Rough Idle, Smoke from Exhaust, High Temp

[pnoytecknix]

hey guys, I need some insight from experienced camry owners. I have a 96 camry with the 5S-FE and the odometer says ~230k miles (but I know that its overcounting. It seems to be counting kilometers instead of miles; ie. for every 3 miles i drive, the odo counts about 5 miles.)

Here are the symptoms:
1, Rough/low idle
2. Smoke from engine bay AND exhaust pipe upon startup
3. Small amounts of smoke persist at the exhaust pipe while the engine runs
4. A little bit of fluid(water?) spray/drops from exhaust
5. Temp guage all the up (past H)
6. Funky smell from engine bay (not sweet like coolant though)

Just replaced the radiator 2 weeks ago after the old one blew, and the engine leaks oil in very small amounts after I drive for any distance.

Any suggestions as to what the problem is? Or any pointers on what I should do/check at this point?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[hill8570]

Did any of these problems predate the radiator change?

What do you mean, "radiator blew"? Was the system without coolant for a significant amount of time?

What color smoke?

What coolant are you using?

When you changed the radiator, did you use an OEM cap or some auto parts store job?

Did you change the thermostat when you changed the radiator?

Did you burp the system after changing the radiator? i.e., let idle under warmed up, run heater on high, preferable have car on slight incline with front higher than back, cap off.

Have you checked the coolant levels in the radiator and the overflow lately?

Are one or both radiator fans running?

[whip_cracker]

Sounds like a leak in coolant system... heater core hose... water pump... as mentioned, dodgy rad cap... Head gasket related problem...

Anywhere in particular you can see a leak maybe?

[tyafrya]

you're burning coolant (rough idle) you need a headgasket

[Fruitbat]

I'm gonna say HeadGasket as well

[hill8570]

Geez folks, I know he overheated the engine and all, but can we first rule out the cheap / easy to fix stuff before we jump to blown head gaskets and warped heads ?

[pnoytecknix]

thanks for replying, everyone.

but a few things happened yesterday that cleared up a couple issues. first off, the cel finally came on and confirmed my suspicion that a cylinder was misfiring (P0302 - Cylinder 2 Misfiring). So that explains the rough idling/running and the smoke from the exhaust and all that. we're getting new spark plugs, sp wires, distributor cap and rotor.

however, the other code was P0115 - Engine Coolant Temp circuit malfunction. This is what still troubles me since we just had the radiator and thermostat replaced at a shop, and at least the radiator/cap/tubing is good and new because I can clearly see the new parts in place. BUT it doesnt seem like the thermostat was replaced because when inspecting the piece that needs to be removed when replacing the thermostat, it doesnt look like it has been opened anytime recently. So we're bringing it back to that shop to get that done (they better do it right this time...).

Another thing that came up was I tried to get the temp down by turning the heater on, but there was no hot air, so theres gotta be something wrong with the heater core or something around it. any idea how I should go about troubleshooting this problem?

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by pnoytecknix

thanks for replying, everyone.

but a few things happened yesterday that cleared up a couple issues. first off, the cel finally came on and confirmed my suspicion that a cylinder was misfiring (P0302 - Cylinder 2 Misfiring). So that explains the rough idling/running and the smoke from the exhaust and all that. we're getting new spark plugs, sp wires, distributor cap and rotor.

however, the other code was P0115 - Engine Coolant Temp circuit malfunction. This is what still troubles me since we just had the radiator and thermostat replaced at a shop, and at least the radiator/cap/tubing is good and new because I can clearly see the new parts in place. BUT it doesnt seem like the thermostat was replaced because when inspecting the piece that needs to be removed when replacing the thermostat, it doesnt look like it has been opened anytime recently. So we're bringing it back to that shop to get that done (they better do it right this time...).

Another thing that came up was I tried to get the temp down by turning the heater on, but there was no hot air, so theres gotta be something wrong with the heater core or something around it. any idea how I should go about troubleshooting this problem?

The lack of hot air is because the system hasn't been burped (it's still got air in it). Good chance that the P0115 is caused by this, too.

While the meatheads at the shop should've done this, you can easily do it at home, too:

If possible, park with the front of the car somewhat higher than the rear. In a pinch, you can jack the front of the car up a few inches, too (basically, you want the top of the radiator higher than the rest of the cooling system).

Begin with the engine cooled off enough to pull the radiator cap, and remove the cap.

Start the engine, and let it idle with the heater running full hot, and the heater fan full on.

Let the engine warm up to operating temperature.

Once the engine is at operating temperature, occasionally rev the engine a bit to force a bit more through the water pump. If it isn't too hot, give the upper radiator hose a bit of a squeeze to help force the air out (don't squeeze too hard or you'll get a fountain of coolant out of the open radiator).

Once you start getting heat through the heater (shouldn't take more than a minute or two after the engine is warmed up), let the engine run for ten minutes or so, with occasional revs of the engine. Shut 'er down. If coolant level isn't up to the top of the radiator neck, top it off. Put the cap back on. Should be good to go.

If anytime in this process the temperature gauge hits on or near redline, shut 'er down and try again after it's cooled off.

[pnoytecknix]

well the radiator was replaced a couple weeks ago (may 9) and the heater was working up until yesterday before my car overheated. after i got it towed home, i started it up and let in run for awhile to do some troubleshooting and the temp was rising above normal so i turned on the heater to get it back down, but there was no more hot air and the temp went all the way up past H.

is a lack of burping the system still likely here? would this explain why my car is overheating as well?

btw, thanks for replying so quickly.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by pnoytecknix

well the radiator was replaced a couple weeks ago (may 9) and the heater was working up until yesterday before my car overheated. after i got it towed home, i started it up and let in run for awhile to do some troubleshooting and the temp was rising above normal so i turned on the heater to get it back down, but there was no more hot air and the temp went all the way up past H.

is a lack of burping the system still likely here? would this explain why my car is overheating as well?

btw, thanks for replying so quickly.

Sorry, I had my time sequence screwed up -- I thought the overheating had been occurring ever since the radiator was replaced.

OK, unfortunately, all symptoms (the misfire, the smoke during operation, the air being introduced into the cooling system) are pretty much pointing to a blown head gasket. While it wouldn't hurt to re-burp the system and replenish the coolant level (the gasket leak may be bad enough that you see the coolant bubbling and smelling of exhaust while you try to burp it), you probably should have the coolant tested for combustion byproducts to confirm the diagnosis.

[pnoytecknix]

damnit, anything but the bhg... my dad thought that as well when we were taking out the spark plugs because they were soft and easy to unscrew. also, i did notice the coolant bubbling after it overheated (i could hear the gurgling sound and i saw the coolant in the reserve tank bubbling).

well, assuming that a blown head gasket is the source of all these problems, is replacing the hg an option? or is the engine just done? if replacing the hg is an option, then can a couple of casual DIYers perform the replacement, or is taking it to a shop the only way to go?

EDIT: so we just looked at it again and confirmed that what happened was indeed a blown head gasket. so my question is now what is the usual cost for having the head gasket replaced? we're probably going to replace the timing belt as well since its opened up already.

[ShotgunCheeks]

Head gasket all the way homie.