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Overheating issue

Tiny
RAGNARREDNECK
  • MEMBER
  • 2012 FIAT 500
  • 3.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 189,555 MILES
My son drove the car, he said white smoke came from under the hood, multiple electrical codes flashed on, and the car gradually ran down to a stop, with a final 'errrr' sound. No clack/clatter/crack sounds. Coolant was very low. The car would crank but not turn over. Spark plugs had spark, but no compression in motor. The oil dipstick showed a very high oil level, so I tried to draw off some of the oil. Instead I drew coolant from dipstick pipe, which lowered the oil level. No milky residue at all on the dipstick itself. No sign of mixing of oil and coolant, even in motor itself. Mechanic said it's the head gasket but might be the oil filter cooler gasket as well.

Also, numerous electrical codes which I'll provide in a follow-up post.

P.S. The coolant seemed to come out of the dipstick from behind the oil. No mixing of fluids. Weird.
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Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022 AT 2:03 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,885 POSTS
Hi,

I have a couple of questions. First, you indicated there is no compression. Is that correct? A failed head gasket will still allow some compression to build. Also, if there was coolant in the engine, that certainly indicated an issue with either the head gasket or a cracked block or cylinder head.

As far as the oil filter cooler, if it failed, coolant may have mixed, but that is unlikely.

Since there is no compression, that is where the focus needs to be until we can determine the cause. If the compression is low, that is a different issue, so let me know.

This is an interference engine. If the timing belt broke, it would likely have caused internal engine damage such as bending valves in the cylinder head. That would cause a no compression issue. With that, I recommend removing the timing belt cover and inspecting it to see if it is broken or damaged.

I attached three pics below. Pics 1 and 2 explain what to look for if the belt has not broken. Pic 3 shows the upper timing belt cover. There are two bolts that hold it in place (I think 10mm). Remove the bolts and then the plastic cover to access the belt.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Joe

See pics below.
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Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022 AT 5:59 PM
Tiny
RAGNARREDNECK
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Joe, thanks for the reply. I hadn't thought that the lack of compression (only one valve had PSI over 6) could be a separate issue from the coolant problem. No oil leak, either. Due to weather, I can't get busy under-hood for a couple days, unfortunately. I'll know more this weekend.

PS: Were you able to read the codes in the pic I included?
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Thursday, March 24th, 2022 AT 11:22 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,885 POSTS
Hi,

I was able to read the codes. They are all over the place. If you only have 1 of the cylinders with 6 PSI compression, something more is happening internally, so I'm a little concerned at this point.

However, let me know what you find with the timing belt. The next step may require you to remove the cylinder head. Also, let me know if you checked compression or someone other.

Take care,

Joe
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Thursday, March 24th, 2022 AT 8:00 PM

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