The **OFFICIAL** my girlfriends car is a piece of %&$! thread!

[Phoenix15]

Well, here's the deal. My Honda is in the shop getting a tune up, so I had to drive my girlfriends 92 Mercury Cougar to work this morning. I noticed last night when we were driving back from the shop I dropped my Honda off at that the car was running a little hot. When I got home I checked the oil and coolant and topped both of them off (the coolant was a tad low). I then drove around the block and it didn't seem to be overheating anymore.

Fast foward to this morning. I drove it to work this morning and noticed that it was overheating again. When I went out to leave for lunch it took a few tries to get it cranked (sounded almost like the battery was drained) I get it cranked and drive about a block up the road to get some lunch. I notice on my way back that the tailpipe is billowing smoke! It only does this when I push the accelerator.

I pulled into my office and went to check the oil. When I removed the dipstick smoke was coming out of it too. AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!! There is plenty of oil. It also acts kind of "jumpy", I mean that it kind of skips when you first crank it and untill it warms up. I'm planning on dropping it off at my mechanics this evening. Any thoughts on what the problem might be?

 

[StageLeft]

<< 92 Mercury Cougar >>

'nuff said

 

[Phoenix15]

<<

<< 92 Mercury Cougar >>

'nuff said >>



Bite me

 

[Freejack2]

I seem to recall something from an old coworkers car, it's some expensive to repair seal. Head gasket maybe?
I rather suspect the repair won't be cheap. :/

 

[iamwiz82]

to check for the head gasket, open up the coolant, there should be oil in it.

 

[Brutuskend]

Yup, sounds like head gasket or cracked head to me too.

Bumage!

 

[Electric Amish]

<< Yup, sounds like head gasket or cracked head to me too.

Bumage! >>



That was my first impression to.

amish

 

[Phoenix15]

Zero oil in the coolant. I know because I looked about 10 times last night and this afternoon. Could that point it to something else?

 

[The Stigenator]

take out the Oil filler cap, if the under side has a white spotty look to it, your heads are fscked.

 

[StageLeft]

<<

<<

<< 92 Mercury Cougar >>

'nuff said >>



Bite me >>

Just name the place and time!

 

[Phoenix15]

<< take out the Oil filler cap, if the under side has a white spotty look to it, your heads are fscked. >>

'

Negative. It looked clean as a whistle. To give you guys a little more info. the smoke is a pure whit. It is very thin (I thought it was from the cold untill I noticed it only happened when I accelerated) Car has about 40,000 miles on it.

 

[Hammer]

<<

<<

<<

<< 92 Mercury Cougar >>

'nuff said >>



Bite me >>

Just name the place and time! >>



watch out cause he'll do it. literally bite you.

 

[The Stigenator]

Colors to exhaust smoke:

White = Water / vapor smoke
Blue = Oil
Black = Diesel


I dont know what else might be wrong.. get the car to a good tech..

 

[LukFilm]

My GF's car is a 2002 Saturn, but I don't like it because the clearance is too low for my head and I can't stretch my legs enough. No such problems in my 1991 Ford Escort LX.

 

[notfred]

sounds head gasket-ish.

 

[Phoenix15]

If the head gasket replacement is as expensive as I think it is, can you say time to trade in on a Honda?

 

[Fandu]

Definitly sounds like head gasket to me. Check for foamy oil, and take a little drop and taste it. If it has a sweet taste to it, you've found your problem. Also, take out the spark plugs, you are looking for one that is nice and shiny clean. If a cylinder is burning ethylene-glycol it will remove all the carbon from the spark plug.

 

[toant103]

Just name the place and time!


ewwwwwwww

 

[PowerEngineer]

I suspect it might be the head gasket too. The smoke out of the dipstick sounds like exhaust blowing back into the oil sump, which could be piston rings I suppose. However, if you keep losing coolant, then that white smoke is probably water vapor (as the_good_guy says) from the coolant leaking into the cylanders. It could also be a cracked head. Whatever it is, it's likely to be expensive. Sorry.

 

[her209]

Arg, I thought this was going to be a thread on how much our girlfriends' cars suck.

 

[slag]

definitely head gasket or minor crack in the head or block

probably just a bad gasket though.

 

[johndoe52]

I'd say it's time for a trade in. Make sure you have your mechanic look at it first of course, but I think you'd be happier with a different car instead of fixing the current one(yes i realize it's your gf's car).