Trail of oil, smoke coming from under the hood

I think we can probably assume your Voyager is about to join the ranks of the dead. :p
 
This isn't related to the oil and smoke, but didn't you say you regularly coasted it in neutral? I could be wrong.
 
Yeah I was talking about that a while back, I can't believe you remembered it! :lol:

No, I don't do that anymore, because I know it ain't good.

Spectre said:
I think we can probably assume your Voyager is about to join the ranks of the dead. :p
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Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised it ran until 400k kms. It's still running strong after 300k kms.
 
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Is adding some windshield washer fluid to the small amount of coolant ok?
 
Do you not have any proper coolant? I can't see the connection between windscreen washer fluid and coolant, they're totally different aren't they?
 
Ilpav said:
Is adding some windshield washer fluid to the small amount of coolant ok?
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What? Add water if you need only a small amount. Or better yet keep a jug of premix on you for when you do need to add more.
 
I heard it was a good temporary solution if you have low coolant (I didn't have any extra coolant, and the washer fluid is antifreeze, after all, it's just less "oily" ). :dunno:

Anyway, I'm going to get the cooling system flushed and refilled with proper antifreeze. :)
 
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The only temporary solution I know of is water. Half of what you put in there during a refill already straight water anyhow.

Many race cars use water exclusively on the track (to avoid cars from slipping on the anti-freeze).
 
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I still don't understand how people use just water to cool their engines; wouldn't that overheat the engine quickly (especially in racing)?
 
No. As long as the cooling season is good enough, water will work just fine I should think.

Wiper fluid, however, contains a lot of alcohol so it will probably boil VERY quickly.
 
Ilpav said:
I still don't understand how people use just water to cool their engines; wouldn't that overheat the engine quickly (especially in racing)?
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Straight water is actually slighty better than a mix with antifreeze at cooling the engine.
 
GRtak said:
Straight water is actually slighty better than a mix with antifreeze at cooling the engine.
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Yep, water will cool just fine. Especially in the pinch. Anti-freeze is mostly to keep the water from freezing in the winter. The water does most of the cooling. I know some people that only run distilled water in their radiator but they don't live in an area where it's cold enough to freeze the water. I honestly wouldn't pour anything but anti-freeze and water into your radiator except Redline's water wetter. Royal purple has something similar. But they reduce the surface tension of the water and it will actually help drop the coolant temps.
 
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I am not going to look it up, but those things don't work.
 
Ilpav said:
I still don't understand how people use just water to cool their engines; wouldn't that overheat the engine quickly (especially in racing)?
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Like everyone else said anti-freeze (as its name suggests) is only used to keep the water from freezing in the winter. In mother Russian they only used water in engines for a very long time because anti-freeze wasn't easy to find most of the time.
 
You checked the oil level in the engine? Did you notice if the oil appeared to have a chocolate milk sort of color to it?

Also, did you notice any smoke coming out of the tail pipe?

I had a headgasket blow in my Merkur and neither my low coolant warning nor my temperature gauge showed anything out of the ordinary. It eventually overheated and shut down. I was later able to drive it and it ran decent.

Have you driven/started it since it did this?
 
The car drives fine and the engine is smooth like normal, but I just picked it up from my mechanic who said that every fluid is leaking; tranny, brakes, coolant, oil, etc. He said he didn't even want to get paid to fix it and suggested that we junk it. That's probably what we're gonna do. The funny thing is with all these leaks, it still runs like a champ. It will be able to get to a junkyard on its own steam, no doubt. I'm gonna miss it...:(
 
Well if the brake lines are leaking for whatever reason I wouldn't drive it, even if the junkyard is close. It would be better just to tow it.
 
Well if every fluid is leaking then that explains why none of us could make a connection between the missing coolant and the smoke. As far as it's future, I thought you were pushing it driving around once you first had the problem, driving it now you know the brakes are leaking is just asking for trouble.
 
I would think all of that can be fixed. It probably needs some brake work(this is first and most important), some gaskets for the rocker covers, and get the trans fluid and filter changed which will also cover the trans pan gasket.

How big are the oil stains where it is parked?

BTW, if the brakes were leaking you would notice it in the pedal dropping.
 
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