# I want advice from mechanically-inclined Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345 "2001-06-10T22:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/1 "2001-06-10T22:26:32Z")
Thursday afternoon last week I was driving home from Bell, about 20 miles from home. On the 105 freeway, I heard a muffled bursting sound and saw, in the rear-view mirror, white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. The car, a 1984 T-Bird, started losing power. I managed to get it off the freeway just as the engine died; it was overheating and I got it towed home. When I tried pouring water into the radiator–long after it had cooled down–I heard the water dripping onto the driveway, like through a sieve. Under the car I saw water dripping from somewhere at the right-rear corner (opposite from the driver’s side) of the engine, near the bottom. I hope this is no more serious than a burst hose… Any info? 😕 (The car is not operable, of course, and it would be prohibitively expensive to take it to garages…) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/2 "2001-06-10T22:36:23Z")
I’m not familiar with T-Birds, but my first two guesses are that 1.) you blew a freeze plug or 2.) you blew a hose or fitting for a hose that carries engine coolant to your heater. Neither one of those is fatal, but you do need to fix it before using the car. Other possibilities include a cracked block (mucho ouch) or possibly a blown head gasket (less ouch). Good luck with it! ---
**Author:** ![fnord1966](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@fnord1966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fnord1966)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/3 "2001-06-10T22:47:15Z")
With white smoke coming out of the tail pipe, its probably a head gasket. A freeze plug wont let water into the exhaust, neither will a hose. A cracked block will if it is in the water jacket around the cylinder. Possibly a cracked head too. I would put all my money on the gasket. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/4 "2001-06-10T23:02:24Z")
> [@](#): > > possibly a blown head gasket (less ouch). Thanks, Beatle; I asked a neighbor for help and I’ll suggest he concentrate on this when he checks it: I had a head gasket _replaced_ in that car some months back. I don’t think they’re supposed to blow for quite a long time. (I noticed that the _oil_ did _not_ leak, inasmuch as none dripped onto the pavement at the scene or at home, nor was the reading on the dipstick–taken long after the car cooled down at home–abnormally low. I think that’s a good sign, in re the engine block’s condition…) ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/5 "2001-06-17T21:42:22Z")
I had seen the “white smoke” coming out under the back of the car near the right-rear corner. However, I realized yesterday that the tailpipe on this car is on the _left_ side, not the right; so perhaps the engine block and head gasket are not involved at all…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/6 "2001-06-21T01:01:20Z")
The mechanic told me they replaced the “freezer plug,” then refilled the radiator with water and coolant. But when they started the engine, the water, etc., blew out the exhaust! And when they tried to put the car in gear the engine died again. Apparently, after the freezer plug blew, too much time passed–with the engine still running–and I wound up with a more serious problem, perhaps such as Beatle mentioned in his/her first posting. I had to have the car towed back home, and had to pay the garage $75 (for replacing the freezer plug) to boot. So I’m back at square one… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/7 "2001-07-07T21:01:35Z")
A local mechanic has examined the car and Beatle’s suggestion of a damaged cylinder head apparently rings true: He told me that the engine block isn’t damaged (WHEW!! :)) and the head gasket is not blown. He said the piston is driving the coolant out through the exhaust manifold(s) on the compression stroke. (The car has a V-6 engine and thus two cylinder heads.) So I’ll wait and see. This mechanic said he wouldn’t charge me to find out what the problem is, and I told him to abandon the effort if the car is irreparable or the repairs would be prohibitively expensive… ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-advice-from-mechanically-inclined-dopers/68345/8 "2001-08-18T21:14:30Z")
The second mechanic wanted $1400 to give the car the full treatment. (For the record, it’s at a Chevron station.) That was far beyond my ken and I had the car towed back home. Then a next-door neighbor offered to help. I had the car towed to the garage he recommended. _This_ mechanic said they could fix it for $1100. Somehow I managed to swing this (don’t ask how). They took a week to do the work–pretty much rebuilding the engine (I saw it when it was gutted) and I picked it up, apparently running just fine, yesterday. I think from now on I would do well to have the engine’s exterior checked out every 6 months or so for the sake of wayward freezer plugs… ⭕o:o:o:o