Ok, so I bought a 90 Si with a B18 LS engine and my buddy told me that he replaced the thermostat a while ago and he filled the coolant with 70% water and 30% coolant. I didn't think too much of it, but now every few days or so, I check my coolant reservoir tank and it's empty. There are no signs of leaking anywhere and the oil is not discolored or anything like that. My cooling fan doesn't work either. The car has only overheated once since I've had it because I check the coolant more often. When I start the car and let it warm up a little bit and drive, it puffs out quite a bit of white smoke, but then goes away after a few minutes. It doesn't do it again afterwards. Sorry for sounding somewhat like a newb. What should I do now??

 

hate to break it to you, but white smoke is coolant burning.. If you let the car overheat, you probably warped the head and coolant is leaking into the combustion chamber and getting burned, hence the white smoke..

 

sounds to me like it could be the head gasket...at least from what you described

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Intocable &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">sounds to me like it could be the head gasket...at least from what you described </TD></TR></TABLE>
+1

It almost has to be, especially with the white smoke at start up. Have someone be behind the car when u start it. If it's 'sweet' smelling, it's coolant. You're probably burning it slowly through a leak in the head gasket that making it do it slow enough once it is running that you aren't noticing any crazy smell or loss of coolant.

As for the car burning anything other than coolant at startup, I highly doubt your burning VTEC Fluid, because after all, you are talking about a Honda without VTEC

 

alot of cars puff out white smoke specially in the morning cause of the moisture
im not saying it cant be ur head gasket. but check for a weird smell out of ur tail pipe

chicho
91 civic dx
b16a turbo

 

Best safest bet... take the head off check to make sure its straight. IF it is clean the head and block up and slap a new head gasket on it.

I had a simliar problem, and the head was warped bad... Would only puff smoke for the first 15 - 20 mins then stop.. But my coolant was disappearing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GI8U2racing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">]
As for the car burning anything other than coolant at startup, I highly doubt your burning VTEC Fluid, because after all, you are talking about a Honda without VTEC </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

UPDATE:

Car is leaking from somewhere behind the motor under the intake manifold on the right side. Basically I am filling up my radiator and reservoir tank every morning before I go to work. My friends tells me it could be the headgasket. Like I said, thermostat was replaced and radiator cap was also. Car is still puffing out white smoke. Gonna change the headgasket and might do the water pump as well just to be safe. Anything else I should look into??

 

minus well do the timing belt while you have it all apart..

 

I had the same problem. My head was warped. so i had to replace a couple of things including the head gasket.

 

sounds like head gasket. I knew one that the middle layer (as the gasket is MLS) between the cylinders come apart, therefore leaking fluid into the chambers, which usually produces the white smoke.

 

When you say right side are you talking facing your engine..because the back side near the belt is where your waterpump weep hole is located as well. If that is leaking you need a new pump.