head gasket, running it the way you did at those temps its almost guarunteed to pop

My9225thanni. · 05-20-2007, 10:11 AM

it ran a hole five minutes from where i realized it started over heating to my house

Ian · 05-20-2007, 01:59 PM

5 minutes is a long time for a motor to be at those temps. you should drain the oil and check to see if there is any coolant in there.

WildBillyT · 05-20-2007, 05:37 PM

Did you burp the system of air after you flushed the coolant?

bobb1589 · 05-20-2007, 06:20 PM

doesnt sound too promising :\

Pampered-Z · 05-21-2007, 09:02 AM

Ouch! Running the engine that hot you could have done allot of damage!

Sure sounds like yo blew a head gasket. But running an engine that hot could have done even more damage.

I would remove the thermostat and run the car with the rad. cap off and see if your getting bubbles. Another thing is to pull all the plugs out (also remove coil wire) and turn it over. If you blew a head gasket or cracked the block you'll should see coolant spraying out of the wet cylinder(s). Cover everything down if there is allot of coolant in the cylinder it will spray all over the place and make a mess.

Hope it's not too bad.

89CamaroRS · 05-21-2007, 11:45 AM

definately sounds like a head gasket. the oil will tell the story. if u've got frapaccino instead of oil, start takin the heads off. good luck bud.

bokey · 05-21-2007, 12:43 PM

Not sure if i would just jump to the conclusion that a head gasket went bad -- you said:

"...for some reason the coolant reserve was full and spilling out warm antifreeze which should of been green but was brown..."

what "kind" of brown was it? dark? light? -- I know you just said you did a flush, but you may of needed to do a chemical flush as well, because you have rust in your system. What it also could be is that there may be a blockage somewhere and that is why your coolant reserve tank was overflowing...nowhere for the coolant to go but into the reserve...

I would just check over the silly things first like drain the oil and make sure nothing major happened and then from there check that your thermostat isn't sticking etc.

My9225thanni. · 05-21-2007, 01:11 PM

hey thanks for everyones help i had the car towed to my freinds shop he is looking at it right know there is problem with the heads or anything it was just bad sensors and i need to have the system washed out for rust and stuff so all is good and the fan is shot. Thank god it wasn't more then that knock on wood!!! Thanks again guys

Jared1970Chevelle · 05-21-2007, 02:33 PM

the popcorn smell and frappachino foam isnt tooo good.... happened to me 2 years ago.... i took the thermostat totally out....worked for a few months... then raced and poped the motor at the line down in newark....