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Need help. White smoke, Cel, vtm.

9K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  can 
#1 ·
About three weeks ago I had a timing belt job, with water pump, pulley etc done. At the same time a crack was found in the radiator and that too was replaced.

Drove maybe two hundred miles and all seemed fine. Cake back from 1 week vacation and my wife took it for a short drive to work.

Now I have a Cel with multiple misfire codes. White smoke coming from the exhaust. Low coolant. And the Vtm light comes on frequently though I suspect that is a separate issue.

From what I have read so far, this could be s head gasket issue maybe the car overheating. I plan on taking it back to the mechanic, but would like to be a little more informed. Basically, if the timing belt and radiator service was done improperly, could it result in what I am experiencing?

Pic of coolant cap
 
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#2 ·
Other than that you have oil in antifreeze I am really not sure what happened. Is it possible to have an air pocket in a Pilot's engine which would cause overheating? Not sure.
 
#3 ·
Not a lot of info to go by, but after having just finished a timing belt job, I can't imagine how that could have caused the problems you are now having.

One concern is the radiator shows a clear liquid. Water? Should be a nice blue color of the Honda coolant. If your mechanic put water in the radiator, what other shortcuts did he take?

How many miles on the vehicle?
 
#4 ·
The vehicle is at about 101,000 miles. I trust my mechanic. He knows his stuff, and doesn't cheap out on components. But things can happen. However there is one thread I have found here to which I am awaiting any updates to its resolution. The OP had also had the timing belt service done and a new radiator. The picture he posted of his radiator cap is almost identical to mine. My assumption is that this is a head gasket issue and the occurrence likely is just coincidental with the recent service. The potential cost of this service is high, and I would like to be well informed.

From my reading so far the only thing I can come up with that could provide a possible link between these issues and the recent service is maybe the new water pump or radiator is at fault (bad part / installation). Thereby causing the engine to have overheated. My wife had driven it a couple times (20 miles) complaining of somewhat sluggish behavior. She is not the most observant when it comes to warning signs but I would imagine anything sufficient enough to damage the gasket would be memorable.

Is there any reason the bolts securing the heads would have been loosened for the timing belt service? As you mentioned if the incorrect coolant is used, can it cause sufficient damage specifically to the gasket seals?
 
#5 ·
Is there any reason the bolts securing the heads would have been loosened for the timing belt service? As you mentioned if the incorrect coolant is used, can it cause sufficient damage specifically to the gasket seals?
I don't see any reason that the head bolts would need to be loosened.

The issue with coolant, as far as I know, is a long term thing due to the variety of materials in the coolant system. Can't imagine that the small amount of usage you have put on the car would create what you are seeing.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Good luck.
 
#8 ·
Have you checked the engine oil and tranny fluid to verify if they look normal?
 
#10 ·
White smoke from the exhaust could and most likely is the result of coolant being burned in the combustion chamber.

I would also check the condition of the engine oil for the presence of antifreeze since if you're seeing oil in your radiator you might also have coolant in the engine oil.

If there is also an issue with the new radiator antifreeze and tranny fluid might be also mixing. That could cause the sluggish behavior your wife noted.

Both are easy to check via the dipsticks.

Where was the crack on the radiator which was replaced?
 
#12 ·
Unless someone tightened head nuts way below required torque, that means what you said and the probability of cracked head/block is way lower than blown gasket.
 
#13 ·
All signs point to the gasket. My mechanic suspect as much as well but wants to send the head to a machine shop to see if it warp of if it will hold pressure. Seems a bit over the top for me.

So I'm in a bind. I need the car, but having just spent $2K on it less than a month ago, I don't think I can swing the full on head gasket fix.

Can anyone share their experiences with the liquid head gasket fixes? I believe it can work for a time, my concern would be that they will make things harder to fix later once I am ready to do a full on replacement.
 
#14 ·
If you can find a tombstone cutter in your area, who can sell you an off-cut of a polished granite slab big enough to put a head on, you can figure if it's warped yourself. Or if you can get an off-cut of a granite countertop. Heck, even a thick piece of glass (a tabletop or similar) can be used. Put the head on the slab, try to rock it side to side and diagonally. Also see if it touches the slab everywhere equally. This is not rocket science: a machine shop would do the same thing.
 
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