N/A Blown head gasket?

Sitting in traffic (READ: Stuck in KFC drive-thru for 30 mins!) I can see a bit of smoke, this normal? or early signs?

Sitting in traffic (READ: Stuck in KFC drive-thru for 30 mins!) I can see a bit of smoke, this normal? or early signs?

Where was the smoke coming from? What colour was it?

KFC is not healthy. You can't beat a bit of home cooking with proper food.

Smoke looks white, didn't check will do tomorrow. The engine was hot. Smoke from exhaust.

[getting a new kitchen fitted so no home cookin'! I'm in to my weight lifting and know how naughty I've been the last month gained a few % body fat )

Let it cool down properly (overnight) and see if there is any sign of coolant loss. A basic sniffer test should let you know if there's a HG problem. It's extremely rare for one to go, but a sniffer test is an easy first check to make.

get a sniff test done! any local garage should be able to do this for you! about £20 (dont take it to mr T they aint got a clue about N/As trust me!!)

Whats the darn-heck is a sniffer test?

Thanks by the way!

liquid that changes colour if exposed to exhaust gases, its put in a tube which is placed over the rad with cap removed to see is there are any exhaust gases in your cooling system aka BHG, liquid is blue turns green if HG has Blown!

Whats the darn-heck is a sniffer test?

 

Thanks by the way!

It's a simple test done on the coolant while the engine is running. It checks for carbon monoxide in the coolant, i.e. if combustion gasses are getting into the coolant.

Any local garage will be able to do one for a few quid.

Edit - too slow

MOT standard 4 way gas analysis of the vapour in the rad filler neck, or a pull through a fluid test of the vapour above the rad coolant. Any good garage should be able to assess this.

Also, any idea why there is a kinda acidic burning smell when I get out of the car?

No Coolant?

Just had the coolant flushed and refilled about 4 weeks ago, and the car doesn't run hot.

if it aint running hot why do you think BHG?

Steam in the exhaust fumes, I thought that was a possibility.

You must pay close attention to my sig

if your worried just get a sniff test done! few quid = piece of mind! very rare for a supe to blow an HG

Edit: unless its a Mkiii

Cool, thats a job for the weekend.

Any ideas on the acidic smell?

Cool, thats a job for the weekend.

 

Any ideas on the acidic smell?

No idea there mate sorry

Also, any idea why there is a kinda acidic burning smell when I get out of the car?

This one can be connected to break pads. Check if noone of them got seized. Suppose to be stronger around wheels. Also it can be slipping clutch - I got this terrible smell when my clutch was almost gone.

Edit: after rethinking this, I'm actually 80% sure it's burned clutch.

Hmmm,

The smell i had that was like that was a leaking water pump. The pump was spraying Toyota red all over the engine which was then burning it. Stank, no white spots on the engine or engine bay is there?

Hmmm,

 

The smell i had that was like that was a leaking water pump. The pump was spraying Toyota red all over the engine which was then burning it. Stank, no white spots on the engine or engine bay is there?

That sounds about right with the red coolant. I had a pipe that had developed a tiny pin hole. It was peeing out a fine stream of coolant all over the side of the engine block, at first I couldn't see it but the puddle under the car gave it away.

I'd get it on a ramp and have a damn good look underneath, that's how we spotted mine!

H.

That sounds about right with the red coolant. I had a pipe that had developed a tiny pin hole. It was peeing out a fine stream of coolant all over the side of the engine block, at first I couldn't see it but the puddle under the car gave it away.

 

I'd get it on a ramp and have a damn good look underneath, that's how we spotted mine!

 

H.

Mine stank real bad, lucky Dan4 spotted it when changing my Crank pully. It had left a white spots where ever it hit. Took me ages to clean it all off:(

Mine stank real bad, lucky Dan4 spotted it when changing my Crank pully. It had left a white spots where ever it hit. Took me ages to clean it all off:(

It's a wierd smell, somewhere between really bad damp and spunk?

H.