Car Repair Question

[burton2019]

I have no car mechanical skills at all so I turn to you all for some info please.

The last few days my car has been smelling "hot." I don't know how else to describe it other than that. When I drive to and from work and get out I can smell it. Well thinking my coolant may be low I checked that and it appeared to be low. So I fill that up thinking it would resolve the issue. However it did not. I noticed this morning a small amount of smoke coming from my hood after I parked it at work. The confusing thing is that my temperature gauge hasn't went into the red yet. It's stil lsitting right in the middle between hot and cold.

Any info or suggesstions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[simple man]

I'd guess you are losing coolant. The smoke is steam, it could be a radiator hose, heater hose, hole in the radaitor or a water pump. Next time you see steam or smoke, raise the hood and see where it is coming from. Hoses are fairly cheap and mostly just take the old one off, put the new on, swap. Also might have to remove a bleeder to get all the air out of cooling system. The biggest thing is keeping an eye on the temp guage. Today's engine heads won't take the punishment of the old cars, and if a hose has gotten to the point it has a leak, it could get larger quick and overheat rapidly.

PS -don't forget- cooling systems are made to operate under pressure and opening a hot radaitor is a good way to get scalded.

[centennialdawg]

What color is the smoke? If it is white in color, then chances are you have some kind of antifreeze leak. If it is dark in color, then that could mean a whole lot of other problems. Also, what does the smoke smell like, is it a sweet odor? Or is it more of a burned oil/insulation odor?

Depending on the year/model/age of the car, I would lay odds on it being some sort of antifreeze leak, most likely a hose or maybe a coolant pump. Also, have you noticed any puddles of fluild under the car on the ground?

[1inStripes]

If you are not finding a leak around any hoses or such, you might check the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator also. Something could have hit and broke it off. Not common, but I had it happen to me once.

[burton2019]

Thanks alot fellas. Its my wifes car. Its a 96 Nissan Maxima if that helps. I havent noticed anything leaking, but I haven't been looking either.

The smoke looked clear but smelled like oil burning or something similar to that. Once again thanks alot.

[centennialdawg]

Any smoke coming out of the exhaust?

[burton2019]

Any smoke coming out of the exhaust?

Nope. Today was the first time I've seen the smoke, and it was a small amount under the hood.

[centennialdawg]

Then I would think that there is a 99% probability that it is a coolant leak somewhere, most likely a hose, or a coolant pump since you said earlier that the coolant level was low. Sadly, hoses and coolant pumps most usually go bad when the weather is bad, such as extreme cold or extreme heat. Raise the hood and see if you can find any wet spots on the motor. Then try and trace the wet spot back to its origin. I would lay odds on it being a "by-pass" hose near the coolant pump.

[imported_elp6n]

You could also check to see if your thermostat is stuck/broken. That can cause it to overheat and result in some white smoke/steam from under the hood.

[Biggin]

I hope ya have better luck than I have with my moms car, something is causing her car to overheat and we just cannot fix it. It started with a thick paste in the overflow tank for the radiator, and now the car overheats if you turn the heater on. We have:
flushed radiator, replaced thermostat, replaced the water pump and still nothing has fixed it.

Could it be the heater core?