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Possible causes of overheating and white smoke coming out from under hood while car is in idle

Tiny
ELLIE84
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 OLDSMOBILE CIERA
  • 121,000 MILES
I just bought a 91 ciera. I frove it about 50 miles home, and it was perfect. Then I stopped in a dive-thru and while I was sitting still, the thermometer kept heating up, and the longer we sat, the more it heated up, to the point of over heating. It made an odd noise before it got really ho, and then it started to smoke! Once I started driving again, I cooled off. Does this sound like a head gasket issue?
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Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 AT 4:00 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,867 POSTS
If it only overheats when sitting still, it sounds like the cooling fan isn't coming on. Since it cooled off when you started driving it again, check that first. Start the engine, let it sit and run. Keep an eye on the temp so you don't overheat it, but the cooling fans should come on before that happens. If they don't, that is the problem. Also, make sure the coolant is full.
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Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 AT 4:09 AM

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