minielexus

So my car overheated heard a sucking noise,steam coming from hood and all the antifreeze leaked out from the bottom of the car. Other than this the car was running pretty good. Im not sure if I should get rid if it to the junkyard or keep it. I really cant afford a mechanic right now either. Any ideas on what it could be?? Thanks!
Eta> okay so my problem is it is still overheating the anticoolant is basically pissing out from the bottom and the car is going crazy as soon as I drive it down the block. I had my brother look at it and from what he sees there are no cracks. So he assumes whatever the problem is its under the engine and to not even bother with the car, cause labor alone just to move the engine is super expensive. Sorry im a woman. I know **** about cars lol. Help.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Welcome to Club Lexus.

With the warmish weather, having a properly maintained cooling system is important. If you pulled the car over at the time it overheated and let it cool down, you may be ok. First get it towed to a reputable mechanic and/or DIY the basic cooling system maintenance. That means new coolant, thermostat, thermostat gasket and radiator/reservoir cap. DIY cost is about $60. You'll also need distilled water and I would suggest replacing the radiator drain **** along with O-ring. If a mechanic does this, the cost can be for $75-$150. Make sure the coolant is Toyota red.

If lucky then the head gasket is still ok. If not, the coolant when refilled will look like a creamy chocolate milk when the car is running. If so, that means the engine will have to be torn down and rebuilt. You'll also notice a lot of steam out of the rear tail pipe.

Just to note to all members, with summer be sure your cooling system is ready for summer. We hate to hear of the car being junkyard material when this can easily be prevented. Saw a car today driving down the road puking out lots of white steam from the exhaust.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

it could be as simple as a ruptured radiator hose. look inside the engine bay for any breaks. you might have to wash down the engine to find it. be careful as steam will rise when water hits hot parts of the engine.

bring it to your local autozone, pepboys, if driveable, and have them diagnose it for FREE!

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Either the lower hose,radiator or water pump are gone. What year and how many miles do you have on the car? A new hose or radiator are the easier fixes the water pump you will have to open up the engine which I assume your not willing to do.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

You can go to O'Reilly's (probably Pep Boys too, etc.) and rent for free a pressure tester. You pay ~$160 for it, but get it all refunded if you return it within 48 hours. I did this just a few days ago for one of my other cars.

Basically you can then pressurize your cooling system while it is cold, not running, hood up, in front of you, rather than watching the aftermath of the leaks after driving it. You just attach it to the radiator cap, pressurize the system and watch for leaks.

It is far more likely to be a leaking hose than a problem with the engine block, so don't get too worried.

Caniac14

^The above is the best place to start. Or if you have a radiator shop anywhere nearby, they usually will test it for you for free.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

This. A ruptured hose will drain off the coolant quickly and continue even after filled. The hoses aren't big $ fixes. You'll wind up with fresh coolant but I would still suggest having the thermostat and radiator cap changed because we still have many hot days ahead and making sure the car's coolant system is ready for it will bring peace of mind.