Smoking from under the hood

Tiny
CYNTHIA0722
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 FORD ESCORT
  • 0.6L
  • 3 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 289,000 MILES
Every time I turn on my heat my car starts smoking from under the hood and there is a burning smell.
Friday, November 10th, 2017 AT 3:28 AM

4 Replies

Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
It is probably a leaking heater core hose. When you turn the heat on, coolant starts flowing through a hose, into the heater core, and then through another hose back to the engine. The blower motor blows air through the heater core (which is kind of like a car's radiator), which heats the air.

If the hose is leaking, the coolant could be coming out and getting onto hot engine parts, creating a steamy/smoky effect and a smell. When the engine is cold, raise the hood and check the coolant level by taking the cap off of the radiator. If it is not completely full, then you have a leak. Refill it, close the cap, leave the hood open, start the engine, and turn the heat on full blast. Then start poking around and looking for the leak and smoke/steam.

Let us know what you find.
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Friday, November 10th, 2017 AT 3:43 AM
Tiny
JOEL SALAS
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Heyman1104, what should we do once we find the leak? Should we go to the mechanic or is there way to fix this on your own?
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Friday, November 30th, 2018 AT 8:05 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
You can fix it on your own. Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can see what is going on? That would be great. You can upload it here with your response.

This guide can help as well:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-is-leaking-coolant

Please run down this guide and report back.

Cheers, Ken
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Friday, November 30th, 2018 AT 12:07 PM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
With the internet, you can fix just about anything on your own. That is what we are here for. Take the video as Ken suggests, and post it here. Also, poke around when it is doing it and take however many pictures you can and post them here as well. Then maybe we can make a more educated guess.
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Friday, November 30th, 2018 AT 8:24 PM

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